doubleblank Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Wade, Jeff (Mozilla) and I along with another group from Austin visited with Dan Garrison yesterday at his distillery in Hye, Texas. Hye is located about 10 miles west of Johnson City (think LBJ) and 20 miles east of Fredericksburg. The area is rolling hills made up of limestone. The distillery property consists of approximately 200 acres and sits atop a small knoll with 360 deg views. A very nice setting.Dan was kind enough to spend a couple of hours with us explaining his plans for the distillery and generally showing us around his current operation. Dan wants to make a top quality bourbon and isn't bottling someone else's whiskey, making rum or vodka, etc as a short term solution for cash flow (not that he wouldn't like some of that). First the distillery.....he is using a 100 gal still that had previously been used by Wild Turkey and BT as an "experimental" still. 500 gal and 750 gal stills are on order from Vendome. He has been mashing and distilling for just over a year. It was several months of work before he began producing a white dog acceptable to him. Dan is making a WHEATED bourbon (I like that) with a mash bill of approximately 74% corn, 14% wheat and 12% barley. Mash cooker is stanless steel and he has six large plastic fermentation tubs. Two large stainless white dog tanks he stores the distillate in until barreling day (every Friday). He has a new hammer mill in Fredricksburg having a custom hopper being built for it there. Water used in the distillery is from two wells located on the property and rain water he collects. Grains are from Texas.Dan is barreling the whiskey mostly in 10 gallon barrels with no 4 char. He is using several suppliers but feels the barrels from Arkansas are giving him the best results from a flavor standpoint....but not from a barrel quality perspective. He also will be using 20 gal and full size barrels in the future. The barrels current sit in racks built into a steel container awaiting construction of his barrel house.Now about the whiskey. The color being achieved from such a short time in barrel is remarkable. We know small barrels impart color and flavor faster, but what we saw was what you'd see from much older whiskey kept in regular barrels. I nosed a sample pulled from an Arkansas barrel and it was full of sweet butterscotch.....WOW. The nose from another barrel was more redolent of cereal grains (like white dog) with a little oak showing too.He is going to have a lot of fun blending his various barrels to make his final product.A "final product" is his current quandry. His current whiskey is going to be ready to drink fairly quickly (from ageing in the small barrels). He's concerned his customer might not like to see a premium bourbon with such little age on it.....as the label will have to state. Several of us chimed in that the customer he's chasing with his premium product is interested in the final product, not an age statement. He plans to "vintage date" his premium bottlings ...... this will allow him to evole the product a bit as his methods, stills, barrel selection process, etc evolves.Sorry for no pics as I brought a camera w/o the memory card. Jeff and Wade both shot photos and plan to post some soon. I'm sure I have forgotten other important aspects and they can chime in there too.I had a great time and thanks to Jeff for scheduling this with Dan. And a thanks to Dan for his time and we'll see him again.Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadewood Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 We had a great tour. Dan Garrison treated us great and answered all our questions. He has grand plans and is bit of a dreamer, but I'm sure you need that to get started in this business. Who knows, one year Texas may host the Bourbon Festival? A couple of things that I will add to Randy's comments. Dan is trying to grow his own wheat. He has 200+ acres. Unfortunately it has been very dry the past 3 years in this area and he has yet to produce any of his own wheat. I'm sure the weather will allow to make a crop instead a few bales of hay eventually. For the most part proof into the barrel is 124; but he is experimenting with barrels and other proofs. Coming off the distill is under 140 proof. He is using a single distillation and only taking the heart of this.I would also like to give a big thanks to Jeff (mozilla) for saving our trip. Randy & I were heading over from Houston and planning on meeting the other group south of Austin. My car broke down in Bastrop (alternator went out). I called Jeff and said go on without us. He drove 30 miles out of his way and picked us up. Upon return, he drove us back to car (after stopping and buying 2 batteries at Walmart). Randy and I made it safely back. So - Jeff :toast:I'll post a few pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadewood Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 pictures, pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubleblank Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 The guy in the green shirt is Dan. How do you like his distillate tank ...... a sixty ounce pitcher ready to pour.:grin: They actually hand dump it into a larger tank nearby. This allows them to be very particular about what gets thrown out as heads and tails and what goes into the barrel.Drew Kulsveen spent about four days there recently and Dan really enjoyed his visit. I believe Chuck Cowdery may visit him soon too.Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadewood Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 barrels in rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callmeox Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Great update and pics. I'm looking forward to checking out the finished product.The pic of the barrels in the rick is interesting...you can tell that Bettye Jo didn't clock them since the one on the right is a bit off. :grin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozilla Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 The first picture is looking north and west. Second is looking due west. 3-4 are showing a small percentage of the water storage. There is also a 5000 gallon tank below our feet as we stood there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hye1 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Judging from the pictures and the comments, it appears the visit (and most of our top secret procedures and confidential business plans) were well documented. I'm gonna have to learn to be more secretive.One correction to DoubleBlank's detailed notes though: I have not yet requested Vendome stills. Though I love Vendome stills and talk to Mike Sherman pretty frequently about it, money is tight. So we are looking into the possibility of building our own first.It was nice to have such friendly and knowledgable folks in the barn. Ya'll are welcome any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozilla Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Thanks, Dan. We had a real good time out there meeting you, Fred and Whisky Dog. Did y'all get any rain this week? Hopefully, the drought will bust and you can get some wheat growing this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Some how I missed this thread till now. Great pics. And I love the idea of using smaller barrels to start with, allowing 'em to get aged product out the door sooner. I agree with Randy, "the customer he's chasing with his premium product is interested in the final product, not an age statement." Also, I would ad, the serious whiskey enthusiast, who would make up a significant percentage of his costumer base understands that smaller barrels mature faster because of the greater surface to volume ratio. It is maturity that matters, not age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBOmarc Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Great information and pics. Dan, thanks for chiming in and being a part of the SB.com family. Distribution? Will we have to be in or nrear Texas to find your whiskey when it is ready? