There’s a certain kind of Texas morning where the air smells like cedar and dust, and the heat—though still trapped below the horizon—already feels inevitable. On Saturday, September 6, 2025, in the tiny Hill Country town of Hye, that morning will carry a different scent: the slow, heady perfume of bourbon.
At 8 a.m. sharp, Garrison Brothers Distillery—the first legal whiskey maker in Texas—will open its gates for the 2025 release of Laguna Madre, the distillery’s oldest and rarest expression. Now in its sixth year, the bourbon has become an annual pilgrimage for collectors, who line up before dawn to secure a bottle. This year’s yield: just 3,000 bottles. The first 1,000 will go to those at the distillery on release day. The remaining 2,000 will reach select accounts and Garrison Brothers’ online shop starting Friday, September 12.
Laguna Madre’s journey to bottle takes eight years—half of it in white American oak, the other half in rare Limousin oak from France’s central forests, where trees aren’t touched until they’re at least 120 years old. This wood is known for its high vanilla and lignin content, and in the scorching Hill Country climate, it yields something decadent: bottled at 101 proof, the 2025 edition is cherry-mahogany in color, with tasting notes of vanilla bean, hazelnut, saltwater taffy, and milk chocolate. Master Distiller Donnis Todd describes it as having a “creamy mouthfeel, much like an Almond Joy.”
Since its inaugural 2020 release, Laguna Madre has carried a philanthropic edge. That first bottling helped raise over $400,000 for pandemic relief and hospitality support. The 2025 edition highlights FlatsWorthy, a Texas-based nonprofit of anglers advocating for coastal habitat preservation. Each bottle comes in a custom wooden display case, framed by a photograph of the Texas Gulf Coast, with materials about FlatsWorthy’s mission.
The bourbon’s prestige is matched by its accolades: a Gold at both the 2025 Ascot Awards and San Francisco World Spirits Competition, plus a Double Gold at the 2024 TAG Global Spirits Awards.
Garrison Brothers Laguna Madre will appear at select bars, restaurants, and retailers in mid-September, priced at $349.99. For enthusiasts, September 6 isn’t just a release date—it’s the once-a-year moment when Texas heat, French oak, and unhurried patience converge in a bottle. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.
Earlier this month, Garrison Brothers unveiled the 2025 edition of its Guadalupe Bourbon.
