Garrison Brothers Distillery recently announced the release of Hye Rye, the company’s first-ever rye whiskey. This limited-run, experimental expression is a 98-proof rye whiskey that pays homage to rye whiskey’s deep roots in American distilling history. (Garrison Brothers Distillery, 2020)

Hye Rye will be available exclusively at Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye, Texas, for $99.99 beginning December 5 —the 87th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in America and founder Dan Garrison’s birthday. Garrison Brothers will celebrate the release of Hye Rye with a drive-thru sealed bottle sales day at their distillery in Hye, Texas, on December 5. Gates open at 8a.m. and singer-songwriter Scooter Pearce will play her own blend of outlaw Americana and country-western music beginning at 11a.m. Purchase limit is two bottles per person. 

Rye, known as the “flavor grain,” yields spicy and savory notes that are unique amongst Garrison Brothers’ portfolio of ultra-premium, Texas-born bourbon whiskies. Where bourbons tend to be sweeter and smokier with hints of caramel, rye whiskey is spicier, with notes of pepper, grass, and grain. It has been distilled in America since the late 1700s.

For Garrison Brothers, the production of Hye Rye dates to 2012 when Master Distiller Donnis Todd sourced several hundred bags of organic rye from Justin Crownover’s Lonestar Family Farms in Sunray, Texas. His goal was to create a sweet mash bill of 52% South Texas corn and 37% organic rye. Todd aged the test barrels for two years, tasting them at six-month intervals to assess flavor development. Although he was initially pleased with the progress of Hye Rye’s aging, Todd wanted a more robust flavor profile, so he decided to mature the bourbon for five additional years. In the summer of 2015, Todd and his production team strategically placed fourteen barrels in rickhouses throughout the ranch to allow the flavors to evolve.

 “It’s an honor to create Garrison Brother’s first-ever rye whiskey. Although the quantity is limited, we are excited to hear what fans think of this experimental release.” – Master Distiller Donnis Todd

Garrison Brothers Distillery is a small farm and ranch located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country that authentically produces straight bourbon whiskey. Garrison Brothers introduced the first bourbon whiskey legally made in Texas in 2010 and is one of the first distilleries in America outside of Kentucky to produce authentic, handmade bourbon whiskey—and only bourbon whiskey. The business was founded in 2006. Garrison Brothers is a proud and active member of the communities of Blanco, Fredericksburg, Hye, Johnson City, and Stonewall. The distillery and its barrel barns are open to the public for tours in Hye, Texas.