Tastes

Continuing on my Balcones tour, next up was going to be their Brimstone, but the sample seems to have vanished. After asking my wife and daughter and digging throughout the house, I’ve accepted it was either a hide and seek game gone wrong or Santa’s off season dry run where he fuels up with booze instead of cookies. Either way, it’s missing and instead of it, I’ll be moving on to the French Oak single malt sample that was generously provided by @jonwilkinson7309. The nose starts with toasted cinnamon raisin bread slathered in melted butter then come fruits of cherries jubilee, candied orange peel, figgy pudding that slowly transitions to spices of cinnamon, cloves, earl grey tea, leather and antique polished oak with a high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with brioche bread, then fruits of raisins, orange zest, peach cobbler followed by cacao nibs, toasted walnuts, leather and tannic oak with high ethanol burn that finishes medium length with dark chocolate, espresso, candied cherries, orange zest, bit-o-honey candy, figgy pudding, leather and tannic oak. Yet another tasty whiskey from Balcones that brings in those big bold flavors, but the tannic oak and high alcohol dominate the palate making identifying flavors harder before fading into a mild tannic finish with those coffee, dark chocolate, and dark fruit notes. This isn’t as tannic of a finish as the True Blue cask strength, but not as balanced as the Blue Corn bourbon putting this right in the middle ground between the two.

I’ve somehow found myself in a Balcones kick right now, they seem to be one of the few distilleries that make really solid whiskey and sell them at very reasonable prices. Whereas other distilleries are pushing out too young or sourced NDP spirits for hundreds or thousands, Balcones just keeps pushing out incredible products for under $100. Granted not all of them work for me, but there are plenty of different palates out there than mine and there seems to be something for every enthusiast or everyday drinker to enjoy from them. Continuing on my Balcones tour, I have a sample this blue corn bourbon at 128 proof thanks to @jonwilkinson7309 to try. The nose starts with freshly made buttermilk blueberry flapjacks coated in grade a very dark maple syrup followed by wild flowers, then comes old leather saddles, hay and sun soaked old barn with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thick oily mouthfeel starting with freshly baked cornbread drenched in honey before fruits of orange peel, cherries jubilee, and apple pie filling with candied pecans that slowly transitions to spices of cayenne pepper, pipe tobacco, leather and old musty oak with high ethanol burn that finishes long with espresso, dark chocolate, dehydrated figs, dates, candied pecans, cornbread covered in whipped honey butter, worn down cowboy boots and pipe tobacco that lingers for minutes. This is a fantastic whiskey that has those big, bold flavors that Balcones tends to bring, but still manages a balanced flow without any flavor overpowering the others. In a side by side comparison with Garrison Brothers Cowboy bourbon, it was surprisingly close but the Cowboy had more balance whereas this is a bit more tannic and bigger ethanol burn even though this is a lower proof. So even though the Cowboy managed to edge it out, if you factor in price, this is under $100 for a bourbon that comes really close to a $200+ whiskey. If a big, bold, cask strength whiskey works for you and you happen to be lucky enough to find this in a store, grab one and get ready for a big Texas bourbon treat.

The nose starts with a rich decadent mix of candy corn, cotton candy, caramel apples, prickly pear cactus then the tequila influence comes in more to balance the sweets with cooked agave, bowling alley smokiness, eucalyptus followed by leather and polished oak with moderate ethanol burn. The taste starts with a thick mouthfeel with caramel apple before a mix of vegetal notes and sweets combine then candied orange peel followed by spices of black pepper, and light oak with medium ethanol burn finishing medium length with candy corn, cooked agave, clay, eucalyptus, prickly pear cactus, leather and light oak spice. Wow, what a difference the tequila cask made compared to the cask strength version. This is a wonderful rich dram that balances those smoky vegetal notes along with corn sweetness that keeps it from getting too bitter or sweet. Big thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample. This is something special and a shame it’s not something readily available.

