Sharp oak | Cinnamon | Pure molasses | Dark chocolate | Cocoa powder

Brandy soaked raisins | Amaretto | Cinnamon syrup | Vanilla extract

Potent leather | Bootstrap molasses | Rye spice | Dry oak | Very long

Garrison Brother is known for making extremely potent bourbon and so much of that has to do with the climate where they age their bourbon. The exposure to the harsh Texas climate can make their bourbon quite polarizing, but others who love a big, punch-in-the-face oak flavor, can’t get enough. That’s where the company’s Cowboy Bourbon comes in. If you ever wanted to crank a bourbon up to 11, Spinal Tap style, nothing beats Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the aptly named bourbon drinks as hot and potent as ever, looks like motor oil as you pour it, and as any cowboy would describe it, “it will put hair on your chest.”

Jokes aside, Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon is in a class of its own. It’s a 140 proof monster that actually drinks more like a 150+ proof monster. It’s so incredibly rich, that its flavors are able to be pulled through its proof. Sharp oak is omni-present through the sip, but that's a big part of this bourbon’s charm. Nosing and tasting beyond this are scents of rich cinnamon, molasses, and dark chocolate, with acute notes of brandy soaked raisins, amaretto, cinnamon syrup, and vanilla extract on the palate. As you’d expect a Cowboy bourbon to end, potent notes of leather dominate the finish, with raw bootstrap molasses adding depth.

The 2024 release is a notable improvement over last year’s edition and it comes in the form of a more roundness of its flavors across the board. Oak still dominates, but it's the ability of the other flavors to break through that makes the true difference. It’s also worth noting how well this bourbon is able to cut through palate fatigue after a round of tastings, simply dominating anything you may have tasted before it with pure potency. Of course, proof plays into this, but its concentration of flavor is unmatched in the industry. Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon isn’t going to be for everyone. As its name suggests, the bourbon’s sheer tenacity is unparalleled, it's full of metaphorical grit that asks just as much from its drinkers as the drinker asks of it.

The bottle in review is number 4142 of 10,000.