Tastes

Bottled 11/06/2020 Age 3 years 62.9% abv; 125.8 proof Open 17 months Nose - Hot ash and coals, cigar smoke, brisket burnt ends, dark honey, toffee, raisins, heavy oak, and heavy ethanol. Palate - Surprisingly light when it first touches the tongue, light ash, black pepper, hickory chips, grilled peaches, really dry raisins, almonds, unsweetened black tea, and delicious charred meats. Finish is long with strong and bitter oak tannins, Laphroaig ash sans the brine, burnt black tea, hints of honey and raisins, and a medium ethanol bite. When I first cracked this, I thought it was one of the best things I've ever tasted. But as it opens up the sugar and fruit fade while the oak and smoke take over. This happens with almost all Balcones products I've tasted. I like them much more the first few weeks. This cask strength peated malt is stickier, woodier, and smokier than any cask strength Islay I've had. If you want more smoke and ash from an Islay that you're not getting with Laphroaig Cask Strength or Ardbeg Corryvreckan, you'll love this. For me, I think a sherry finish would've made this outstanding, as it needs that fruit component to round it out. It's still really good stuff, but one pour occasionally is enough.

Batch P14; Age 30 months 50% abv; 100 proof Open 3 months Nose - Rich caramel and gingerbread, brown sugar, toasted bread, grilled corn, artificial cherry, Chinese black tea, medium oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Corn syrup, caramel, molasses, raisins, medicinal cherry, cinnamon bun, and black tea that is steeped a little too long. Finish is medium with sweet oak, allspice, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a light jab of ethanol. Although not quite as good as Harbinger, this is another solid entry from Ironroot. I'm not always in the mood for these really sweet corn bourbons, but when I am it's hard to beat what Ironroot is making for the price. I've had all three of the Blue corn whiskeys from Balcones, and I know it's not bourbon but they fit the same flavor profile as Ironroot bourbon. I would recommend Ironroot over any of those three.

Open 3 months Nose - Dark honey, toffee, caramel, brown sugar, burnt vanilla, candied apples, basically every sweet note you can think of, heavy oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Gingerbread and bread pudding for days, cinnamon, toffee, and medium oak. Finish is medium-long with sharper oak tannins, sticky sweet caramel and toffee, and a spicy ethanol or rye back end. Whenever my friend visits his in-laws in Texas he'll try to pick up a few things to split that we never see in NC. This highly affordable cask strength bourbon from one of the lesser-known TX distilleries has always intrigued me. It is well worth the purchase, easily one of my favorite whiskeys I've had from TX. Sometimes Balcones is too gnarly to sip on, they attack your palate with oak, smoke, and sugar. Ironroot corn sweetness can overload the palate as well. This is the most normal bourbon TX bourbon I've had, and at 2 years old is really impressive. It reminds me of Jack Daniel's SBBP or ECBP, with slightly more gingerbread and cinnamon while lacking berry or banana notes. If you like barrel proof bourbons, pick this up.

Open 2 weeks Nose - Caramel, cinnamon, brown sugar, toasted vanilla, honey roasted peanuts, light black pepper, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Spicy caramel and vanilla oak, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, tobacco, black cherry, toasted marshmallow, and orange peel. Finish is medium-long with spicy rye and oak tannins, baking spices, brown sugar, and light black pepper. I purchased this for $45 on my birthday after a Barrell SiB initially disappointed (it got much better after a few days open). It's been a while since I've had Rare Breed, but it's definitely one of the best examples of a classic bourbon profile and one of the best values on the shelf. I pass over this all of the time trying new things that usually disappoint. I think Russell's Reserve still nudges ahead of this on complexity, but they're really close.

Pick by Davidson County ABC; Named "Hickory Tree Series No. 12" Barrel No. ZIHO Age 7 years 60.76% abv; 121.52 proof Open 2 weeks Nose - Sweet corn and cereal mash, honey roasted peanuts, peanut brittle, maraschino cherry, orange peel, caramel, butterscotch, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, toasted marshmallow, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Peanut brittle, salted peanut shells, buttery grilled corn, mineral water, classic bubble gum, grilled peaches, cherries, black pepper, toasted oak, and rye-heavy baking spices. Finish is medium-long with clove, nutmeg, vanilla bean, peanuts, black pepper, oak tannins, and medium ethanol. Initially I would've scored this a 2.75, but I've never changed my mind on a bourbon this quickly. I wanted to buy something special for my birthday that I don't normally buy, but also wouldn't be a disappointment. My first choice was a Booker's, which is a little too pricey to buy regularly but is something I know has a high floor. Surprisingly 3 stores didn't have it, so I settled on this Barrell pick from one of the best ABC stores in NC. They have a great selection and do a lot of store picks that get favorable reviews. When I opened this Barrell SiB I was very disappointed. I thought it was a close cousin to the overrated Noah's Mill for double the price with similar sour mash/corn notes. I was disappointed enough that I bought a Wild Turkey Rare Breed 3 days later on my birthday because I knew that would never let me down. But then the sour notes from this Barrell began to wear off and resemble a really fantastic high rye bourbon from MGP combined with the sweet corn flavors from Wilderness Trail. The best indicator of the quality of this bottle is how damn drinkable it is. I've been reaching for this over almost everything on my shelf during the last 2 weeks of watching college basketball. I do not taste the proof at all. If it wasn't $100 I would definitely try more Barrell SiBs. These are flavors I don't get from most of my bourbon purchases.

