The Artisan Distiller

How Texas’ first bourbon went bust — and then boomed

March 2012 | Laura Benys

I am standing in the middle of Dan Garrison’s personal Rube Goldberg machine, being joyfully accosted by a golden retriever named Whiskey. All around us are shoulder-high mash cookers – one named “Hot Ass,” according to the white board on the wall – and the sweet smell of cornbread. But what’s cooking here is not cornbread. It’s bourbon.

As bourbon distilleries go, it’s one of a kind. As far as Garrison knows, it’s the only nonautomated one in the country. More importantly, it’s the only one in Texas.

Welcome to Garrison Bros. Distillery.

A stroke of stupid

When Garrison, a tech marketing professional, turned to his wife in 2004 and asked what she thought about him making the very first Texas bourbon, she replied: “With all the bourbon you drink, we’d probably save money.”

With no relevant background, and no real knowledge of bourbon, Garrison had no business trying it. But took a trip to Kentucky anyway. He introduced himself to Elmer T. Lee of Buffalo Trace, David Pickerell of Makers Mark, and every other master distiller who would agree to meet with him. He asked them for their expertise.

He went back to Texas, and built a complete plant and distillery from scratch. That includes a corn, wheat, and barley mill; a mash cooker; and a fermenter. (Along the way, he made plenty of phone calls to his Kentucky mentors, asking what size pipe or tank they would install if they were in his situation – which, of course, was a laughable hypothetical. Most of their distilleries operate more like industrial plants.) He developed his own recipe. He ordered custom, smaller-than-normal oak barrels for aging. He tweaked every step of production, including the temperature to cook the yeast. He started growing wheat on his family ranch. He began collecting rain water to cook the mash. He aged his barrels in the scorching Texas sun.

“I was too stupid to know that it wouldn’t work,” Garrison says, “so I made it work.”

And then the distillery went bankrupt.

Bourbon or bust

In 2008, Garrison’s partner left, and the business went broke. The distillery had been built at huge personal expense. The overhead to run it was enormous. Because of liquor licensing laws, banks could not offer him a loan. And because of bourbon’s lengthy aging process, it would be at least another six years before Garrison could produce enough bourbon to turn a profit. He would have to sell the distillery.

Before he could, his father and brothers paid him a visit and talked him out of it. With their help, and the investments of friends, Garrison Whiskey kept the lights on and added “Brothers” to its name.

A few weeks later, Garrison opened the first test barrel and sampled the bourbon. It was delicious.

Long, smooth finish with a hint of Hill Country

For the bourbon drinkers in the audience, you’ve waited long enough: The Signature 2008 Vintage, which was released in fall 2010, has a rich velvety nose of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, nutmeg, and coconut. It has a long, smooth finish. The smaller barrels that Garrison uses have more contact with the oak, mingling with sap to create cocoa and butter flavors. The relentless Texas sunshine, which cooks the barrels every day for the first two years of their lives, is perhaps the biggest game-changer: “Our three-year-old bourbon tastes like a 15-year-old,” Garrison says.

Today, demand is so high that Garrison is having a hard time keeping his product on the shelves. Houston, Dallas, and markets outside of Texas are clamoring for it, but until the next big batch is aged and ready to sell, they’re out of luck. For at least a little while, Garrison Brothers bourbon is the Hill Country’s private stock.

And down the road, when markets far and wide can finally get their hands on it? It’ll still belong to Texas.

“At the end of the day, I can go down to the cabin, open up a bottle of my own bourbon, and put my boots up knowing that we put every bit of work into that bottle, right here,” Garrison says. “Without that sacrifice, it wouldn’t be worthwhile.”

Visit garrisonbros.com for information on where to buy Garrison Brothers Straight Texas Bourbon Whiskey. Drive an hour west of Austin to take a Sit and Sip tour of the distillery.

Published March 2012 // 52 Locals Who'll Change Your Life