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadewood Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Distribution? Will we have to be in or near Texas to find your whiskey when it is ready? No, you will just a need bourbon friend who lives in Texas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 With such small barrels, I'm thinking a buy-a-barrel program? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozilla Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 IIRC, Dan will be going to larger barrels once he gets a warehouse built. Not to say he will stop using the small barrels all together...but the 53 gallon should eventually be the primary storage vessel.Interestingly enough, the small and large barrels are very close in cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rughi Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 ...Interestingly enough, the small and large barrels are very close in cost...Yep, you're paying for the skill of the Cooper much more than the materials.All the cheap barrels come from low labor-cost areas; in the home winemaker world if you want limousin oak Hungarian barrels may be less than half of what a French barrel costs.Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hye1 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Sorry I have been out of the loop. Busy as hell but things are coming along. Am attaching our most recent newsletter, and yes, it includes information about a buy-a-barrel program. You can learn more at our website, if you wish. But joining is expensive. Come see us when you can.TexasBourbonNews3.02.09.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I spent this past Friday at the Garrison Bros Distillery. I'm not going to do a long report now, maybe later, but I will say that this is one to watch. Here are a couple of themes.1. Never tell a Texan he can't do something.In many ways, the odds are stacked against Dan Garrison, and yet of all the people over the years who have told me of their dream to start a little bourbon distillery, nobody has gotten closer to actually doing it than Dan. He has moved from the experimental stage into full production. Every day, he and his crew of two make whiskey. Once a week, they barrel it. Their inventory of aging stock is growing. 2. Dan will sell no whiskey before it's time.Unlike some people, Dan isn't interested in bottling somebody else's bulk whiskey with his name on it. When his whiskey is ready, he'll bottle it, and it will be labeled Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepcycle Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Randy, Jeff and Wade, Looking at the pictures, I noticed the Avocado fridge in the background. I love it. I'm hoping this is a brand new fridge and that stainless steel is on the way out. I hope Harvest Gold comes back as well. (Maybe even copper color) Weren't the 60's and 70's great appliance years?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rughi Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I noticed the Avocado fridge in the background...Ed, the color may be fine, but it's a damn freezer over fridge model! If it has to be a double-door it could at least be a fridge over freezer. What they really should be doing is to get the triple-door action going, with side-by-side fridge doors, all over the freezer. Freezer and fridge side-by-side is right out.Oh, and harvest gold would be reminiscent of the amber waves of grain from which whiskey is made. Avocado is best as the color of an... El Dorado.Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barturtle Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Ed, the color may be fine, but it's a damn freezer over fridge model! If it has to be a double-door it could at least be a fridge over freezer. What they really should be doing is to get the triple-door action going, with side-by-side fridge doors, all over the freezer. Freezer and fridge side-by-side is right out.Oh, and harvest gold would be reminiscent of the amber waves of grain from which whiskey is made. Avocado is best as the color of an... El Dorado.RogerWhile I agree that the freezer over fridge is just stupid, I don't think any number of doors is best. Doors just let the cold air dump right out on the floor, drawers (with solid front and sides, not the stupid basket my freezer on the bottom has) and lids (think: chest freezer) are best, IMO.Oh, and I've checked out the triple door models, that flap they use to "seal" between the doors, is just not good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Worst case of thread drift ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I should have mentioned that Wade and Mozilla showed me some fine Texas hospitality the first night I was there. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Geek Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I think Dan is really on to something. They are good people ... real down to earth, and not full of themselves. They know what it will take to make a good product, and approach this with a great deal of scientific thought. Taking LOTS of data and asking LOTS of questions both of themselves and of anyone else willing to listen and offer thoughts. I'm also glad they are starting out with small barrels ... it is clearly having a large, positive effect on their product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I too was impressed by their record-keeping and by how quickly Fred and Donnis have taken to their jobs, with no previous background at this sort of thing. Don't you agree, though, that they need to get some air circulation in their "warehouses"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Geek Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I definately agree ... without circulation, the ethanol concentration in the "warehouse" will fairly quickly reach equilibrium and begin to retard circulation. However, as small as things are, they could achieve the necessary circulation just by opening up the door for an hour or so a day ... especialy in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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