Part of a Dancing Goat Distillery virtual tasting, received 2 oz free sample 102.4 proof Nose - Figs, raisins, black tea, spiced Christmas cake, pralines, gingerbread, black pepper, light oak, and light ethanol. Palate - Oily, ginger snap cookies, sweet oak, chocolate oranges, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. Finish is medium-long and is very oily with notes of pumpkin rye bread, cocoa, coffee, nutmeg, lower than expected tannins, and light ethanol. I don't exactly know what barrels were used for aging or finishing, but it has some flavors that remind me of a port or sherry finished whiskey. I really like it, especially at this proof and price point.

Part of a Dancing Goat Distillery virtual tasting, received 2 oz free sample 117 proof Nose - Toasted rye bread, toffee, coffee cake, pumpkin spice, clove, allspice, light mint, cocoa, medium oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Viscous and oily, toffee, pumpkin muffin, rich oak, brisket crust, chocolate covered cherries, and notable rye or ethanol bite. Finish is medium-long with hot rye spices, black pepper, cocoa, toffee, rye bread, and medium ethanol kick. This one is an absolute winner, and a major step up from the standard 6Y rye. For $25 more this is a no-brainer upgrade if you see it, and unique tasting compared to many ryes in this price range.

Part of a Dancing Goat Distillery virtual tasting, received 2 oz free sample Nose - Honey, green apples, black pepper, citrus cleaner, clove, allspice, mint leaves, light eucalyptus, light oak, and light ethanol. Palate - Spicy black pepper, sharp grain, light honey, green apple, clove, and mint. Finish is short with dry rye grain, oak extract, clove, and very light golden apple. Not bad, but the palate fades immediately after a short burst of pepper. I wouldn't purchase a bottle myself, it's too light for this price range.

Pick by Orange County ABC Board Barrel No. 21-189 Barreled on 10-10-2016; Bottled on 05-24-2021 Age: 4 years, 7 months, 14 days 52.5% abv; 105 proof Open 3 weeks Nose - Spicy caramel, vanilla, boiled peanut brine, cinnamon, allspice, caramelized green apple, heavy grain, and medium oak and ethanol. Palate - Peanut brittle, sweet oak, boiled peanuts, burnt caramel, light toffee, light apple, and light ethanol. Finish is medium with a lot of grain and rye spice, light caramel, light peanut, and a pleasant sweet cereal note at the end. This is a new offering in NC, and something I've passed up at Total Wine in SC. For the price I figured why not. I really appreciate the transparency on the bottle about the barrel, mashbill, and source. This is quite a bit better than other more expensive MGP products like Old Soul, Old Scout, and Penelope. It's close to Belle Meade and Smoke Wagon, but I believe the age and proof hold it back slightly. I regret passing up the barrel proof in SC, and hopefully I can snag one in the future. For $45 this is an excellent buy considering the market of sourced MGP.

Open 2.5 months Nose - Sickly sweet dark honey, tannic and dry red wine, figs, raisins, stewed dark fruits, scented candles, pine resin, shiny esters, and medium-strong ethanol. Palate - Rich sherry bomb, honey, molasses, cereal malt, raisins, figs, stewed dark fruits, more dry than sweet and syrupy, chalk and mineral water, and dry ethanol bite and sherry on the mid palate. Finish is long with the drier sherry and oak tannin notes taking over, waxy, raisins, light cocoa, baking spices, sharp grain and malt, and spicy ethanol on the back end. The dryness, chalky wax, and sharp notes are why I ding it slightly. I bought this for my brother's Christmas gift, but siphoned off a 4 oz sample to enjoy later. It's hard to find a plethora of cask strength Scotch, particularly the unpeated variety, in NC. I went to a hole-in-the-wall ABC store in the mountains that I know has an eclectic selection, and picked this. It was all by itself, covered in dust, and likely one of the last Glenfarclas 105 in NC since Glenfarclas products haven't been listed on the ABC website in a while. It met all expectations, and is a fantastic substitute for Aberlour A'bunadh which I already had on hand. I do not think it is as well-rounded as the Aberlour. There is slightly more ethanol bite and sharp shiny edges in the Glenfarclas. But it is also $20 cheaper, can't complain about that. I don't get the average reviews on this either. My guess is a lot of those come from Scotch-first drinkers who think the proof is overwhelming. As a bourbon and rye cask strength enthusiast, this hits the sweet spot.