July 22 Pages 9-16.pmd

Page 12
The Horseshoe Bay Beacon
Thursday, August 5, 2010
A labor of love:
Garrison Brothers Distillery™
makes Texas Straight
Bourbon Whiskey in Hye
By Maris Lynne Long
When Chuck Ely at The
Bottle Shop mentioned to me
not long ago that there is a
bourbon distillery in Hye and
that it might make an interesting story, I had no idea of the
learning experience I was
about to embark on. I’m no expert, but I certainly know a lot
more now about bourbon, how
it is made and the fascinating
role it has played in the history of our country.
The first question: Where
is Hye? It’s about 10 miles
west of Johnson City on Highway 290. There’s a small new
winery there, a post office, a
liquor store, and a couple of
other buildings. Just west of
the post office is the HyeAlbert Road, a picturesque
byway that angles back to the
south-east and eventually
hooks up with Highway 281
in Blanco. Garrison Brothers
Distillery is 1.7 miles down
Donnis Todd (operations manager), Dan Garrison, and Fred Koch (production manager)—the entire crew at Garrison Brothers
Distillery—pose with the 100th barrel of Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey , lovingly home-made and handcrafted “from corn to
cork.” (Photo courtesy of Dan Garrison)
Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye, Texas is producing the
first legal straight bourbon whiskey to be made in Texas.
After five years of preparation, planning and plain hard work,
this fall they will be ready to market their first regular bottling
of this authentic, handmade bourbon in bottles that proudly
proclaim its Texas origins. (Photo courtesy of Dan Garrison)
that road.
According to their
website—
garrisonbros.com—Garrison Brothers Distillery is the
home of the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas. (It is
not legal to make distilled spirits without a license, so if anyone else is making bourbon in
Texas, they are not talking
about it.) Since the site indicated that they are open to
the public upon request, I arranged a visit.
Once I found the wellmarked entry to the distillery,
I was greeted by a couple of
big friendly dogs. Soon someone came along to lead me up
the hill to the stillhouse. I later
found out that it was Fred
Koch, the operations manager, one of only three men
who handle the entire operation. Besides Koch, there is
Donnis Todd, the production
manager, and Dan Garrison,
whose dream it was to make
the best, most authentic bourbon—anywhere—and who
was willing to invest the time
and energy and money to
make it happen. “I love bourbon,” he says simply.
Garrison grew up in Texas
and went to high school in
Dallas before attending the
University of Texas. After
graduation, he spent ten years
in New York City in technology marketing, but he didn’t
like sitting behind a desk in
front of a computer. He
missed the outdoors and decided to come home.
Garrison started writing his
business plan in 2005 and then
bought the land. To learn the
art of distilling he started going back and forth to Kentucky and doing internships
Dan Garrison of Garrison Brothers Distillery stands next to the gleaming 100-gallon copper
still they have nicknamed the Copper Cowgirl. As the mash is heated, the alcohol vapors
rise. The vapor turns back into liquid form and is cooled. The clear liquid that comes off the
still is called “white dog.” (Photo courtesy of Dan Garrison)
with some of the well-known
distillers there. With few exceptions, all of the present-day
bourbon distilleries, most of
which were originally family
businesses that passed from
generation to generation, are
now owned by international
conglomerates. When the local people saw that here was
a guy who wanted to do it
from scratch, they were more
than willing to help.
He incorporated in 2006
and the next step was to get
the required permits, a timeconsuming process in this
highly regulated business. He
obtained his federal permit in
2007 and his state permit in
2008 and shortly thereafter finally got down to making bourbon. By law, straight bourbon
must be aged a minimum of
two years. After five years of
preparation and hard work, in
2010 they were finally ready
to do the first bottling.
Garrison Brothers Distillery offered a pre-release of
special 375 ml bottles on
Texas Independence Day
(March 2) this year. Five hundred bottles from that bottling
run were reserved for friends
and supporters of the business
and the people who helped
build the distillery. Another
1,000 bottles, priced at $50
each, were distributed to liquor
stores in Blanco and Gillespie
counties (Blanco, Johnson
City,
Hye,
and
Fredericksburg). The buzz
about the product had already
spread far and wide, not only
in the U.S. but also abroad,
and the stores sold out before
the bottles hit the shelves.