The nose starts with rich Werther's original caramels melted down and drizzled over cinnamon baked apples, candy corn then leather and freshly lacquered Texas barn size oak blast with a medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thick viscous mouthfeel starting sweet with bit-o-honey candy, maple syrup, candied apples, and then turns spicy and bitter with black pepper, leather, and freshly lacquered oak with high ethanol burn finishing medium length with black pepper, fresh open can of lacquer, sawdust, and candy corn. This is an interesting one with a nose that starts with an octane boost of alcohol coming from the 110 proof but after a while opens up to reveal candy sweetness with a Texas oak barn blast that acts as a harbinger for what’s to come. The taste leads with initially creamy sweets that veer mid palate toward bitter notes with high ethanol burn that overpower the dram and finishes with a Texas oak barn falling Wizard of Oz style on your tongue. Big thanks to @jonwilkinson7309 for the generous sample.

The finale of my Glenfarclas journey is this 30 year. After tasting the 17, 25 and a 28, I’m optimistic that this will be the best one of the lot and justify that 500+ dollar price tag. The nose starts with a modest but not overwhelming sherry blast with musty grape and toasted almonds that is swiftly followed by fresh hot out of the oven apple pie, orange zest, apricots, honey dew then slight floral notes of hyacinths along with chamomile tea then spices of raw gingersnap cookie dough, moderate cedar oak and light ethanol burn. The taste starts with medium mouthfeel with some slight sherry and orchard fruit but then it fast forwards through all those tasty fruits and rushes you into spice mode with ginger, cloves, grapefruit pith and medium ethanol burn that finishes medium length with lots of bitter over-steeped black tea that has infused with grapefruit pith and sawdust. I’m glad I skipped that retail price and just bought a sample as this is a complete disappointment and rates inferior to all of my previous Glenfarclas samples. The nose is marvelous and wonderfully balanced like a siren song that conveys you in for a taste, but alas, there are no such wonders or balance in this dram. The sip is simply a rushed fruit melody as the sirens hastily switch melodies into banshee shrieks that lay siege with bitter destruction to your taste buds one by one.

My Glenfarclas journey continues with this cask strength 28 year old that was aged from 1990 to 2018. The nose starts with an alcoholic blast of sherry grape mustiness, chocolate covered raisins, then orange peel, honeysuckle, apricot jam leading to freshly baked Cinnabon rolls with vanilla maple cream cheese frosting, then spices of ginger, cloves, chestnuts, leather and old polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The tastes is a viscous mouthfeel starting with a rich sherry caramel over chocolate covered raisins, then orange peel infused cream cheese frosting over Cinnabon rolls, honey dew, apricots then it descends into a bitter and spice flavor assortment with grapefruit pith, ginger, cloves, chestnuts, and black pepper with a high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sherry notes of chocolate covered raisins, cloves, chestnuts, grapefruit pith, leather and bitter old oak. This is a strong whisky, one that I probably should have put some water in to tone down, but my heavy hand usually overdoes it to create water with whisky flavors. It has many of the flavors of the 25, but also some of the bitterness of the 17 with grapefruit pith, oak bitterness and high octane alcohol burn coming in mid palate that overpowers the rest of the dram. This isn’t as balanced and masterful as the 25, it’s not as bitter as the 17, but right in the middle ground of the two. Big thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the taste and let me know if water unlocks the flavors on this one.

