It’s incredible to think that the entire Texas whiskey industry isn’t even old enough to graduate high school. Garrison Brothers broke ground in 2004 but didn’t have a license until December 2007. That license signaled the birth of Texas whiskey.
Dan Garrison started his journey by heading to Kentucky and soaking up every ounce of knowledge he could get from some of the most famous distillers in the history of bourbon. Funnily enough, when he returned to Texas, he wound up being the first consulting client for Dave Pickerell, who became the Johnny Appleseed of American whiskey. Dan loved the idea of Texas whiskey, but frankly, he had no idea if it was going to work. He thought it would, and obviously hoped it would, but no one had made bourbon outside of Kentucky or Tennessee before. Texas whiskey was a gamble.
Enter Chip Tate the first Texas whiskey, in September 2009. Insert a Hatfield and McCoy joke here.