The next release, which
will be the flagship 750 ml size
bottle, is scheduled for this fall,
depending on when they decide the bourbon is ready. That
distribution will also be limited
to the local counties, but a
more general distribution is
planned for 2011. (If you are
interested, you can try putting
yourself on the waiting list at
one of the places where the
bourbon will be sold this fall.)
Before Garrison came
along, all of the bourbon distilleries in the country were
located in Kentucky with the
exception of one distillery in
Virginia. What about Tennessee, I hear you asking. Most
people
assume
that
Tennessee’s Jack Daniel’s, the
#1 best selling American
whiskey, is bourbon, but technically it is not and it does not
have the word “bourbon”’ on
its label. According to Charles
(Chuck) Cowdery in his book
Bourbon, Straight, The Uncut
and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey (Made &
Bottled in Kentucky, Chicago,
2004), Jack Daniel’s looks,
smells and tastes like a bourbon, and is made the same
way. The difference is the
“Lincoln County Process.”
Jack Daniel’s is run through a
filtration system packed with
sugar maple charcoal, which
is what gives it its mild flavor.
So, why Texas? Besides
the fact that Garrison is a devoted Texan, it has limestone
soil, something it has in common with Kentucky. Climate
is the other consideration.
Heat is a key factor in the aging process. The hotter it is,
the faster the bourbon in the
barrels ages. At temperatures
under 51 degrees, the whiskey is dormant. Garrison realized that his bourbon would
be aging practically yearround.
The Garrison property
consists of 65 acres for the
distillery operations, along
with 145 acres on which Garrison has a grazing lease, and
a 65-acre wheat field where
he grows his own wheat,
which he uses in the bourbon.
At present the main building
houses everything that is
needed to produce the bourbon. That is where the grain
is stored and where the mash
is cooked and then distilled.
The barrel barn, where the
bourbon is aged, is on down
the path. Plans have already
been drawn for expanding the
operation.
The three of them—Garrison, Todd and Koch—make
and barrel every batch by
hand—”from corn to cork”—
and it is a round-the-clock, six
day a week operation. They
work in shifts to monitor,
measure, and notate every
stage of the operation. Quite
aside from the federal and
state regulations governing
the licensing and production
(and taxing) of whiskey and
all of that paperwork, the operation itself requires
elaborate recordkeeping and
tracking from the start all the
way through the aging and
bottling process.
Table Talk
Continued on page 9
The Horseshoe Bay Beacon
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Table Talk
Continued from page 12
What is whiskey and
what is bourbon? Whiskey, to
use Cowdery’s words, is an
alcoholic beverage made by
distilling a fermented mash
of grain. It has just three ingredients: grain, water and
yeast—that’s it. That definition, of course, covers several types of whiskies. Federal law establishes the requirements for a product to
be called “straight bourbon.”
These are called the “Standards of Identity” and a look
at a few of those standards
helps to clarify exactly what
distinguishes bourbon from
other whiskeys.
The first of these standards is that bourbon must be
made of a grain mixture that
is at least 51% corn (most
bourbon distillers use more
than that). The second component of the grain mixture
is either rye or wheat, and
then malted barley. The corn
is what makes bourbon a
uniquely American product.
Corn was unknown to the
Europeans until Columbus,
writes Cowdery, but it had
been cultivated by Native
Americans for about 6,500
years. As far back as the earliest settlers, they used surplus
grain, usually rye, to make
whiskey, which was considered essential for life and
safer than water. By postrevolutionary times, corn
gradually became the principal ingredient in whiskey. As
the frontiers opened and the
farmers/distillers moved west,
corn—and whiskey—went
with them. (They also drank
fermented cider, which was
why Johnny Appleseed was
welcome wherever he went.)
Garrison uses top quality
organic grains, the best he
can find. The corn comes
from the Texas Panhandle
from family farms. He uses
premium organic winter
wheat and barley from the
Pacific Northwest and
Canada. When the weather
permits, they grow their own
wheat at the ranch. The water is pumped from the wells
that they drilled when he first
bought the property. All the
grains are ground fresh daily
on the premises. The corn is
cooked first, then wheat is
added and cooked, and then
the malted barley. Finally, the
last critical component, the
yeast, is added to the mixture.
