Donnis Todd is Texas’ first bourbon Master Distiller and the genius craftsman behind the award-winning bourbon whiskey born from the barrels at Garrison Brothers Distillery. With Donnis at the helm, since entering the market in 2010, Garrison Brothers bourbon has won hundreds of spirits awards to date. In 2024, Garrison Brothers Distillery won Best In Show for Cowboy at the American Craft Spirits Competition, Platinum for Cowboy at the Tag Global Spirits Awards, and Double Gold for Lady Bird at the San Francisco Spirits Awards Competition.  Garrison Brothers was also named Distillery of the Year, winning the prestigious Bubble Cap award by the American Distilling Institute in 2023. Each day, Donnis wakes up on a mission to make a better bourbon than the day before.

Born in Marblehead, Ohio, Donnis was raised by a legacy of military service and self-sufficiency. His grandfather shared the secrets of distilling with Donnis when he was just a middle-schooler, planting the seeds for what would become the young man’s destiny.

After serving a decade in the U.S. Air Force on multiple deployments, Donnis moved to Stonewall, Texas with his wife to raise their son. In December 2007 fate took the reins, when he heard about a local in Hye trying to make bourbon whiskey. That local was Dan Garrison who was then introduced to Donnis by their mutual friend Fred Koch. Once Donnis stepped into the Garrison Brothers Distillery stillhouse, he never left.

Donnis is the cornerstone voice for Garrison Brothers’ vintage strategy. He hand-selects every barrel of bourbon used to create expressions across the growing portfolio. By personally hand-crafting the first bourbon whiskey ever legally produced in Texas, Donnis has helped shape what Texas bourbon is today, one drop at a time.

Donnis lives in Blanco, TX with his wife, Deena, and is the proud father of Calvin and Amber. When he’s not at the distillery keeping a close watch over his beloved barrels or leading the single barrel selection program, he enjoys heading to the coast to help work on his son’s oyster farm.