Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2026 rides again on 12 September. The 12th edition of the distillery’s most sought-after annual release is bottled uncut and unfiltered at a formidable 141 proof (70.5% ABV), in a run of just 16,000 bottles, the suggested retail price is $249.99, and the first 1,000 will be sold at the distillery in Hye, Texas, from 8 a.m. that Saturday.
This is Texas bourbon at full volume. At 70.5% ABV it sits in what American drinkers call “hazmat” territory, the informal label for any whiskey above 70% ABV, so named because the FAA won’t let you carry liquid that strong onto a plane. It is a monster of a bottle, and for Garrison Brothers that is entirely the point.
The key facts: 141 proof, 16,000 bottles, $249.99
The 2026 Cowboy Bourbon was hand-selected by Master Distiller Donnis Todd from barrels aged at least eight years, weathering the brutal Texas Hill Country summers in the distillery’s barrel barn. That heat does the heavy lifting: it drives the spirit deep into the new American oak far faster than a cool Scottish warehouse ever would, which is why a Texas bourbon at this age drinks with the concentration of something much older.
It is bottled at cask strength, with no water added to bring the proof down and no chill filtration to strip texture. What you pour is what came out of the barrel. For context, the 2025 release landed at a ferocious 146.4 proof, so this year’s 141 is, by Cowboy Bourbon standards, marginally more approachable.
Release: 12 September 2026 at the distillery
ABV: 70.5% (141 proof)
Bottling: Uncut, unfiltered, cask strength
Bottles:16,000
Price: $249.99 RRP
Size: 750ml
Style: Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Certified Texas Whiskey)
Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2026 tasting notes
These are the distillery’s own stated notes for the 2026 release. We haven’t tasted this batch yet, so treat them as the maker’s guide rather than an independent verdict.
Nose: toasted marshmallow, brown sugar, dark dried fruit, cinnamon, molasses, leather, cracked peppercorn
Palate: rich and coating toasted caramel, baked spice, vanilla, ripe plum, 70% dark chocolate
Finish: long and warming cinnamon, leather, peppercorn, dried fruit, campfire smoke
ABV: 70.5% (141 proof) | Style: Texas Straight Bourbon | Price: $249.99
The through-line is dark, dense and spice-forward, with that campfire smoke on the finish giving it a distinctly outdoors, Texas-ranch character. At this proof, a few drops of water are not optional but essential, and they should open the fruit and caramel considerably.
Who is Garrison Brothers and why the Texas heat matters
Garrison Brothers was founded in 2006 in Hye, about an hour outside Austin, and became the first legally licensed bourbon distillery in Texas since Prohibition. It makes one thing only: bourbon. Specifically wheated bourbon, using wheat as the secondary grain instead of rye, the same family of bourbon as Maker’s Mark and Pappy Van Winkle, built on Texas-grown grain and a sweet mash process.
What sets the house style apart is the climate. The Hill Country swings from freezing winters to summers well over 40°C, and that constant expansion and contraction pushes spirit in and out of the wood at a pace Kentucky simply can’t match. The result is a bold, concentrated, high-extraction style of bourbon that has become Texas’s calling card. Cowboy Bourbon, first released in 2013, is the bottle that put both the distillery and Texas bourbon on the national map.
Price and availability: how to actually get a bottle
The first 1,000 bottles go on sale at the distillery in Hye on 12 September from 8 a.m., as part of a release party running until 4 p.m. From 1 October, the 2026 Cowboy Bourbon reaches select bars, restaurants and retailers across the US at the $249.99 RRP. Garrison Brothers will also offer 279 bottles through its own e-commerce store from 18 September, limited to one bottle per order, with engraving available.
For readers outside the US, this is the honest picture: Cowboy Bourbon is a US-first, allocation-driven release, and it is not distributed to European or Nordic retailers at launch. International buyers realistically go through specialist US export shops or secondary marketplaces, where older editions already trade around $400 and up.
Is it worth $249.99?
If you love high-proof American bourbon and you want the definitive statement of the Texas style, this is one of the bottles to own, and at $249.99 RRP it is fairly priced for what it is. It is emphatically not a bottle for someone new to bourbon or anyone who prefers an easy, low-proof pour: at 141 proof it demands attention, water and patience. For collectors and serious high-proof drinkers, the combination of eight-plus years in the Texas heat, cask strength and a run of just 16,000 bottles makes it an easy yes. For everyone else, it is a bucket-list dram rather than an everyday one.
If you can get to Hye on 12 September, the release doubles as a party: live music from the Noah Kurtis Trio and the Jeff Jacobs Band, a Cowboy Chuck Wagon-inspired menu, and neat pours and cocktails from the Whiskey Shack.
Frequently asked questions
What is Garrison Brothers 2026 Cowboy Bourbon? It is the 12th annual edition of Garrison Brothers’ flagship cask-strength Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, bottled uncut and unfiltered at 141 proof (70.5% ABV). Just 16,000 bottles were produced from barrels hand-selected by Master Distiller Donnis Todd, aged at least eight years in the Texas Hill Country climate.
How much does Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2026 cost? The suggested retail price is $249.99 for a 750ml bottle. Because only 16,000 bottles exist and demand is high, expect secondary-market prices well above that. Older editions have traded around $400, and international buyers should budget above RRP once import and export costs are added.
Where can I buy Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2026? The first 1,000 bottles sell at the distillery in Hye, Texas, on 12 September 2026 from 8 a.m. A wider US release to select bars, restaurants and retailers follows on 1 October. Garrison Brothers also sells 279 bottles via its e-commerce store from 18 September, one per order.
What proof is the 2026 Cowboy Bourbon? It is bottled at 141 proof, equal to 70.5% ABV. That places it in “hazmat” territory, the informal term for whiskey at 70% ABV or higher. For comparison, the 2025 edition was even stronger at 146.4 proof.
What does Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon taste like? Per the distillery, the 2026 release shows toasted marshmallow, brown sugar, dark dried fruit, molasses and cracked peppercorn on the nose, a rich palate of toasted caramel, baked spice, vanilla, ripe plum and dark chocolate, and a long finish of cinnamon, leather, dried fruit and campfire smoke. At this strength, add water.
Is Garrison Brothers a good distillery? Garrison Brothers is Texas’s oldest licensed bourbon distillery, founded in 2006, and makes only wheated bourbon from Texas-grown grain. Its high-proof, cask-strength releases are highly regarded, and Cowboy Bourbon is widely credited with establishing Texas as a serious bourbon-producing state.
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