In late September, a prestigious jury of beverage writers, trade experts, distributors and “influential buyers” gathered along the Las Vegas Strip to review and ultimately evaluate thousands of adult beverages in dozens of categories. Entries were tasted blind and assigned a numerical value out of 100 possible points. It was all part of an appropriately organized multi-day competition. Las Vegas World Spirits Awards.

Now that the results are in, it’s time to take a closer look at what these judges called the best bourbon of 2024: Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Cask Strength. To be precise, the single profile barrel was number 13,255 from the distillery’s warehouse in Hye, Texas. Yes, that’s right, this award-winning American whiskey doesn’t come from outside of Louisville or Nashville. It was proudly produced about an hour’s drive east of Austin, in the heart of Hill country.

The provenance should come as no shock to anyone interested in craft whiskey over the past two decades.. In fact, Garrison Brothers has been bottling quality bourbon in this part of the world since 2010. Its original version of straight bourbon at the time was the first whiskey ever created. legally distilled in Texas. And the scene became a hit throughout the Lone Star State in the years that followed. According to a recent estimate from the University of Texas at San Antoniothe number of whiskey producers in the state currently stands at 190.

But anyway, back to the beloved Single Barrel Cask Strength #13,255. Bottled at 138.2 proof, this particular expression features a dark copper color and a thick, almost oily viscosity. On top of that velvety mouthfeel is a torrent of crème brûlée sprinkled with caramel, nutmeg and cinnamon. On the finish, these robust tasting notes open up to reveal sandalwood spices that linger for several beats.

It can certainly hit the palate when sipped neat, but a drop or two of room temperature water helps relax and intensify the effects of all of the above. The fact that it exerts all this complexity after a minimum of just three years in charred virgin oak (Garrison Brothers does not officially state age on the label) is a testament to how the dynamic Hill Country climate encourages extraction of wood sugar.

The Las Vegas judges, in turn, were so encouraged by this sip that they gave Barrel #13,255 an outstanding score of 98. This was not only enough to land Best In Show Bourbon, but it was the highest rating of any spirit reviewed this year. except for one specific bottle of tequila that scored a 99. That’s a story for another day, of course.

In the meantime, curious bourbon lovers can get the Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Cask Strength for a suggested retail price of $180 per bottle. Remember – as the product name clearly indicates – that this is a single barrel offering. Under optimal aging conditions, Texas whiskey makers rarely get more than 250 bottles into a 53-gallon container. So the liquid contents of barrel No. 13,255 could have been removed from the shelves a long time ago.

While there is guaranteed to be variation from cask to cask in the series, idiosyncratic differentiation is sort of the point. However, everything happens within defined parameters, and when you’re dealing with this particular style of Garrison Brothers bourbon, those markers are defined by quality and complexity, served at a high temperature – with a high score, to match .