After reading many great reviews that this is probably the best VFM 25 year old here on Distiller, I am finally getting around to trying this legendary whisky. The nose is very rich starting with a sherry grape mustiness alongside roasted nuts of almond and macadamia. After the initial sherry notes, comes floral notes of orange blossom, honeysuckle that transitions to fruits of honey dew, apricots, lychee, dehydrated apple chips that slowly fades to light spices of ginger, cinnamon, leather and old polished mahogany with light ethanol burn. The taste starts with a rich and viscous mouthfeel with sherry notes of dark chocolate covered raisins, then roasted nuts, leading to fruits of honey dew, oranges, apple chips, apricots and lychee before a slow transition to light spices of ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, leather, and old polished mahogany with light ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a sherry blast first with dark chocolate covered raisins and musty grape then orange peel, candied ginger, peach ring candy, toasted walnuts, macadamia, cloves, leather and old polished mahogany. After having the 17, I was worried for another bitter fruit zest finish, but the flavors are integrated wonderfully with the sherry notes leading before a harmonious mix of floral and fruits that finishes with light barrel spices and well-aged leather and oak notes. Unfortunately, it appears I found out about this too late, as the Virginia ABC is now selling these for 245 instead of the 170 it was prior. It's still a good VFM whisky compared to other 25 year olds and thanks for the generous sample @ContemplativeFox.

The nose starts with a light sherry and orange effervescent mixture, then lychee fruit, vanilla cupcake before spices of ginger, cinnamon and leather with no ethanol bite. The taste starts with a light to medium mouthfeel starting with that light sherry and orange effervescent mixture then lychee fruit before spices of ginger, cloves, mild chili pepper spice, and grapefruit pith with light ethanol burn that finishes short with grapefruit pith, lychee fruit and gingersnap cookies. This is an easy sipper with a mix of light sherry, citrus fruits, sweets and light spices with an enjoyable nose and taste, but the mid palate veers towards over steeped fruit water creating a very bitter finish. That bitterness of the grapefruit pith throws the balance of the dram off, overpowering the other flavors that I would have liked to taste more of and bringing this from a 4 to a 3 for me. I’m happy I was able to try this thanks to @ctbeck11, but a sample is more than enough for me.

The nose starts with a light peat smoke wrapped around dark semi sweet baking chocolate covered pretzels, then rubber and ocean brine before transitioning to caramelized apples along with dark roasted coffee beans that finishes with caramel gelato, ginger, and cloves with light ethanol bite. The taste starts with a medium mouthfeel starting with semi sweet dark chocolate covered pretzels, rubber and ocean brine then light peat smoked caramelized apples, espresso affogato, ginger and cloves with light ethanol burn that finishes medium length with dark chocolate covered pretzels, caramelized apples, espresso, caramel flan, ginger and cloves. Compared to the 16 this shows its youth with a lighter color and more astringent nose and taste that replaces the old tannic wood notes of the 16 with caramel and espresso notes coming from the Guinness finish. This is a very enjoyable drink and easy sipper with loads of dark semi-sweet chocolate, espresso, light peat and malty notes, but I think the 16 is better VFM and a superior whisky overall.

Over at a friend’s house, I spotted a cache of GoT whiskies ready to explore. As we already had plenty of bottles to try, I asked for a recommendation on the best one and out came the Talisker. The nose starts with what seems to be some sherry notes with caramel covered chocolate prunes then fruits of candied orange peel, peaches and apricots with vanilla cake before notes of light peat and ocean brine with dehydrated seaweed, ginger, leather and polished oak with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with vanilla orange creamsicle, then some sherry notes with chocolate covered raisins, apricots leading to campfire ashes, ocean brine with dehydrated seaweed, ginger, cloves, leather and light oak with a medium ethanol burn that finishes medium length with freshly fallen autumn leaves burning in a campfire, sea salt dark chocolate candy bar, candied orange peel, peaches, ginger, cloves and leather. This is a solid whisky that makes me wish I had paid more attention to these GoT releases, but I already spend too much on whisky and definitely don’t need to play gotta catch them all on some gimmicky bottles to add to my overstuffed cabinets. The whisky is fruity; a balance of peat and spices, but this is also very salty. It seems they made sure to incorporate as much brine as a person can probably handle for the maritime House Greyjoy theme. I personally really enjoy salty foods and this worked really well for me, but I can also see a person dislike this for the same reason.