Giant Texas Bourbon
You’ve heard the adage before: “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” Following the state’s claim to fame, Giant Texas Bourbon Whiskey also brings size directly into the name, which should make it easy to remember (and giggle at, a little). Texas: This. Is. Big. Whiskey.
Giant Texas Bourbon Whiskey is an offering from a distillery out of Houston, Texas called Gulf Coast Distillers. According to their website, the family purchased an Uncle Ben’s Rice factory, turned it into a coffee processing plant, and eventually transitioned into the distilling business. They pride themselves on sourcing all their grains from farmers in Texas.
In addition to the Giant Brand, Gulf Coast Distillers promoted a family of other brands including Longhorn, Billy Banks, Roughneck, and one I had actually seen before called Hickory Hill. They also produce a variety of clear spirits, although I am not familiar with any of their vodka or gin brands.
Texas Bourbon Whiskey
I have to admit that when I stumbled across this bottle at my local liquor store, the only reason I gave it a glance was because it was being sold at the low, low price of $10.99. Forget the quest for Pappy or Blanton’s. Even if I stumbled upon one in Colorado, those bottles are way outside of my whiskey budget. While a $200 bottle is destined to turn heads, so is an $11 bottle. I do have a love for the bottom shelf. Well, at least the lower half of the shelves. So, for $11 bucks I was intrigued. Many would pass this one over, but not me. I had to know what was on the other end of this one, fingers crossed it didn’t transport me back to my college drinking days.
Giant Texas Bourbon Whiskey has a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. The whiskey is aged in #4 char barrels, which correlates to the amount of time they char the barrel for. We talk about char numbers on our What is Whiskey page. The bottle does not contain an age statement, and nothing on their website gives any indication of how long the whiskey is aged. It is bottled at the bourbon minimum of 80 proof. Given my love for higher-proof whiskeys, the proof is worth mentioning.
The information tag about the whiskey hanging on the shelf at the liquor store billed it as “the beer drinkers” whiskey. I figured if I didn’t like it, surely Alie would since she is a much bigger beer fan than I. Giant Texas Bourbon Whiskey was a Silver Award Winner at the San Francisco Spirit Awards in 2018 and 2019. After tasting this whiskey, this surprised me somewhat, but more on that later.
Tasting Notes
At first sip, I could see why the information tag called it a “beer lovers” whiskey. I could really taste the barley, which almost comes across as a malty-ness. Alie’s soon-to-be brother-in-law is a big beer brewer, so he’s tried his hand at including whiskey in some of his beer brews. A few I’ve tasted have a similar malty flavor. In some ways, Giant Texas Bourbon was similar to many of the mountain whiskeys we find around Colorado. It does have a decent oak wood flavor to it, however, the finish is odd. It was a little sweet, then finishes a kind of crisp. I read a comment from someone who said it “tasted like cucumbers” and at that moment, I was able to place the sweet and crisp flavor. Cucumber is not typically a taste that people associate with whiskey. You could say, it was odd.
Many years ago, I tried green coffee. While it was coffee, it was missing a lot of the roasted flavor you expect when you take your first sip. The richness I love most about coffee wasn’t there. This whiskey is like that. It is whiskey, but it tastes green. Like it needs a bit more to develop those flavors. Texas Bourbon Whiskey is unrefined and tastes more like moonshine than a decent bourbon. It does have a lingering burn on the tongue and roof of the mouth that makes up for the odd mix of flavors. If you don’t like burn and have a picky palate, this one would make a better cocktail base than a sipping whiskey.
I tried this whiskey in both an old-fashioned and a whiskey ginger highball. In the old-fashioned, I used Peychaud’s aromatic bitters, which brought out more interesting flavors in the whiskey. I have to admit it was actually good. We really enjoyed it in our Spiced Winter Warmer. Check out the recipe here.
The highball was just OK. Given the unique flavors, Giant Texas Bourbon might be good mixed with red wine. Maybe an odd whiskey-based sangria for a summer party? Given San Francisco’s proximity to wine country, it is the only way I can possibly explain why this bourbon managed to snag a spirit award. Either that or a fat stack of cash slipped into someone’s pocket.
Our Scores
Drinkability: 2
Intensity: 3.5
Personal Preference: 2
Availability: 1.5
Overall: 2.5
Final Thoughts
If you happen to live in Texas, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a bottle. Outside of Texas, you might be hard-pressed to stumble one. I have seen Giant Texas Bourbon Whiskey in a couple of liquor stores in Colorado. For what it’s worth, Texans are great supporters of Colorado’s tourism industry, so it makes sense that something from Texas would find its way onto store shelves.
The flavor, while young, is unique, but I’m not sure if that’s in a good way or bad way. If you happen to know someone who is a wine connoisseur, this might be a good bottle to introduce them to whiskey, but I’m not sure it would turn them on. It’s not too bad for a cocktail mixer, so if you happen to see a bottle for the low, low price of $10.99 you won’t be making a mistake buying it.
Happy Exploring!
