Garrison Brothers Estacado

Rating: 16/23 N: There's definitely an alcohol burn here, but there's also plenty of wood, with spices, sawdust, nesquik, and bold berries (black and red). There's also substantial limestone. It smells good, but not all that mature. P: Sweet with light caramel and some ripe berries. Some spicy burn, with cinnamon coming in most notably. The spices still add some sweetness. There's definitely some of that limestone here and the overall profile is a little bit light. Still, that fruity sweetness is pretty enjoyable. F: Lingering fruit and limestone with a spicy burn and hints of slightly more bitter versions of spices - maybe slight spices with a bigger barrel backing. Not bad, but definitely forgettable. - Conclusion - The port finish adds a fullness that makes me like this better than Garrison Brothers Small Batch (14/23) or my cask strength Garrison Brothers Single Barrel (15/23). On the other hand, there's a more traditional flavor and maturity to Garrison Brothers Balmorhea 2021 (17/23) that I definitely prefer. I think that this is pretty clearly int he 16 range then. I quite like it, but its's kind of odd and is clearly using a finish to hide its flaws.

Rich caramel and oak on the nose. Can’t see much of the port on the nose but on the palate, the wine influence is there. It’s got a slight jammy fruitiness that rounds out some of the harsher notes. Some nice cinnamon spice in the midpalate and...it’s tannic if you can believe that. The corn mustiness and sawdust is more subdued in this guy, yielding to the port. It’s sweet, spicy, thick and rich. I like it a good bit more than the small batch and single barrel, but not near as much as Balmorhea or the BPs I’ve had, so 4.25 is fair. Great with a few minutes of undisturbed oxidation before sipping.

N: Sweet vanilla and lemon. Almost like a Lemonhead candy. P: Sweet citrus candy continues, viscous maple and fig on the mid-palate F: Sweet port wine finish. Long bit only a bump of heat

N: Sweet vanilla with a hint of red fruit P: Carrots with brown sugar F: Big dry Texas oak that lingers on the tongue for a long tim

Nose: vanilla, port, smoke, oak Palate: smooth, sweet but not candy-like, more maple Finish: leather, pepper, caramel, long finish

Port-finished version of Garrison Brothers. Not bad, and I typically don’t even like port finishes.