The total fermentation process takes four days.
Mash recipes are carefully guarded secrets. Garrison uses sweet mash rather
than sour mash. In other
words, each batch of mash is
made fresh. In contrast, a
sour mash contains spent
mash from the last distillation
and it is combined with the
fresh. Spent mash is eventually recycled as food for livestock.
The next standard has to
do with the distillation process
and laws regarding the proof
at various stages. The distillation process itself goes back
to ancient times. Once the
grain, water and yeast have
cooked and the mash is ready,
it is put into a still, where it is
heated. While the equipment
is fancier these days, the process is still the same. Alcohol
evaporates at a faster rate
than water. The alcohol vapor rises and is then cooled
so that it condenses back into
a clear liquid. The alcohol that
comes off the still is called
“white dog.”
Garrison’s still is nicknamed the “Copper Cowgirl.”
It was made in 1972, originally
for Wild Turkey, by Vendome
Copper and Brass Works of
Louisville. According to
Cowdery, every whisky distillery in the U.S. except one
uses a Vendome still. The still,
originally built as an experimental purposes, has some
extra whistles and bells. It
was later purchased by Buffalo Trace, and Garrison got
it from them.
At this point, water is
added. Garrison harvests
pure rain water for this purpose. According to the standard, no coloring or flavoring may be added. The next
stage is the barrel, and that
is the stage where the “white
dog” is transformed into
bourbon.
Bourbon must, by law, be
aged in new, charred oak
barrels. Garrison told me the
barrels cost from $145 to
$375 each, depending on the
size. Because of the Texas
heat, he has to have them
custom made. The barrels
are used only once, but then
they are sold to wineries,
breweries or distillers of
other spirits. Scotland, for example, imports barrels from
America because all Scotch
is aged in used bourbon barrels.
During the aging process
bourbon takes on its distinctive flavors from the charred
oak. As the mixture heats, it
is absorbed into the wood.
As the temperature cools,
the liquid is drawn back into
the barrel. The distillate gets
both its color and its flavors
from the wood—floral and
fruity, caramel and molasses,
etc.—bourbon tasters em-
ploy a vocabulary very much
like the one that is used with
wine.
(Go
to
straightbourbon.com to find a
full list—it’s a site, Garrison
told me, where bourbon connoisseurs hang out.) According to the standard, straight
bourbon must be aged a minimum of two years. Because
of the higher temperatures in
Texas and because he uses
smaller barrels, Garrison told
me that the bourbon ages far
more quickly than it does in
Kentucky.
Finally, after going through
a light filtering process, the
aged bourbon is bottled. Garrison produces “small batch”
whiskey, that is, it comes from
a small group of barrels rather
than a single barrel. Since
many factors affect the flavor of the bourbon in each
barrel, this allows the distiller
to make a more consistent
product. The bottle designed
for the Garrison Brothers
bourbon is embossed with a
Texas star which proudly announces its origins.
The history of bourbon in
the United States, from the
first settlers to the westward
movement, the Civil War, the
temperance movement and
Prohibition, and the gradual
resurrection of the industry is
a fascinating one. It’s beyond
Page 9
the scope of this article, but
if you are interested, I highly
recommend Cowdery’s book.
It is very readable, full of information, and some LOL
parenthetical comments.
There are even chapters on
how to set up a bourbon-tasting and Cowdery’s own tasting notes on several wellknown bourbons. Go to
[email protected] for
more information.
If you get the chance to
try some of Garrison’s product, neat or with just a little
bit of water is the preferred
way to drink it. Bourbon is
great in mixed drinks and a
surprising variety of recipes,
but for that you might want
to use something a little less
pricey.
Finally, a word about price.
When Garrison Brothers
Kentucky Straight Whiskey
comes on the market, it will
be priced to reflect the fact
that it is home-grown and
handcrafted from the finest
ingredients. Garrison started
out to make the best bourbon—anywhere—and he’s
confident they have succeeded. In his words: “It’s
bold. Proud. Complex. Authentic.”
