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Hye, Texas – Garrison Brothers Distillery™, the first and only pure bourbon whiskey distillery in Texas, is pleased to announce a pre-release of 1,000 bottles of the first and finest Texas bourbon whiskey ever made! This unique pre-release of small batch bourbon is bottled from a few superior barrels that were personally selected by the proprietor from the distillery’s growing barrel inventory. Each bottle will be hand-filled, numbered and signed by the distiller.

Dan Garrison founded Garrison Brothers, the only distillery in America outside of Kentucky and Tennessee dedicated to producing bourbon and only bourbon, atop his Texas Hill Country ranch in 2006. Garrison learned the art of bourbon making from the masters, traveling to Kentucky throughout 2006 and 2007.

Garrison spent the rest of 2007 building his distillery, which functions today as not only a working cattle ranch and country tool shed, but also a gourmet kitchen, bourbon lab, and barrel farm. With the distillery built, testing began. After five challenging months of experimentation, Garrison nailed his first recipe in May 2008, making Garrison Brothers the first legal whiskey maker in Texas history. Since then, he and his team of bourbon makers have produced hundreds of barrels, which are quietly aging in their hill country barns.

"We make and barrel every batch by hand, the old-fashioned way," he says. Unlike Kentucky and Tennessee bourbon distilleries, which make bourbon from "sour mash," Garrison makes a "sweet mash" using locally grown grain that is ground fresh daily and never reused. The 100% organic corn is harvested from Texas farms in the Panhandle near Hereford, Dalhart and Muleshoe. "Our corn comes from family farms," says Garrison. "Texans grow exceptionally fine corn."

The mash is cold-distilled to lock in the flavor of the corn as it drips from the company’s antique, copper still. Garrison and his staff operate the still in shifts, 24 hours-a-day, six days-a-week. A little ultra-pure rainwater, harvested and filtered from the rooftops of the distillery, is added to the distillate before it goes into custom-made barrels built from slow-growth Northern American Oak harvested from sustainable forests. Once barreled, the bourbon ages, soaking up the vanilla, nutmeg, caramel and butterscotch characteristics that charred oak barrels bleed into good bourbon. According to Garrison, "Making bourbon whiskey well takes time and patience, which is why so many new blended whiskeys, vodkas, rums and tequilas are on the market today. Bourbon, on the other hand, is a commitment that most are unwilling to make." For this reason, a handmade bourbon like Garrison Brothers may be more costly at liquor stores than the mass produced brands. "Damn right it will be expensive," says Garrison, "but you get what you pay for."

Demand for Garrison Brothers’ bourbon is already strong. The distillery hosts visitors regularly: more than 3,000 since it began offering pre-scheduled tours in 2009. Requests for bottles and barrels have come from bourbon connoisseurs, sommeliers, bars, hotels and restaurants from as far away as Australia, Japan, Beverly Hills, Chicago, New York and even Kentucky. Despite the interest beyond Texas, Garrison will sell his bourbon locally first.

Just 2,000 bottles will be filled. "The first 500 bottles are for the Blanco and Gillespie County electricians, plumbers, masons and construction workers who have helped us build the distillery," said Garrison. "They deserve the first taste. We’ll give these away as gifts." A dozen or so are also being given to Garrison’s key mentors and friends in Kentucky. The unfiltered bourbon whiskey will come in a 375-ml half-bottle with a suggested retail price of under $50 a bottle.

Like a good wine, fine bourbon should mingle with oxygen, says Garrison. "If you’re patient enough to let the bottle breathe a while before you take your first pour, you’ll discover a complex nose of gun-smoke, caramel, molasses, dried cherries, figs and apricots," he says. "But don’t let the sweet nose fool you; it’s still an adolescent. The finish is well rounded but it has a bit of kick."

The bourbon was distilled in 2008 from mash made with #1 organic yellow dent corn from family farms in Dallam County, soft red winter wheat from farms in Indiana and Pennsylvania, and organic malted barley from Canada and the Pacific Northwest. The bourbon was distilled at a proof ranging from 100 to 150. "The pre-release is like a rebellious kid with an attitude," said Garrison. "It came off the still hot and you can taste it. Deep down inside, though, it’s a good bourbon, with a sweet nose and a warm, lingering finish." The bourbon was barreled in the summer and fall of 2008.

The 1,000 bottles that aren’t given away will be distributed to local liquor stores in Blanco and Gillespie Counties (Blanco, Fredericksburg, Hye, and Johnson City) by Texas Independence Day (Tuesday, March 2). "If folks want a bottle, they should contact stores quickly," says Garrison. "I hear stores out here have started waiting lists. I hope folks will buy two bottles; one to hold on to and one to enjoy," he says. "Those bottles they hold on to might be pretty valuable some day."

About Garrison Brothers Distillery. Garrison Brothers Distillery™ is a small distilled spirits plant located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. We manufacture Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon™ Whiskey from our kitchen, still-house and barrel barns in Hye, Texas. Garrison Brothers™ was the first legal whiskey distillery in Texas history, and outside of Kentucky and Tennessee, the only distillery in America that is successfully producing authentic bourbon whiskey and only bourbon whiskey. The business was founded in 2006. We received our Federal distilled spirits plant permit on October 17, 2007 and our state permit in December 2007. The business is owned by the Garrison family. We are proud and active members of the communities of Blanco, Fredericksburg, Hye, Johnson City and Stonewall. Our distillery and barrel barns are open to the public, upon request, for private tours and special events.