Visitors to Kentucky often participate in a popular experience called the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a recommended series of distillery stops within the state’s multi-generational family bourbon production operations. Bourbon is so deeply rooted in Kentucky’s cultural history that many partakers of the uniquely American whiskey misconceive that bourbon is only made in Kentucky. But Nancy Garrison of Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye, Texas knew otherwise, and she blazed a trail as a visionary woman to make premium bourbon a Texas thing.
Ask Nancy about her journey in the bourbon distilling business and, right off the bat, she will begin talking about her family and how Garrison Brothers is a family business. And so, she is keeping tradition alive as she mentioned many of the foundational distilleries in Kentucky are also family businesses to this day.
“That’s a footprint on a path that opens an incredible number of doors,” Nancy conveyed. “The opportunities we had to meet with individuals in Kentucky are all family-based businesses, and they’ve got a couple hundred years on us.”
When building the frame for what would soon become Texas’ first premium bourbon distilled in Texas, Nancy and her husband Dan spent considerable time meeting with Kentucky’s top distillers to learn their craft, business models, challenges and to form friendships. “Personally, we truly got to look behind the curtain, get recipes on napkins, see how they were really using their equipment and distilling,” Nancy shared.
In 2010 Garrison Brothers bottled their first premium bourbon from their distillery in Texas. Since then, the family business has organically grown and thrived into as much of a culture as a workplace.
“We wanted to be sure that we were always maintaining that highest level of quality and standards to not diminish anything our ancestors had done prior to us,” Nancy shared. “We’re in the great state of Texas, so we’re big, we’re bold and we have a little swagger, and we want to do it big.”
Family Origins
Nancy Garrison is a fifth generation Texan - Central Texan for that matter. Her family was friends with the Johnsons, yes, the family of the former president of the United States. She described the area around Stonewall and Hye, and the family ranch that became Garrison Brothers Distillery, as “sleepy” during her youth.
“And so, when we thought about building a distillery, we naturally gravitated to this part of the state,” Nancy recalled. “We wanted to be part of the community.”
Nancy and Dan knew that bourbon was an aging spirit and needed time to mature to taste. Compared to Kentucky, Texas has 20-degree temperature swings in a single day creating a unique and challenging environment in which to age whiskey. The Garrisons spent a lot of time learning from Kentucky distillers. She described the kindness of those owners who were supportive and helpful, but who also thought the Garrisons were a bit off-their-rocker.
“Everybody thought we were crazy because we didn’t know what we were doing, and we didn’t know how to make bourbon, and we didn’t know how to run a still, and we didn’t know how long it was going to take, and we didn’t know how it was going to taste,” Nancy shared.
Nowadays, there are thousands of bourbon distillers outside of Kentucky, but at the time, Nancy described bourbon as a “sleepy spirit,” only popular among certain people. The Garrisons were the first to make bourbon outside of Kentucky. It was made on curiosity, pure ambition, friendships with master bourbon distillers, and as Nancy recalls with a laugh, “We did bribe them with a little Texas barbecue.”
A New Story
Not only did Nancy and Dan set out to revolutionize the bourbon tradition, but they also set their sights on distilling a premium top shelf bourbon. Nancy expressed the value of a clear mission statement for a business. “We truly set out to make the best tasting, highest quality bourbon in the world, and we were not going to cut a corner to do it.”
For Nancy, this meant the best ingredients in the mash and grains, all Texas grown grains and the best wooden barrels to establish the highest flavor profile.
“We were going to do one thing and do it exceptionally well,” Nancy shared.
Garrison Brothers Distillery bottled and sold its first bourbon in 2010. Shortly after, they distilled a cask strength Cowboy Bourbon. “That’s kind of what put us on the map,” Nancy shared. “That kind of opened up the (idea that) something is going on in Texas. The terroir is really impactful.”
Frontier Woman
Nancy Garrison has seen the industry change through the years. Initially, bourbon was the “sleepy” whiskey in a very male dominated industry. Since then, she has seen many women embark on the distilling journey, many through Garrison Brothers as part of its team. “Very early on, we started hiring women at Garrison Brothers.” Nancy recalled. “I think some 60% of our employees are women, from leadership roles all the way down to our incredible people who do tours and tastings.”
Nancy shared that women’s palettes are very refined. She has found that women specifically understand and embrace the Garrison Brothers story and then experience the nose and the flavor profile in a deeper way.
She has also seen bourbon’s usage evolve in a way more inviting to women drinkers. “It is not a singular spirit anymore,” Nancy shared. “When we started, each brand had one or two at most. There was not a lot of pushing the envelope.”
But at Garrison Brothers, women were directly involved in the process of creating different flavors such as the Laguna Madre with its dark chocolate and spicy profile. Nancy was also hands-on with the distilling of the Lady Bird bourbon, a bottle capturing the flavors of wildflower and honeybees in homage to the former first lady who famously decorated many of Texas’ highways with native flowers.
While acknowledging the strength of the women on the Garrison Brothers team, Nancy gives endearing credit to her husband Dan in developing the dream and the brand. “He’s a big idea guy who came out of the marketing and advertising world,” Nancy shared. “And so, his creative spirit is unparalleled.”
Through more than 20 years, Nancy has worked with her husband Dan and their valuable employees to build a culture around Garrison Brothers bourbon that is of top international quality.
“As I talk to other women or other entrepreneurs, I know that I present myself as passionate because it’s coming from a real place,” Nancy shared. “Everything we do we do with purpose, and we do it from a place of commitment to the highest standards in our industry and for our spirit.”
Garrison Brothers Distillery’s tasting room and property is located at 1827 Hye-Albert Rd. in Hye, Texas. Guests can tour the distillery and reserve a tasting time by calling 512-381-3155. Garrison Brothers bourbon can be found in liquor stores across the nation. Visit Garrison Brothers online at garrisonbros.com.
Nancy recalls with a laugh, “We did bribe them with a little Texas barbecue.”
“We’re in the great state of Texas, so we’re big, we’re bold and we have a little swagger, and we want to do it big.” - Nancy Garrison