Review: Garrison Brothers Sonora (2025)
Holy schnikes!
Garrison Brothers expands its already extensive product lineup with the addition of Sonora, a new bourbon (of course) aged for 7 years and finished in rye whiskey barrels (4 years in new oak, 3 years in the rye barrel). This is the 9th bourbon in the GB lineup.
The use of rye whiskey barrels to finish the whiskey is an interesting twist; I believe it’s the first time another whiskey barrel has been used to finish a Garrison Brothers product. (Since Garrison Brothers doesn’t make rye, those barrels have to have come from elsewhere; the company has not disclosed any information on that front, though.) This is also the first time another member of the Garrison Bros. team has been given a named co-starring role with a new product, with master distiller Donnis Todd guiding Samantha Olvera as an apprentice on the project.
As for the name: “This seven-year aged bourbon draws its name from the mysterious and awe-inspiring Caverns of Sonora, natural wonder hidden deep within Texas. Just as these caverns have been shaped by time and patience, Sonora is the culmination of years of craftsmanship, passion, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.” $5 from the sale of each bottle to be donated to The Texas Cave Management Association. 6000 bottles in total were produced for what appears to be the start of an annual release.
Garrison Brothers Sonora (2025) Review
The nose of the whiskey definitely connotes the influence of rye, with spicy, green grains and a heavy dusting of most of the bottles in the spice cabinet in full effect. Texas bourbon is regularly overwhelming on this front, and the addition of rye finishing only amplifies it. Tobacco, anise, and earthy underbrush all dominate as the whiskey develops in glass, with a significant note of well-charred wood clinging to the nostrils. Put simply: This is as funky as Texas whiskey gets, at least on the nose.
The palate initially does little to change the game, though it eventually pushes through all the greenery to locate a layer of raisiny dark fruit and some toasty dark chocolate notes. A punch of coconut evokes German chocolate cake, layered with walnuts and fig compote. Amply corny but well-toasted, it eventually recalls Corn Nuts before a spicier finish of clove and cinnamon, later some butterscotch, provides a gentle dessert-like quality.
I tasted Sonora over two days and was happy to observe its evolution from herbal bruiser to more well-rounded operator — though it’s a journey that takes a long while and ample introspection. Whiskeys like Garrison Brothers are often enhanced by softer finishing regimens, which is why three years in an aggressive rye finishing barrel seems like an awfully long time to me. That said, if you have a lot of patience, there’s plenty of charm in the finished product as it currently stands. It’ll be interesting to see if the formula changes at all in the years to come.
108 proof.
B+ / $160
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