Tastes

Balcones is not for the faint of heart. This is a distillery for the connoisseur. The flavor profiles that come out of these bottles are unlike anything else in the industry. This is a must try. In this particular bottle I get coffee, wood, caramel and spice. Even though these are not unique flavors to whiskey it still somehow tastes unique when all put together. Balcones makes very bold and most of the time high proof whiskey. Being a distillery from Texas, I wouldn’t expect anything else.

This earns a place in my “Hall of Fame”. For a great price of under $30 in most places this easily punches above its own weight. Like a boxer fighting in a heavier class and winning. I have tried all the hard to find bourbons you can think of. I currently have several of those in my collection. This OGD 114 when you consider the price and availability it can’t be beat. It easily could take the award for the best “everyday” bourbon. Don’t be lured by the fancy stuff when there is something truly tasty on every shelf.

You know that star athlete that was always over shadowed by another player but you swear he is better? Well that’s how I feel about the 18 compared to the Blue Label. This is more complex than the Blue. If you switched the price tag on the two I would not complain at all.

Balcones is known for making amazing whiskey. Most of what they do is very bold, loud and rich. This bottle is a little bit different. It is still recognizably Balcones but it’s lighter and softer. This bottle wants to be a little bit more grown up. Don’t be fooled though this is still a Balcones. A Balcones for slower quieter times. Find your favorite chair, put on some blues. Then sit on back and enjoy.

Apparently this is from Colorado. Hard to believe because it tastes like something out of Scotland. The sherry is wonderful and upfront on the nose and palate. Where this loses out to similar scotch is on the back end. The flavors drop off and take a couple sips to start sticking around. Other than that it is a fantastic bottle that Colorado should be proud of.

Balcones seems like the people that run it thought to themselves “why don’t we make the best whiskey”...and that was it. The stats sheets read like a whiskey connoisseur’s dream distillery. Their whiskey is high proof, they age and finish them in all sort of styles of barrels. They age the whiskey as long as the Texas heat will allow. They use golden promise barley which is the best...apparently. They are always experimenting and coming out with new bottles. They focus on the details. This Texas Single Malt version is a must if you like malt whiskey. Let it be the gateway into Balcones distillery. A true example of how Texans do whiskey.

I am not a fan of rating whiskies on a number scale. I judge them off “was it a good buy” and then “would I buy it again”. This one is worth buying once. It is hard to say if I get a resemblance of Shiner. Not a great Balcones example but if you like Balcones this is a fun one to have something different. I think this one deserves a higher rating...if I was into that sort of thing.

If you like red wine and or whisky then this is the bottle for you. It smells like they put a little bit of wine in the blend. It has those classic sherry notes but then add even more rich dark raisins from the port. I can’t figure out if I should be having Italian food with it or be sitting next to a campfire. This is a unique must try whisky from Glendronach.