By Richard Thomas
Rating: A-
(Credit: Richard Thomas)
Garrison Brothers is well-known as a trailblazing distillery in what has become America’s third whiskey state, Texas. They were not the first distillery in Texas to put bottles on the market, largely because founder Dan Garrison insisted on making a proper Texas-style bourbon. The fellow who beat him to that particular laurel, Chip Tate at Balcones, did so by making a blue corn whiskey aged in small barrels for just several months.
Since their first bourbons came out more than a decade ago, the Garrison Brothers team has grown, and part of that growth was the hiring of Samantha Olvera, who has now made her own contribution to the distillery’s product line. Under the guidance of Garrison and Master Distiller Donnis Todd, shortly after Olvera began working at the distillery a batch of bourbon was entered barrels. After four years of aging in the fierce Hye, Texas climate, that bourbon was used to fill thirty standard, ex-rye whiskey barrels. That bourbon, finished in rye barrels, has now become the distillery’s nod to Olvera, Nancy Garrison and all the women who work at the distillery.
As an added note, the bottling is named for the Caverns of Sonora, a natural attraction located about halfway between San Antonio and Big Bend National Park. Five dollars from every purchase goes to support the preservation of Texas caves, such as the Caverns of Sonora.
The Bourbon
Garrison Brother’s Sonora is bottled at 108 proof (54% ABV). The three years of finishing in ex-rye barrels, for a total of seven years of aging, is particularly eye-catching. Most observers will recall the typical period of a round of secondary maturation is measured in months, not years. As a Garrison Brothers bourbon, it follows a traditional wheated mash bill: 74% corn, 15% wheat, 11% malted barley.
The color on the bourbon is a deep and dark reddened amber, as is typical for this distillery’s bourbon. The nose led with its vanilla, behind which was molasses and pumpernickel, a non-descript tropical fruit note and a hint of burnt straw. The palate ran with brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, skewered on a sliver of toasted, peppery oak. That turned over into a finish that proved a light touch, just a dusting of cookie spices.
If all that sounds pretty standard for bourbon, you wouldn’t be wrong, but what makes Sonora an A- bourbon is its balance and integration. Different notes may arise in sequence, but all are crystal clear and take their turns at center stage well. The result is a sipping experience that comes across as a vibrantly flavorful, tidy bundle.
The Price
Expect to pay $160 a bottle for this item.
