Garrison Brothers Distillery announced today that 9,000 bottles of Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey have recently been distributed throughout Texas, and is now available in restaurants, bars, hotels and retail stores statewide. This is the sixth release of the vintage straight bourbon from Garrison Brothers, located in the small Hill Country town of Hye.
Distribution of this highly sought-after whiskey has spread from Blanco and Gillespie County to Austin, San Antonio, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, and North and West Texas. This latest release will now reach fine establishments and liquor retailers in Dallas, Fort Worth, and all of East Texas. “We always knew distribution would grow organically and slowly, but we never expected it would take so long to get statewide,” said proprietor and distiller Dan Garrison. “That’s because thirsty Central Texans just kept drinking it all as soon as it was available.”
Garrison Brothers releases two vintages a year, one in the fall and one in the spring around Texas Independence Day. The first release of 1,000 bottles on March 2, 2010, sold out in 24 hours. The second release, in the fall of 2010, disappeared from stores in just a few weeks. The bourbon, which can range from $65 to $85 a bottle at retail, has become a collector’s item for connoisseurs and enthusiasts throughout the country, though it can only be purchased in Texas.
The flavor profile of each vintage differs considerably from previous releases. The fall 2012 release available now has a rich, velvety, butterscotch-laden mouth-feel and a smoky hazelnut and butternut squash flavor. These intentional profile differences result from the choice of grains, the barrels used for aging, filtration methods, and climate and agricultural factors.
Garrison boasts that he makes whiskey the old-fashioned way, by hand. “We use organic, gourmet-grade corn from the Texas Panhandle, soft red winter wheat grown right here on our farm, and barley from the Pacific Northwest and Canada. And we never chill-filter.”
The distillery has enjoyed widespread interest from publications such as Southern Living, Saveur, Smithsonian, The Wall Street Journal, Wine and Spirits Daily, and TIME. Garrison Brothers bourbon has also received critical acclaim, winning a Silver Medal at the San Francisco Wine & Spirits Competition, Best of Category at the American Distilling Institute Awards, and a Gold Medal in the New York competition called TheFiftyBest.com.
Throughout the fall, Garrison will hold tasting events at liquor stores, bars, and restaurants across Texas. He invites bourbon enthusiasts to come share his bourbon and allow him to write personal notes on bottles being purchased as gifts. A schedule is available at www.garrisonbros.com/events.
