Distilleries have been popping up around Texas for a while now, but it you want to visit the first legal whiskey distillery in the state (and the first outside of Kentucky), you need to make a trip the little town of Hye. That is located off of Highway 290 in the midst of the Hill Country and just down the road from Fredericksburg. I happened to be in that area just a few days ago and I decided to stop by and sample their whiskeys. Here is a rundown of the five I tasted:
Honeydew: This is a honey-infused straight bourbon whiskey that comes in at 80 proof (40% alcohol). It has a nice sweetness, but it is not too heavy on the honey flavor. I don’t typically like a honey whiskey (unless I am drinking it with lemon when I have a sore throat), but this one works quite well for me. It is very smooth with the honey coming in at the end, and it works perfectly well just for sipping.
Single Barrel B: This is a single barrel straight bourbon whiskey that comes in at 94 proof (47% alcohol). It has a slight acrid taste, but that is not off-putting. The oak flavor from the barrel it ages in is notable in the background, but it does not overwhelm. It has some sweetness there as well to balance out the complexity of its flavors. It has more of a bite than the others I tasted, but it is still enjoyable.
Single Barrel A: Yet another of their single barrels, this one is also a 94 proof spirit. It is smoother than the Single Barrel B with not as much of the wood coming through. It also has some sweetness, and it goes down quite well. Of the two, I preferred the A barrel over the B.
Small Batch: This is another straight bourbon whiskey and it also comes in at 94 proof. It starts with some sweetness and it is very smooth and quite flavorful. There is a bit of oak in there, but just enough to make its presence felt. It also has a nice richness and it finishes off quite well. Of the four whiskeys I got on the flight, this was my favorite.
Laguna Madre 2023: This is a Limousin Oak-immersed straight bourbon whiskey and it is a limited release. It comes in at 101 proof (50.5% alcohol). They were giving out samples of this one so I got a small taste of it. It is rich with notable oak taste and a touch of sweet in there as well. It retails for $349 a bottle, and once they are out of the current run it is done for the year.
Garrison Bros. Distillery released its first batch in 2013 and has been consistently producing award-winning whiskey since then. They offer tours, but you will need to go to their website to book a time. If you just want to stop by and sample their whiskeys, they have plenty of seating, though it is all outside. But most of it is covered, and it was tolerable enough with fans blowing despite the scorching summer heat. They also have a kitchen cooking up some tempting dishes, but I had just come from lunch at Pecan Street Brewery in Johnson City (more on that in an upcoming post) so I did not sample the food . If you happen to be in the area, I certainly recommend stopping and sipping of their few whiskeys and maybe getting a bite to eat.
Garrison Bros. Distillery is located at 1827 Hye-Albert Rd in Hye, TX and you can check out their page on our site for the hours they are open and more information.
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