You can contact him at
[email protected].
Library Thrift Store hosts Treasure Auction
Throughout the year, generous donors
shower the Marble Falls Library Thrift
Store with not only fundamental items such
as clothing and household necessities, but
also with unique items worthy of a special
offering. The Thrift Store will sell a wealth
of exceptional treasures to the highest bidders at a silent auction beginning on Monday, August 9, at 9:30 a.m. and ending on
Saturday, August 14, at 4 p.m.
Many distinctive items will be up for
bid, including a 1920’s metal Keystone
dump truck, Ridgeway grandfather clock,
miniature pewter antique cars, antique iron
tricycle, antique rocking horse, wool rug,
Toro lawn mower, rustic desk, Franklin
Heirloom dolls from the Wizard of Oz,
many paintings, new Lane cedar chest,
cast iron Trick Pony bank, “Reign of
Roses” lithograph, and an antique 3D book
A trove of treasures, including this
Ridgeway Grandfather Clock from Western Germany, will be up for bid at the
Marble Falls Library Thrift Story silent
auction from Monday, August 9 through
Saturday, August 14. Leighton Eicheson
and Jessica Sara Teague, pictured with
the grandfather clock, will not be up for
auction.
entitled American Indian Camp.
Bids may be submitted Monday
through Friday 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., and
on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.,
at the Library Thrift Store located at 300
Avenue J at the corner of 3rd in Marble
Falls. Bidders may want to drop by several times during the week to check the
status of their bids to insure they don’t
lose out to another eager auction par-
Public Notices
ticipant. Winners will be notified by
phone after 4 p.m. on Saturday, August
14, and may pay for their purchases with
cash or check.
All proceeds generated by the Thrift
Store help fund the Marble Falls Public
Library.
Working in God’s Backyard
By Bill and Edra Edwards
What is God’s Backyard?
The whole world is God’s
Backyard! A mission project
is needed anytime there is an
opportunity to be a servant to
God’s people in need anywhere in the world.
Some people ask why go
to another country to help
when there is so much need
in our own country. The last
time we checked, there were
no fences in God’s world,
only in the political world. So,
the question begs, why not go
wherever you can serve
God’s people in His world?
As Rev. Rick Warren’s book,
The Purpose Driven Life,
says, “God has a ministry for
you in his church and a mission for you in the world.”
Further he states, “For Christians, service is not an option.” Therefore, mission
teams go to serve everywhere in God’s world.
Since 1999, 56 different
people from the Highland
Lakes area have filled the
199 positions on the mission
work teams going to Nuevo
Progreso and Rio Bravo,
Mexico. Some, like Don and
Ann Eckelbarger, have gone
every year since 2002. Starting in 2004, when the first Hill
Country Missioners work
team was formed, the teams
have been going to and staying in Rio Bravo. These mission teams have been under
the leadership of The Church
at Horseshoe Bay. We got
started working with mission
teams in 1994 while in Michigan before we moved to
Texas 10 years ago. Over the
years, the Hill County
Missioners have built about
40 casitas, provided several
weeks of free medical and
dental services, conducted
many days of Mission Bible
Schools, and performed other
tasks as needed for the mission and the needy people in
the Rio Bravo area who are
just trying to raise their families and live a decent life.
In addition to Texans, volunteers on the mission teams
have come from Michigan,
eight other states and
Canada. A mission team from
Brighton, Michigan, that got
its start with the Hill Country
Missioners in 2006, has been
on its own since 2008. Beginning next year another
team, from Midland, Michigan
that got its start with the Hill
Country Missioners, will be
“on their own” also.
There have been concerns
expressed by some about
venturing into Mexico because of the drug cartel created violence. Fortunately,
teams are going year around
to Rio Bravo and have had no
difficulties or threats against
them. Frequent contacts are
made with the administration
for updates, and missioners
have been assured that they
will be notified if conditions
PUBLIC NOTICE
There will be a public hearing by the City Council of the City of
Horseshoe Bay, Texas at the regular scheduled City of Horseshoe
Bay Council Meeting on August 24, 2010 at 3:00 o’clock p.m. at the
City Council Chambers, #1 Community Drive, Horseshoe Bay, Texas
concerning the Re-plat of Lot 56 as shown on “Correction Plat of
The Trails of Lake LBJ, Phase Two” and Lot 57-A as shown on the
“Re-plat of Lot 57, The Trails of Lake LBJ, Phase Two to be known
as “A REPLAT OF LOTS 56 AND 57-A THE TRAILS OF LAKE LBJ
PHASE TWO LLANO COUNTY, TEXAS”.
