Garrison Brothers Is Dropping a Pair of Sherry Cask Finished Bourbons
Texas craft distillery Garrison Brothers just announced the summer launch of its new Ranch Reserve Series, a duo of whiskeys finished in two types of sherry casks: Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez. Not only that, but the distillery had some good news to report in what is indisputably a soft whiskey market, noting that its sales have outpaced the growth of similarly priced brands in the state and nationally.
Garrison Brothers, which is located in Hye, Texas, about an hour outside of Austin, is the oldest legal whiskey distillery in the state. It was founded in 2006 by Dan and Nancy Garrison, and released its first bourbon four years later. This is an assertive bourbon that tastes very different from what you might find in Kentucky due to the climate the whiskey is aged in, with a strong oak presence and deep, dark color picked up while it matures in the dry Texas heat. Also, the distillery uses a range of different barrel sizes to mature its whiskey, so the smaller casks accelerate the aging process as there is more surface area for the whiskey and wood to interact.
The distillery’s portfolio is anchored by a few different wheated bourbons, as well as a newer bottled-in-bond expression and the hazmat-level Cowboy Bourbon. But there are many different cask finishes in the lineup as well, including Laguna Madre (finished in French oak), Guadalupe (finished in port casks), and Lady Bird (finished in Cognac barrels). The new Ranch Reserve Series continues that tradition, with the whiskey getting lengthy finishes that can really be called secondary maturations.
The first is PX, which was aged for four years in new charred oak and then another four in 59-gallon Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, and bottled at 109 proof. Look for notes of toffee, caramel, figs, and candied fruit on the palate. The second is Oloroso Sherry Cask Finished, also aged for four years in new charred oak and then another four in 59-gallon Oloroso sherry casks from Spain, and bottled at 110 proof. Official tasting notes describe walnut and baking spices on the palate. Both of these are priced at $150, and about 6,000 bottles of each will be available starting June 27 at 8 a.m. at the distillery, followed by a rollout at retailers around the country.
The other news, as mentioned before, is that Garrison Brothers is reporting positive sales number in a challenging market. Nine months ago, the distillery entered into a distribution partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and are reporting double digit growth in terms of national sales, and more than 40 percent gains in its home state of Texas over the same period last year. The data that the distillery provided is admittedly a small sample, showing that Garrison Brothers was doing better than two other unnamed Texas whiskey brands and one national brand. Still, that is a good sign, especially for a smaller distillery that does not have the same name recognition as brands like Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s.
