🥃 Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon Review: Texas Bourbon Done Big

Garrison Brothers Bourbon

Texas doesn’t do subtle — and Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon is proof of that.

In this episode of Tortured Bourbon, we head deep into the heart of Texas bourbon country to spend some quality time with one of the most recognizable craft bourbons in America. Distilled by Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye, Texas, this wheated small batch bourbon represents everything bold, intense, and unapologetic about Texas whiskey.

Garrison Brothers was the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas since Prohibition, opening its doors in 2006. Since then, they’ve built a reputation for doing things their own way — from sourcing local grains to aging bourbon in blazing-hot steel barns that push barrels to their limit. The result is whiskey that matures faster, drinks bigger, and never gets accused of being shy.

This episode asks the big questions:

• Is Garrison Brothers Small Batch worth the price?

• How much does Texas heat really impact flavor?

• And how does this compare to classic Kentucky wheated bourbons?

Let’s get into it.

🧾 What’s in the Bottle?

• Bourbon: Garrison Brothers Small Batch

• Distillery: Garrison Brothers Distillery (Hye, Texas)

• Mash Bill:

  • 74% Corn

  • 15% Wheat

  • 11% Malted Barley

• Proof: 94 proof (47% ABV)

• Age Statement: None

• MSRP: ~$80

This bourbon is aged in new, charred American oak barrels under extreme Texas heat. When it’s 100 degrees outside for much of the year — and even hotter inside steel rickhouses — whiskey interacts with the barrel aggressively. That accelerated aging creates bold flavors, deep extraction, and an intensity that’s unmistakably Texan.

🥃 Katie’s Official Tasting Notes

As always, Katie brings the official breakdown — we sip and react.

Nose

Golden Delicious apple slices drizzled with honey, sweet floral verbena, fresh-cut grass, saddle leather, and cinnamon.

Palate

Tart orange hard candy and lemon gumdrops, yellow pound cake, sugar cookies, smoky baking spices, and springtime honeysuckle.

Finish

Long and complex. Smoky tobacco transitions into sweet county-fair caramel apples sprinkled with walnuts and cinnamon.

🎥 On Camera

From first sip to final ranking, we let this bourbon speak for itself. There’s banter, debate, and honest reactions as we decide where Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon lands in the Tortured Bourbon universe.

No scripts. No tasting prompts. Just real bourbon talk.

🥃 About Tortured Bourbon

Tortured Bourbon is a whiskey show dedicated to entertaining ourselves while exploring bourbon, American whiskey, and craft distilling — usually with curiosity, occasionally with discipline.

Visit torturedbourbon.com for:

• Episode blogs

• Bourbon reviews & rants

• Merch

• Bonus content

• And entirely too many opinions

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to like, subscribe, and tell us what your favorite Texas bourbon is.

Cheers, y’all.