The whiskey wash logo
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website

Trending Stories

Search
Bourbon

Whiskey Review: Garrison Brothers Small Batch

We review Garrison Brothers Small Batch, this Texas distillery's flagship bourbon.

OVERALL RATING

6
$80.00
  • Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer.
Like Conversation
Garrison Brothers Small Batch review

Tasting Notes

About:

Appearance:
Brown crayon.
Nose:
Much like the Cowboy, the Small Batch hits your nose as sweet. There seems to be something to the distillery’s claim that the punishing heat in Hye makes a difference in the aging process. For a relatively young, 3-year-old bourbon, the oak nose is significant. It brings to mind an orange cream vanilla cake. There’s more wood evident than you’d expect, along with a red wine sweetness.
Palate:
In my recent review of the 2022 Cowboy, I wrote that it gets sweeter the more water you add. (Bringing down its 134.8 proof.) I wrote that with enough water, it starts to taste like “chocolate and cherries, with maybe a hint of Dr. Pepper.” I’ll stand by that description with the Small Batch, as well. Its lower alcohol content allows the sweetness to come to the fore. The downside of the lower alcohol content is that it doesn’t have much of a finish. It has a nice moment on the front of the tongue, balanced between sweet, spicy, and nutty, then fades fast.
Finish:
Comments:
As I said above, I tend to like Garrison Brothers whiskeys, but find them a little on the pricey side. Both of those things remain true with the 2022 Small Batch. It’s decent bourbon, and I enjoyed it. But it’s hard to justify a price tag approaching (or north of) $100 for a bottle, when there are a whole lot of quality bourbons I can get in the $50 the $70 range at my local liquor store. If you can find it for $80, then I could be convinced to pick up a bottle.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Scott Bernard Nelson

Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer based in Portland, Oregon. While currently working in higher education, he previously dedicated 22 years to journalism, covering impactful events such as 9/11 in Manhattan, crossing into Iraq with U.S. Marines, and contributing to The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of abuse in the Catholic Church, which inspired the film "Spotlight." Since 2019, Scott has shared his insights as a whiskey reviewer for The Whiskey Wash.  

All Posts

Latest On The Whiskey Wash

Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky Review

October 30, 2026

Can a budget blend named after a famous tea clipper hold its own? We taste Cutty Sark’s 40% Scotch and see how it stacks up against its Prohibition sibling.

The whiskey wash logo