Editor’s Note: This whiskey was 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.
Garrison Brothers, located on a small farm and ranch in the Texas Hill Country, has the distinction of introducing the first bourbon legally made in Texas in 2010. With a focus on all things Texas bourbon, the distillery is so popular these days that they currently have a waitlist of more than 18,000 people just to volunteer on bottling days, and their Cowboy Bourbon sells typically out within hours of its release.
Garrison attributes its success to the fact every “expression of Garrison Brothers bourbon is made from a sweet mash bill and barrel-aged in the intense Texas climate. The extreme heat creates multiple aging seasons in a year, resulting in a darker, richer, and fuller bourbon, bolder than almost any other bourbon on the market.”
What’s in the bottle
The whiskey being reviewed here, Garrison Brothers Laguna Madre Bourbon (2024), is considered the brand’s “rarest, oldest and most coveted expression.” This Texas bourbon matures eight full years before its release, first being aged for four years in hand selected white American oak barrels and then transferred into very rare Limousin oak casks for another four years of aging in the Texas hill country heat.
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For those unfamiliar with it, limousin oak is sourced from the central forests in France and is said to be prized “for its powerful vanilla and lignin content.” Trees from the forest can only be harvested when they are 120 years of age or older.
Garrison Brothers Laguna Madre Bourbon (2024) is 50.5% ABV and priced at $349. Only 3,000 bottles were released.
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