Baking spices | Cocoa | Charred oak | Mixed berries | Sweet cream | Raisin

Dark mixed berries | Raspberry chocolate | Charred aged oak | Baking spices | Green peppercorn spice | Raisin | Faint sweet fig

Chewy charred oak | Dried fig | Raisin | Dark chocolate | Faint baking spices | Dry sherry

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.

A distinct aroma opens the sip with a concentration of cocoa and raisin scents. Baking spices, charred oak, and sweetness sweep in, but there’s no denying this is a sherry finished bourbon. The midpoint pulls in dark mixed berries and chocolate sweetness while various spices mingle with charred aged oak. Raising and faint sweet fig add intrigue before continuing on to the finish. Chewy charred oak and a dark chocolate note join in, along with an undeniably dry sherry note.

For Garrison Brothers Ranch Reserve PX, the company utilizes Pedro Ximénez casks from Spain. PX sherry is known to be “sweeter” compared to its Oloroso counterpart, and while PX does display sweeter flavors in the traditional sense, especially on the nose and palate, it also comes across as the drier of the two in the finish. While no definitive answer can be given for why this release tastes drier than typical PX finished bourbons, knowing the extended finishing time in intense Texas weather, you begin to realize that PX finished bourbons from the state may act differently than what consumers are used to. That said, this is a great PX finished product that delivers a flavorful sip that is a twist from what PX finished lovers will be used to, which only adds to its intrigue.

‍The bourbon in review is bottle number 1359 of 6,000.