Last week, Garrison Brothers Co-founders Dan and Nancy Garrison presented donation checks totaling just over $134,900 to local volunteer fire departments from Johnson City and Stonewall. The funds raised at this year’s Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, an annual distillery event held in June, were divided evenly between the two firehouses. 

Last year, the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner fundraiser raised just over $135,000.00. The volunteer fire departments used some of those funds to purchase additional water rescue vehicles and equipment. That special equipment was just used during the July 2026 flash flooding that happened in the Hill Country. Volunteer Fire Departments rely on donations and fundraisers to help gain safe and innovative equipment to assist with fires, natural disasters, and any type of emergency in the community.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner is a historic annual fundraiser held at Garrison Brothers Distillery that takes place following the Stonewall Peach Jamboree Parade. This year, over 400 community members and families attended to enjoy fried chicken dinner, whiskey cocktails, live music, and a celebration of the Texas Hill Country. Garrison Brothers’ Master Distiller Donnis Todd also included an exclusive cask strength single barrel of HoneyDew Bourbon—that was available for purchase at the event to help raise funds. In addition to the special cask strength selection, fundraising activities included a raffle, silent auction, and a live auction.

“The Johnson City and Stonewall Volunteer Fire Departments are always there for our little town of Hye, Texas, when called upon, and we are proud to be part of such a tight-knit community. It is an honor to donate funds raised from this year’s Winner Winner Chicken Dinner to these brave men and women who help keep us all safe,” Nancy Garrison said in a news release.

“The Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department is so appreciative of the donations from the attendees at the Garrison Bros WWCD. These donations will be used to purchase much needed air packs to keep our firefighters safe when responding to structure fires in Blanco and surrounding counties. And a big thank you to the team at Garrison Brothers for all of their hard work. This means so much to our Department. Thank you,” Ray Bible, President, Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department, said.

“We’d like to thank everyone at Garrison Brothers for this opportunity – their generosity only begins to be matched by their enthusiasm,” Neal Poulson, President, Stonewall Volunteer Fire Department, said. “It is a privilege to serve, and our Stonewall Volunteer Fire Department survives and thrives on our community’s support. We are blessed with amazing one for sure. We are also proud that rescues made within our community just weeks ago were facilitated by equipment purchased with last year’s proceeds. Grateful beyond measure.”

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About Garrison Brothers

Garrison Brothers Distillery, located in Hye, Texas, is the first and oldest legal whiskey distillery in Texas, and the first distillery outside of Kentucky to produce authentic, handcrafted, corn-to-cork bourbon whiskey—and only bourbon whiskey. Every drop is made from Texas-grown grain, distilled and aged under the blazing Hill Country sun, proofed by pure rainwater, and bottled by hand at the ranch. Founded in 2006 by Dan and Nancy Garrison, Garrison Brothers bourbon first entered the market in 2010. For more information about Garrison Brothers, go to www.garrisonbros.com.