Elegant honey | Rich syrup-soaked raisin | Brown sugar crumble | Light cinnamon stick | Aged oak | Molasses

Cinnamon spice | Weathered oak | White peppercorn | Allspice | Spiced honey | Faint tobacco leaf | Spiced syrup-soaked raisin | Faint ginger spice

Spiced honey | Light molasses | Aged oak | Cinnamon raisin toast | Gentle lingering spice

Garrison Brothers Lady Bird Cask Strength Single Barrel starts off the same as the standard Lady Bird. The bourbon is created by taking a 4 year old Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon and infusing it with Burleson's Texas Wildflower Honey-infused wood chips for an additional 8-9 months, which creates the distillery’s HoneyDew Bourbon. This HoneyDew Bourbon is then transferred into French Cognac XO casks to mature for an additional 3 years, which results in the creation of Lady Bird. While the standard Lady Bird is bottled at 114 proof and comes in a prairie purple wax-topped bottle, Lady Bird Cask Strength is bottled at 135 proof and is adorned with silver and a prairie purple wax-topped bottle. Additionally, this is bottled as a single barrel product, and instead of being infused with honey, like the standard Lady Bird is, the cask strength version utilizes honey-infused wood chips.

The bourbon kicks off with an incredibly balanced aroma full of decadent scents. Elegant honey leads the way and mingles with rich syrup-soaked raisin, brown sugar crumble, and cinnamon stick. Additional scents of aged oak and molasses help add depth. The midpoint loses a slight step, but still delivers pleasing flavors that focus on spice and grounding aged notes, while spiced syrup-soaked raisin stays as a constant. Ending on a mix of spiced honey, light molasses, and aged oak, the finish sails off on a lingering, gentle spice note.

While the sip starts off stronger than it ends, there is no doubt that this is a really pleasing bourbon. Compared to this year’s standard version, the sip comes across as more well-balanced and integrated. Surprisingly, the extra 20 proof points doesn’t make the sip any hotter to drink versus the standard version. Coming in at only $10 more than the standard version, this year’s Garrison Brothers Lady Bird Cask Strength Single Barrel is a no-brainer for those looking to experience an incredibly flavorful finished bourbon with that quintessential Garrison Brothers Texas bourbon base.

The bourbon in review was distilled and barreled in February 2018, and is bottle number 105 from barrel #LB·60.