Garrison Brothers
Garrison Brothers with Charlie Garrison
A commitment to quality and authenticity
“I was in awe watching what my brother did to get this business started. He was one of the early pioneers of the craft spirits boom. Everyone told him that you couldn’t make bourbon in Texas.”
Can you give us a bit of background about yourself and how you started in the whiskey industry?
I’ve been in a bunch of different industries. I made a lot of money in some and lost a bunch in others. I was in awe watching what my brother did to get this business started. He was one of the early pioneers of the craft spirits boom. Everyone told him that you couldn’t make bourbon in Texas. It was a terrible idea and I wanted in. I came on board as soon as he had enough bourbon to start selling it.
Can you tell us about your distillery, and what makes it unique?
On top of being the first legal whiskey ever made in Texas and the first of the regional bourbon makers, we only make bourbon whiskey. We see beauty in the process as much or more than the end product. The product is simply a validation of the process and place.
Are there any little ‘distilling’ secrets you can let us in on?
If you are trying to make cheap whiskey, I wouldn’t try it in Texas
Whiskey has been phenomenally successful in the United States and around the planet, why do you think this is compared to other spirits?
I think there are two main reasons – the first is wood. It’s the common denominator. There is something special that wood imposes into whiskey – it does the same thing with BBQ and smoked foods. It’s not just a “good” flavor, It’s complicated and it makes you think.
The second is time. Making whiskey is special because it takes time. Investing years making whiskey gives it a sense of pride and purpose. It creates its own tradition. To be honest I think that is why so many of us get emotional about the makers vs the fakers argument. The fakers just don’t see the beauty in the process.
In your years in the industry, what have been the biggest surprises you have faced?
The first surprise was and still is the biggest. The spirits industry is not a free market. I fought “the system” tooth and nail for years. It kept me up at night. Spirits makers don’t get to control their distribution. That is handled by another “tier”. The interaction with the customer is handled by yet another tier. All of these tiers are legislated. If you want to succeed in this business you have to learn to work within a system that has been carefully and legally crafted over years to benefit the existing players.
What are the big trends that are affecting the whiskey industry at the moment?
I don’t see whiskey’s growth as a trend. I think its part of the societal changes that have come about due to the internet and social media. As I mentioned, whiskey is a product that makes you think about it. It makes you want to understand it. Social media gave whiskey drinkers a chance to start asking questions and learning. The more they posted the more people became interested. In all the years I have been in this I have never come across a podcast devoted to unflavoured vodka. I’ve come across hundreds about whiskey.
Are there any interesting stories from your time in the whiskey industry that you could share?
We try not to take ourselves too seriously but we do take our work seriously. So, most of our stories are about the dumb things we have done. One that jumps to mind is my brother’s decision a while back to go outside late one night to use the head. That’s standard operating procedure in rural Texas. Apparently, game cameras are also standard operating procedure these days and Dan chose the wrong spot. So, I imagine if you want to see my ugly brother’s giblets, they are probably out there on the internet for the world to see.
What developments in the whiskey industry most excite you?
That one is easy. There are whole lot of bees at the picnic table now. It’s pretty easy to chase off a single bee but chasing off hundreds of bees is damned near impossible. We bees are starting to work together to change this industry. I think it’s just a matter of time before the end consumer will get to decide when, where and how they buy their spirits. The free market will win the day.
What do you see as being the future of whiskey in the short term?
Over the past 10 years there were a lot of good business people that saw an industry with great growth potential and jumped on board. That’s a good thing. It has given whiskey a bigger platform and more attention. But I think that many of those folks don’t have a story to tell or a love of the process. They are making widgets as fast as they can and are trying to make the best widgets possible at the best price possible. But the competition keeps getting tougher. In order to get their share of the pie they are having to do unique things to get attention like adding flavouring to their whiskey. I don’t think whiskey drinkers will play that game for very long. Peanut butter whiskey may introduce new people to whiskey but most of those people will go on to beef flavoured rum when that comes out. I think the folks that will be left standing are the ones that are in it because of the beauty of the process. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against flavoured whiskey but that flavouring needs to be as thoughtful and honest as the whiskey itself.
Why do you use the Glencairn Glass in your business and what makes it so special?
Elegance. Plain and simple. Glencairn was there long before peanut flavoured whiskey and it will be there long after beef flavoured rum. There is something calming and thought provoking about looking into a Glencairn glass filled with a damn good whiskey.
Ironroot Distillery: Jonathan & Robert Likarish
Ironroot Distillery: Jonathan & Robert Likarish
“I was a law student, but I decided to serve a different type of bar. Friends thought we were crazy since there was still a recession in 2012.”
Can you give us a bit of background about yourself and how you started in the whiskey industry?
Jonathan & I (Robert) started our whiskey journey about a decade ago (2010). We visited the Dry Fly Distillery in Spokane, Washington, the first craft distillery we visited, and we fell in love at the sight of those copper stills. I (Robert) was a law student, but I decided to serve a different type of bar.
Friends thought we were crazy since there was still a recession in 2012. Jonathan was an engineer at a surgical power tool company. We began to realize that the two of us weren’t enough, or even four, so we recruited our mother Marcia as well. We went back to Dry Fly and did some training there, but also learned from consultants such as Nancy Fraley.
Can you tell us about your distillery, and what makes it unique?
A couple of things. The use of heirloom varietal grains. Marcia just planted some atomic organic corn for us to use. We have used bloody butcher corn, purple corn, flint corn… You name it. What we are most known for is the use of French techniques in our whiskey distilling and maturation.
