‘A Harmonious Marriage of Honey and Cognac Flavors’: Garrison Brothers Brings Back Lady Bird Bourbon to Protect Texas Wildflowers

Garrison Brothers Lady Bird

Garrison Brothers is bringing back its Ladybird Bourbon, and $5 from each bottle sold will go to protect Texas wildflowers. (Photo: Garrison Brothers)

Garrison Brothers announced it was releasing 7,002 bottles of the Texas bourbon brand’s Lady Bird Bourbon on Thursday, and proceeds from the sales will help raise funds for Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

The flavored bourbon is a liquid ode to wildflowers and Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson, the First Lady of the U.S. from 1963 to 1969, when Lyndon B. Johnson served as president. Claudia Johnson founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, which is located at The University of Texas at Austin and is the state botanical garden and arboretum of Texas.

One thousand available bottles will go on sale on a first-come, first-serve basis May 11 at the distillery in Hye, Texas, for a suggested retail price of $179.99.

Lady Bird clocks in at 114 proof and is a cognac-finished bourbon infused with Burleston’s Texas Wildflower Honey for 8-9 months.

The small batch of bourbon was aged for four years in American oak before the delightfully sweet addition, then finished in French Cognac XO casks for three years. The 114-proof whiskey is presented in bottles hand-sealed with Prairie Purple wax.

“I celebrate the 2024 release of Garrison Brothers Lady Bird Bourbon,” co-founder Nancy Garrison said in a statement. “This marks the second year we’ve offered this beautiful and highly sought-after bourbon. Lady Bird continues to be a tribute to Lady Bird Johnson herself and the many gifts she gave us. It reminds us to take a minute to truly enjoy the extraordinary beauty of nature… and the extraordinary flavor in our glass.”

Garrison Brothers claims it will donate $5 from the sale of each bottle to the wildflower center. After May 11, interested parties will be able to purchase the remaining 6,002 bottles online.

Garrison Brothers Master Distiller Donnis Todd claims the flavored bourbon has “a harmonious marriage of honey and cognac flavors.” The brand additionally cites “buckwheat pancakes, dark chocolate-covered cherries and malted milk balls.”

The Texas whiskey brand claimed the 2023 launch of Lady Bird earned quite a bit of critical acclaim. Garrison Brothers claimed the flavored bourbon won a Platinum Medal at the 2023 Las Vegas Global Spirit Awards and a Gold at the 2023 San Diego Spirits Festival International Competition.

This latest release follows the January announcement of Garrison Brother’s Guadalupe Bourbon. The bourbon was finished in port casks and hosted a mashbill consisting of food-grade corn, soft red winter wheat and barley.

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Cynthia Mersten is an Editor for Bottle Raiders and has worked in the Beverage Industry for eight years. She started her career in wine and spirits distribution and sold brands like Four Roses, High West and Compass Box to a variety of bars and restaurants in the city she calls home: Los Angeles. Cynthia is a lover of all things related to wine, spirits and story and holds a BA from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. Besides writing, her favorite pastimes are photography and watching movies with her husband.