I’ve always loved how Texas teaches you patience. Out here, the land works on its own timeline. You can’t hurry limestone. You can’t hurry oak. And you sure can’t hurry a bourbon that’s going to be worth pouring.

We make bourbon in Hye, Texas, but our gratitude has always extended beyond our fences. Garrison Brothers Sonora Bourbon was made to honor the Texas places that take your breath away when you least expect it. Thanks to you, she’s helping protect one of them.

Garrison Brothers Sonora Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey has raised $15,205.00 for the Texas Cave Management Association (TCMA). If you want to learn more about their mission, visit https://www.tcmacaves.org/. Your support helps preserve the Caverns of Sonora, so future Texans can experience that underground beauty the way it’s meant to be experienced, cared for and protected.

The making of Sonora

The idea of Sonora began as a genuine curiosity. What would happen if we let our bourbon spend meaningful time in rye barrels, soaking up a different kind of spice and structure, then settling back into itself with a new voice?

So we committed to the long road. We gave it time. We let the Hill Country do what it does best.

Those barrels sat through blazing summers and the kind of winters that still carry the scent of cedar. Days stacked into months, and months stacked into years. The bourbon quietly took on what the barrels had to offer, then softened around the edges the way good things do when they’re given room to become.

Sonora wasn’t rushed. She was raised.

And when the time finally came to taste her, she spoke with that familiar Garrison Brothers confidence, but with a twist of something wild and beautiful. A little more spice. A little more contrast. A little more story.

The women behind the bottle

Sonora is not just another expression in the Garrison Brothers lineup; it represents a groundbreaking achievement for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

I want to start with Samantha Olvera, our Distiller. Samantha brings something rare to this craft. Not just skill, though she has plenty of that. She brings care. The kind that shows up in the smallest decisions, the ones most people never see but always taste.

Samantha helped lead Sonora into the world with a steady hand and a clear point of view. She also worked alongside Donnis Todd, our Master Distiller, who has been a trusted partner in this process and in so much of what we do. Donnis knows how to honor tradition without being trapped by it. He has that ability to chase something new while still holding onto what makes our bourbon unmistakably Garrison Brothers.

And while Sonora is beautiful in the glass, she’s also beautiful on the shelf. Leading the charge on the creative direction was former Director of Trade Marketing, Ciara Knee-Chavez. Her vision helped guide the name, the wax color, the bottle art, and the story we told when we introduced Sonora to the world. She has a gift for pulling meaning out of details, and for making sure the outside of the bottle carries the same care as what’s inside.

I also want to recognize the many other women across production, bottling, marketing, sales, hospitality, and events who bring Sonora to life in ways that don’t always make it into a paragraph. They show up early, stay late, solve problems, train the next person, and keep the standards high even when nobody’s watching. That’s what Sonora celebrates.

The Caverns of Sonora

Where the Texas Hill Country meets the Chihuahuan Desert lies one of the world’s most stunning show caves: the Caverns of Sonora, located 15 miles southwest of Sonora, Texas.

The cave’s discovery began in the early 1900s on the Mayfield Ranch, when a dog chased a raccoon into a narrow 20-inch opening in the rocks. Locals explored about 500 feet into what became known as Mayfield Cave, stopping at a deep pit.

On Labor Day weekend in 1955, three speleologists from Abilene—Bob Crisman, Bart Crisman, and James Estes—ventured further, reaching a large chamber and spotting inaccessible passages beyond the pit.

What they uncovered was a subterranean wonder, now celebrated around the world for its extraordinary calcite crystal formations—especially its abundance of rare, pure, and intricately twisted helictites. After visiting the cave for the first time, Bill Stephenson, founder of the National Speleological Society, declared: “This is the most indescribably beautiful cave in the world. Its beauty cannot be exaggerated, not even by a Texan.” The Caverns of Sonora was named a National Natural Landmark in 1966 and is recognized as one of the most active caves in the world, with 95% of its formations still growing.

The Caverns of Sonora is a place that makes you humble. It also makes you grateful for people who choose stewardship and preservation.

That’s why we connected Sonora to the Caverns in the first place. To honor that inspiration, $5 from every bottle of Sonora is donated to the Texas Cave Management Association to help preserve the Caverns of Sonora for future generations. It’s a simple promise, and I love it for that. Pour a glass, enjoy it the right way, and know a piece of that moment is going back into the land.

The impact update and a look forward

When I tell you Sonora has raised $15,205.00, I’m not just talking about a number on a check. I’m talking about every person who chose to bring Sonora home. I’m talking about the folks who poured a glass for a friend and told the story. The ones who asked why she’s called Sonora, and the ones who understood what we meant when we tied her to a Texas treasure.

Your purchase helped support real work that protects fragile natural wonders and keeps places like the Caverns cared for, respected, and available for others to experience. So let me say it plainly. Thank you.

We’ll keep making bourbon with purpose, because it’s true to who we are. We’re blessed to make our home in Hye, Texas, surrounded by a landscape that gives us so much. Giving back is part of how we show respect for that gift.

Closing toast

I hope you’ll pour Sonora sometime soon and take a moment before the first sip. Hold the glass up to the light. Let it remind you that good things take time, and that time, when treated with respect, gives us gifts.

Most of all, I hope you feel proud. Proud of Texas craftsmanship. Proud of the women who brought this bourbon to life. Proud of protecting a Texas treasure that took millions of years to form.

Salud!

— Nancy Garrison, Co-Founder, Garrison Brothers Distillery