Dried strawberry | Black raspberry | Dark chocolate | Plum | Chocolate crinkle cookie | Charred oak | Molasses | Tobacco

White grape | Raspberry | Dried red fruits | Vanilla extract | Tannic dry oak

Charred oak | Dry oak | Leather | Light cinnamon spice | White & green peppercorn | Slightly tart

In June 2026, Garrison Brothers released the first two bottles of its new Ranch Reserve Series, Oloroso Sherry and PX Sherry editions. This new collection of limited edition bottles focuses on barrel finishing, with the inaugural release showcasing two types of sherry finishing. During the blending of these releases, Donnis Todd, the master distiller of Garrison Brothers, held back 27 “standout barrels” — 14 PX barrels between 122.0 and 135.2 proof, and 13 oloroso barrels ranging from 124.6 to 136.7 proof. Todd adds, “Every now and then, a few barrels tell you they’re not meant to be blended away. These PX and Oloroso ‘troublemakers’ had the depth, structure, and cask-strength character we look for in a true standout, so we bottled them exactly as they came out of the barrel.”

Thanks to the climate it’s aged in, Garrison Brothers’ 4 year old Texas-aged bourbon can taste like a Kentucky bourbon that's been aged three times longer, resulting in a bourbon that is extra big and often polarizing. The company has been pushing the boundaries of its “safe zone” of 4 years, where it spent much of its early years building. More recently, they’ve pushed beyond this comfort zone, and that includes their Ranch Reserve Series, which consists of a 4 year old base bourbon that is then finished for another 4 years. As a result, Garrison Brothers Ranch Reserve Oloroso Sherry Single Barrel is a BIG bourbon.

This bourbon’s aroma is wonderfully varied, with notes of dried strawberry, black raspberry, dark chocolate, plum, charred oak, molasses, and tobacco, all of which you can single out. The palate leads with its fruit notes: white grape, raspberry, and mixed dried fruits. At the tail end of the palate, and into the finish, the bourbon’s dryness begins to pick up momentum. Oloroso sherry is often quite dry, and the base bourbon seems to struggle to counteract it. Charred oak, dry oak, and leather combine to create a strikingly dry sip, even more so than its lower-proof counterpart.

The whiskey’s dryness isn’t its most striking feature, since you can acclimate to it. You'll spend more of your attention on the whiskey’s complex nose and fruit-filled palate. This is yet another intensely flavorful finished bourbon from Garrison Brothers and one you’ll enjoy exploring. The heavy charred oak is ever-present, but it does a great job contrasting the palate's fruity brightness. Though the asking price is big, the bourbon you get in return is equally as big.

The bourbon in review is bottle #230 from barrel #0L9.