Ripe plum | Vanilla cream | Faint mixed nuts | Charred oak | Blackberry | Lush fig

Baking spices | Blackberry | Cinnamon sugar | Creamy vanilla | Dark fruits | Dried fig | Tannic dry oak

Blackberry | White peppercorn | Faint cinnamon spice | Leather | Charred aged oak | Lingering dry spice

Garrison Brothers Distillery is known for its base bourbon flavor profile, and as their brand continues to evolve, they are also becoming known for finished whiskey releases as well. However, the company hasn’t previously pursued sherry cask finishing. That changes with the Ranch Reserve Series. This new collection of limited edition bottles starts off with two finished bourbons focused on sherry finishing. Both the Oloroso and PX editions start off with a base of 4-year-old Garrison Small Batch Bourbon before they’re finished in their respective sherry casks for an additional 4 years.

The sip opens with a fantastic nose that delivers an aroma that instantly lets you know that this is a rich, wine-finished bourbon. Scents of ripe plum and blackberry leap out up front, while vanilla cream adds additional sweetness. Faint mixed nuts and charred oak form the base, with a lush fig scent. The time in the barrels becomes more evident as tannic dry oak mingles with baking spices, creamy vanilla, and various fruit notes. The dryness persists to the finish, where spice pushes forward more, and leather and charred aged oak take center stage. A lingering dry spice wraps up the sip.

For Garrison Brothers Ranch Reserve Oloroso, the company finishes in 59 gallon sherry casks from a single source in Jerez, Spain. Oloroso sherry is known to be “drier” than its PX counterpart, and while this is mostly true, it’s the amount of sweetness that dazzles on the nose and palate that surprises. The finish isn’t nearly as dry as one might expect, instead offering a nice balance to the previously found sweetness. The end result is a great bourbon that Oloroso-finished lovers, or just wine-finished lovers in general, can appreciate. Hopefully, it’s only the start of the distillery experimenting with various wine finishes with their bourbon.

‍The bourbon in review is bottle number 1351 of 6,000.