We are very involved in the individual barrels thus being able to control the extraction & maturation. The French method was a natural progression since Denison, TX is a sister city to Cognac in France. This is where they retrieved the vines to replenish the vineyards in the late 1800s after the blight hit the Cognac region.
Are there any little ‘distilling’ secrets you can let us in on?
One thing we like is emphasis in slow reduction to your final whiskey. Especially with the aggressive weather we have down here in Texas. We like to give the water & whiskey extra time to interact with the barrel during maturation.
Whiskey has been phenomenally successful in the United States and around the planet, why do you think this is compared to other spirits?
There is a romanticism to whiskey due to the artistry & length of labor that goes into making the spirit. There is also a link to past generations. There is also a new interest in flavour, not only spirits, but also food, with such things as the Food Network. You can have a wider variety in the whiskey category with everything from lighter nuances to bigger heavier flavours.
In your years in the industry, what have been the biggest surprises you have faced?
How the regionality has started to rise in the U.S. There was once just Kentucky and everywhere else. Now you are starting to see traditional Midwest spirits, and also the Empire Rye in NY State or the Maryland Rye, or even Texas whiskey.
Also, winning the World Whisky Awards has been a huge boom to us. Even during this pandemic, we are busier than ever!
What are the big trends that are affecting the whiskey industry at the moment?
The trend over the last few years has been experimentation and innovation.
You are starting to see single barrels, higher proofs and the use of different barrel types.
Are there any interesting stories from your time in the whiskey industry that you could share?
There was the time that Berry Bros. & Rudd in the UK gave us a call to do a collaboration. Their initial email ended up in our junk mail, but once we found it was legit. That was a huge surprise. Unfortunately, after only two batches the rise in tariffs pushed the whole program overboard.
What developments in the whiskey industry most excite you?
We have single malt that has been aging for 3 years now, so the American single malt movement has been exciting. We have begun playing with a number of malts in anticipation of this coming about.
We are also interested in the potential for rum to come into its own.
What do you see as being the future of whiskey in the short term?
The single barrel will continue grow in popularity, as well as higher proof or barrel proof whiskey. There could also be renewed interest in the art of American blended whiskey.
Why do you use the Glencairn Glass in your business and what makes it so special?
We use different Glencairn Glasses for different parts of our process. Typically for distilling, I (Jonathan) use the traditional Glencairn on the still, as well as during the blending process. If something has a smoky character, I (Jonathan) prefer to use the Glencairn Mixer Glass.
As far as seeing the spirit and getting a full picture of the aroma & nose, it is the best. The whiskey clubs love the Wee Glencairn, so much so that they buy them by the box. We had a call the other day from a guy who said he was in desperate need of a Glencairn.
Whiskey Acres Distillery: Nick Nagele
Whiskey Acres Distillery: Nick Nagele
"From Seed to Spirit"
“An hour after our release, we had 800 people lined up down the road, sold out the food truck and thought we were going to drown in guests. After that, I couldn’t wait to do that again.”
Can you give us a bit of background about yourself and how you started in the whiskey industry?
I am a 5th generation farmer and have a degree in agriculture. My partners Jamie Walter & his father Jim are also 5th generation farmers with a farm 60 miles west of Chicago.
We share the passion of creating a high-quality whiskey experience that showcases our roots in agriculture.
Can you tell us about your distillery, and what makes it unique?
Whiskey Acres is Illinois’s first estate distillery and was the second ADI certified estate distillery in the United States. We grow all of our own wheat, corn & rye and soon all our own barley. We have total control of everything that ends up in the bottle.
We may be the only folks who grow rye in Illinois for distilling. We are definitely the only distillery that has an awarded Master Farmer on the team (Jim).
Are there any little ‘distilling’ secrets you can let us in on?
I can tell you that varieties of grains matter. It is a missed opportunity to overlook this.
To oversee the expressions of a specific varietal of grain is extremely important.
Whiskey has been phenomenally successful in the United States and around the planet, why do you think this is compared to other spirits?
Grain for whiskey can be grown more places than fruits such as grapes or apples, which makes whiskey more common globally.
Distilleries across the world have taken those grains and turned them into unique expressions that drive consumers wanting more.
In your years in the industry, what have been the biggest surprises you have faced?
I’ll give you good & bad. The most unpleasant surprise I have seen is the competition for shelf space in the on-premise. The amount of work to do to maintain a placement is more than I imagined.
The good surprise is how much interest there is from people to come and visit us. We have had over 30,000 people come thru our visitor center with people from every continent.
What are the big trends that are affecting the whiskey industry at the moment?
What I think I’m seeing is that whiskey is following the craft brewing industry in that people are following their local brands and trusting them more.
You are also seeing older, more mature spirits that will attract more consumers. The more they try the little guys the more they can trust the quality.
Are there any interesting stories from your time in the whiskey industry that you could share?
On the day we released our first Bourbon expression thru the front door of our tasting room, we had every family member on site to handle the business. An hour after our release, we had 800 people lined up down the road, sold out the food truck and thought we were going to drown in guests. After that, I couldn’t wait to do that again.
What developments in the whiskey industry most excite you?
I’m excited to see what happens to our product as well as other small brands as they grow up and establish ourselves. We have interesting barrel programs and single varietal grain expressions that we are loving watching them mature.
What do you see as being the future of whiskey in the short term?
I think once the government starts to unleash people back into society, people will embrace small distillers for all that they did to try and help during the quarantine in 2020.