Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link in this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
As one of those formerly “gifted” children, I have an heavy aversion to any task or project that I’m not successful at right from the get go. To completely fail, or to have to start over entirely from scratch after the first attempt, would absolutely defeat me.
So it’s good that I’m not a whiskey distiller. Especially in Texas.
Because fighting the elements in Texas in order to produce flavorful, quality whiskeys seems a daunting task, one I’m glad Garrison Brothers Distillery is taking on. The distillery was the first to make legal bourbon in the state of Texas, and has a significant whiskey line-up.
All of which comes with the challenges of making whiskey in Texas.
Texas, of course, is a challenging terroir. Temperatures often and unrelentingly exceed 100 degrees, making barrel-aging a challenge. The angel’s share in any system of barrel-aging plays a role, more so when it’s warm, and can be absolutely detrimental in sustained high heat.
Detrimental can become like dynamite in such hot temperatures, where the internal temperature of the barrels can create a pressure that causes the barrels to explode. Which is exactly what happened to the first batch of Cowboy Bourbon that Garrison Brothers attempted, and between combustion and evaporation they lost every drop.
The distillery persevered; and what we have here is the ninth release of Cowboy Bourbon. Even to this day, not every whiskey barrel makes it to bottling; of those that do, the best are specially selected and set aside for Cowboy Bourbon. Each barrel that does inevitably make the cut ages at least six years before its uncut, unfiltered bottling.
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Garrison Brothers Distillery has been rewarded for their attention to craft in the last decade. Of this already limited release (less than 10,000 bottles), the first thousand bottles went to fans who go directly to the distillery to buy them, and the rest will sell out quickly.
Oh, and did I mention the ABV? A potentially mind-numbing 140.9 proof, though I found the heat in no way hampered the final bourbon I tasted.
Tasting Notes: Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2023
Vital Stats: 140.9 proof or 70.45% ABV; aged at least 6 years; 750mL; suggested retail price of $249.99.
Appearance: Few uneven slow legs, mahogany, very reminiscent of root beer.
Nose: Maple, ketchup, fresh wood shavings, milk chocolate.
Palate: Thick, chewy texture. Very warm on front palate, leads into very full flavor. Buttered toast fills out the mid palate, with some drying down at the finish.
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