The owner of Lots 56 and 57-A is proposing to combine both
lots into one lot for the construction of one single family home.
You may provide comments regarding this re-plat request at the
public hearing or any time prior to the hearing, in writing or by
calling the City Development Services Department at (830) 5988741.
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PUBLIC NOTICE: # 082410-01
There will be a public hearing concerning the application for a
replat of Lot 05 of Trails End, to be known as Lot 5-A of Trails End
Plat No. 1.1 at the regularly scheduled City of Horseshoe Bay City
Council Meeting on August 24, 2010, followed by discussion and
action on the same. The public hearing will be held at the City
Council Chambers, #1 Community Drive, Horseshoe Bay, Texas
78657. You may provide comments regarding this plat at the public
hearing or anytime within seven (7) days prior to the hearing, in
writing or by calling Development Services at 830-598-8741.
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Manos juntos. It takes many hands helping and reaching
across borders of language and cultures with the Hill Country
Missioners. Young and old are eager to join for the common
good of providing shelter for those who are less fortunate.
Eight to ten volunteers can build one casita during a two
week mission trip.
change or place the teams in
danger. Traveling anywhere
involves some risk. There are
no guarantees in life. But,
every precaution is taken to
strive for a safe mission experience. The teams have always completed their missions without any threats to
their safety.
This year the rainstorms
from hurricane Alex brought
some flooding to Rio Bravo.
So, that just adds to the need
for new homes.
The
Hill
Country
Missioners can use more volunteers. No matter what your
“talent” may be, it will add to
the success of our next mission. Each year, we plan the
projects based on the talents
God brings to the venture.
Some volunteers come as a
full family – grandparents,
grown children, kids and
cousins. Missioners usually
travel by caravan of private
cars to McAllen, then vans
are rented in the U.S. to
drive into Mexico.
The next trip for the Hill
Country Missioners to Rio
Bravo is scheduled for two
weeks from February 12-26,
2011, but planning must begin soon to define our
project. Please contact The
Church at Horseshoe Bay or
give us a call to join the Hill
Country Missioners in God’s
Backyard!
PUBLIC NOTICE: 082410-02
There will be a public hearing concerning the application for a
replat of the Caraway Plat No. 1, Being a replat of a 4.566 acre parcel
of the remainder of a called 63.11 acre tract of land, out of the E.G.
Mercer Survey No. 3, Abstract No. 562 and the J. Jones Survey No.
86, Abstract No. 1473 of Llano County, Texas, at the regularly scheduled City of Horseshoe Bay City Council Meeting on August 24,
2010, followed by discussion and action on the same. The public
hearing will be held at the City Council Chambers, #1 Community
Drive, Horseshoe Bay, Texas 78657. You may provide comments
regarding this plat at the public hearing or anytime within seven (7)
days prior to the hearing, in writing or by calling Development
Services at 830-598-8741.
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The City Council of Horseshoe Bay will conduct a public hearing at its Regular Meeting on August 24, 2010 beginning at 3:00
P.M. on amendment to Ordinance No. 10-06-15C, Section IV(b) to
change the Subsection Number in Section IV(b) from 14.02.406(j)(2)
to 14.02.406(j)(4) and to change the Subsection Number in Section
IV(c) from 14.02.406 (j)(2)(A) to 14.02.406(j)(4)(A). The public hearing will be held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, #1 Community Drive, Horseshoe Bay, Texas 78657.
The proposed amendment has been filed with the City Secretary’s
office of the City of Horseshoe Bay and is subject to public inspection at City Hall, #1 Community Drive, Horseshoe Bay, Texas.
All written and oral objections to the proposed Amendment will
be considered at the public hearing.
/s/ Teresa L. Moore
City Secretary
City of Horseshoe Bay, Texas
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