Garrison Brothers Bourbon

Top shelf Texas bourbon doesn't come any finer than Garrison Brothers. This bourbon distillery is located in Hye, Texas, about 20 minutes away from Fredericksburg (and it's right off of the wine trail). If you love tasting spirits, sitting around in rocking chairs, and learning about Texas bourbon, COME AND GET IT. 

You can sign up to take bourbon tours during the week and on Saturday. They cart you up to their distilling center in the back of a trailer (Texas style) and start the tour with some basic info on bourbon. Fun facts to include:

All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.

You can only use an oak barrel one time to age bourbon.

Because of the Texas heat, Texas bourbon ages faster than your traditional Kentucky bourbon.

White dog tastes like you just swallowed fire. 

Bourbon is native to the United States.

Garrison Brothers farms the majority of their grains, so (technically) it's organic (AKA good for you).

The tour itself took about an hour and was interactive. During the last stop of the tour, you're shown how the dipping process is handled - and you can even dip your own bottle of Garrison Bros! My father decided to partake in this fun activity, and IT WAS AWESOME. 

At the end of the tour, you can order a flight of bourbon, sit around in rocking chairs and/or play yard games (I half expected John Wayne to come galloping up on a horse). They also have beer and wine options (vino from their neighbors, William + Chris), and you pay by donation. They call it the "Honesty Box." 

Visit Garrison Bros. It's the ultimate Texas ranch.