Garrison Brothers (2016): Guest Review

Nose: The first and strongest smell from this is corn. Just straight corn. Then, you get some charred/caramelized oak. That's really about it, not too much going on here. Palate: First notes are [you guessed it] very strong corn and oak. However, the oak tastes like uncharred oak as opposed to the deeply charred oak that I got on the nose. On a second sip, you get some more oak and corn. On the third (third times a charm, right?) it's still 100% oak and corn. The mouth feel is relatively watery and gives a delayed, mild, burn on the tongue. It's a peppery kind of burn without the taste of pepper like you sometimes get from rye, if that makes sense. It's warm at the top of the throat after you swallow, but not all the way down. The warmth stays in the back of your throat well after the tastes dissipate on your tongue, which last a moderate amount of time. Comments: First off, I may be a little biased because I do not like Texas bourbons. However, this was one of the bottles that made me decide that I don't like Texas Bourbon. I thought that it may taste different than it did at first since it has been open and at 1/4-1/3 full for about two years, maybe a little longer. I also haven't had a dram of it for close to the same amount of time, but it really tasted exactly as I remember. Very plain and full of corn. This is what I've come to expect from Texas bourbons since they all seem to taste the same. I think other tastes just don't have the chance to come through since the whiskey just bakes in the barrels at high temperature day in and day out. Kentucky gets hot, but at least the winter gives a little more variation and chance to mellow a bit. *quick disclaimer, that is a totally made up statement and based on nothing except my own uninformed opinion*. This bottle is 47% ABV and says that it is 3 years old (not surprising with the very young taste) and that it's made with #1 panhandle white corn. I'm not sure if they change the mash bill year to year, but I don't think so. If memory serves me right, this bottle retailed about $60 and I stared at what were probably the same bottles on the shelf for over a year until they were on sale for about half that. I would still say that $30 is not worth it. I'd pay $15 for this if I were desperate, simply because I know that I could do better with a bottle of Jim Beam or Heaven Hill. It's not bad... Just not good in any sense of the word. *WOW, so I just did a little research and turns out these bottles retail almost $90... NOT worth it and I think my previous prices are still accurate to my experience. Many other reviews also rate it very highly. Maybe I just have bad taste? Still wouldn't buy it again.