Garrison Brothers Distillery
Garrison Brothers Distillery is a distillery in Hye, Texas. The distillery produces Texas Straight Bourbon, as well as some experimental variants. In 2006, the distillery was granted the first stiller's permit for bourbon outside of Kentucky and Tennessee, which makes it the oldest legal bourbon distillery in Texas.[1][2] Garrison Brothers Distillery did not originally plan on ever selling outside the state of Texas, but it is sold in 42 states as of November 2021.[3]
Garrison Brother's flagship "Cowboy Bourbon" consists of a few thousand barrel proof bottles released each year. The first batch was released in 2013, and a new batch has been released each year since 2015.[4]
Distributor Allied Lomar Inc., who once sold a bourbon by the name "Cowboy Little Barrel", brought a trademark suit against the distillery due to its use of a similar product name. On July 18, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed an earlier jury verdict that allowed Garrison Brothers to use the name "Cowboy Bourbon" for Garrison's flagship product, ruling that the earlier trademark had been abandoned.[5]
In 2018, Garrison Brothers started a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called "Good Bourbon for a Good Cause" to raise money for to renovate Balmorhea State Park.[6] Garrison Brothers also produced a double-barrel bourbon whiskey named after Balmorhea, which Texas Monthly described as having sweet and silky tasting notes.[7]
Awards[edit]
Silver Medal, 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Small Batch Bourbon (Up to 10 Years) - Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Texas, USA [8]
Bronze Medal, 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Straight Bourbon - Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon, Fall 2014 Vintage [9]
Silver Medal, 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Single Barrel Bourbon (Up to 10 Years) - Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Texas Straight Bourbon, Texas, USA [10]
Best Craft Whiskey Distillery, 2017 USA Today Readers' Choice[11]
"US Micro Whisky of the Year" and "second best bourbon of the year" from Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon harvested 2009 bottled 2015 from spirits writer Jim Murray in his book Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017 (ISBN 978-0993298615).
"US Micro Whisky of the Year" for Garrison Brothers Balmorhea Bourbon from spirits writer Jim Murray in his book Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2019 (ISBN 978-0993298639).[12]
References[edit]
- ^ Beach, Patrick (December 3, 2008). "Bourbon from Texas? Cheers". Austin American-Statesman.
- ^ "'Oldest' Texas distillery wins trademark lawsuit". The Spirits Business. 13 January 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ Steinmetz, Katy (March 12, 2012). "Little Bitty Bourbon". Time.
- ^ "Garrison Brothers new Bourbon is big, bold and expensive". Austin360. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ "San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2013 Results by Class". Law360. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ "Want to see Balmorhea State Park restored? So does this Texas distillery, with your help". Austin360.com. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ "Six Texas Bourbons to Drink Right Now". Texas Monthly. 24 August 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ "5th Circ. Kills Trademark Suit Over 'Cowboy' Bourbon" (PDF). San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2015 Results by Class" (PDF). San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2016 Results by Class" (PDF). San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "Readers' Choice winners: Best craft distilleries of 2017". 10best. 15 September 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2019 – The Winners". The Whiskey Exchange. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
External links[edit]
- Garrison Brothers Distillery official website