Review: Garrison Brothers Lady Bird Bourbon (2024)

Texans love Lady Bird Johnson, but few go so far as to name a product line after the famous First Lady. Garrison Brothers‘ highly limited Lady Bird Bourbon celebrates Lady Bird’s commitment to the environment and Texas wildflowers with its purple wax dip and flower-encrusted bottle band, but what’s inside the bottle is arguably the distillery’s most unique product to date.

Lady Bird starts its life as Small Batch that is aged for 4 years in new white American oak barrels before being infused with Burleson’s Texas wildflower honey for an additional 8-9 months, creating the exquisite cask strength HoneyDew. The bourbon is then transferred into French Cognac XO casks to mature for an additional 3 years. It is bottled at 114 proof, and each bottle is hand-sealed with a delightful Prairie Purple wax.

So, the shorthand: take Garrison Brothers Small Batch and infuse it with honey to create a full strength version of HoneyDew, then age that for 3 years in Cognac casks to evolve into Lady Bird. (This is the second release of the expression to date.)

Let’s give it a try!

The Cognac comes through clearly on first nosing, offering a mix of raisin, chocolate, and apropos floral notes up top. Garrison Brothers’ signature wood-forward aromas are impossible to miss, however; with even a little time in glass they come to dominate the experience, or at least take a strong secondary role.

The palate is rich and immersive: more chocolate, then black licorice, cherry cola, and spicy nutmeg. Again there’s plenty of oak here, but it’s never as overwhelming or dominant as it is on the nose, working hand in hand with the sweeter, honey-driven elements to create a balanced — albeit plenty burly — experience. Spicy and brisk on the finish, the florals retreat to provide a somewhat wintry and warming experience. More chocolate here, darker this time, and a reprise of cherry.

If you can hold out for cooler weather, this will work wonders by the fireside — though it’s sipping just fine now in the height of summer, too.

114 proof.

A- / $180 / garrisonbros.com

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