Photos courtesy of Garrison Brothers Distillery

Buzzed



Dan Garrison of Garrison Brothers Distillery

If the phrase “Texas bourbon” gives you pause, you’re not alone. Try telling the folks down in Kentucky that charred, white oak barrels are turning out their coveted copper whiskey outside state lines and they’re sure to balk. But that’s exactly what Dan Garrison of Garrison Brothers Distillery is doing. His Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the first bourbon whiskey legally made in Texas.

Garrison was at Emma’s Ale House in White Plains recently for a tasting to promote his whiskey, which is finally available in New York; we’re the third state after Texas and Arizona to get our hands on it. We sampled his fall 2013 vintage and his spring 2014 vintage, and they’re both up to Kentucky par—if not way above. The fall, as you might expect, was warm with hints of gingerbread and cinnamon with a spicy finish; the spring was lighter but peppery, with traces of apricots, cinnamon, and figs. We’d go for the fall, but maybe it depends on your mood, or the season for that matter. Both were a deep shade of amber-crimson. “Like a Texas sunset,” he says.

Garrison uses Texas-grown organic corn, winter wheat he grows himself, ultraviolet-filtered rainwater from the roof of his distillery, barley from the Pacific Northwest, and homemade sweet mash. It ain’t cheap—$84.99 per bottle—but not outrageous if you consider the process and care given to ingredients. Here’s where you can pick it up.

We’ve heard that our Wine & Food Week sponsor Zachys is offering free Garrison Brothers shipping for Westchester Magazine readers. Just head here and use the code “WM” in the Special Instructions area!