Tastes

When served neat, this 130 proof is HOT! While still giving off strong notes of apple and earth on the nose and peach balck tea on the tongue, specifically the kind you would drink out of a mason jar on your grandmother’s porch. However, when served on ice with some time to breathe, it really opens up. Notes of apple and stone fruits accompany earthy tannin flavors, reminiscent of leather and the aforementioned tea leaves, as well as a subtle smoked peach note, which any good Texan should be able to identify. At 65%, this is not the kind of bottle you sip neat, unless you can handle some heat. But put it on the rocks beside a crackling bonfire, or on a back porch on a hot summer day, and nothing can beat this wonderful “half-peated” single malt. I got mine on release from the Balcones distillery and will continue to bring it out every hot southern afternoon I get the chance to.

Bought this while in Scottland at the distillery. Beautiful scotch, super peaty with all of the best qualities of smoky and nutty flavors. On ice it’s almost entirely smoke, akin to a good BBQ. Neat it really starts to shine with the nutty and vanilla qualities that really compliment the smoky pallette, although it is noticably hotter. All together, a wonderful treat and a great addition to any scotch-lover’s collection.

Easy drinking, bold, sophisticated. A good ~$40-50 bottle. Cant go wrong with Balcones.