Alamo Bourbon Black Label

A balanced, Bourbon Whiskey by the Alamo “grain-to-glass” Distillery in San Antonio, Texas made with locally sourced corn, barley & rye then aged in new American oak barrels. It has a rich birth with notes of caramel, peat smoke & spices; while a bold & rich life adds notes of corn, oak, vanilla, dark fruits & brown sugar; that led to an elegant death with notes of barley & rye spice. January / May / July / September 2020 / August 2022

As someone who grew up in Texas, what I remember of the Alamo is mostly Davey Crockett's coonskin cap and Pee-wee Herman's bicycle. We'll see if there's anything worth remembering about this Alamo. Christmas gift from a friend. Never heard of the brand before. The nose is pleasant, taffy candy, vanilla, roasted corn, apple. The palate is a little thin, but the flavors are good. Vanilla, light caramel corn, slight barrel char, maybe the mildest of subtle fruit. Actually surprised there's nothing really off here. It's more like a Kentucky bourbon profile than what I'd expect out of Texas. I'd even go as far to say it's not far off from Buffalo Trace. So much so, I'm going to go ahead and side-by-side them. Unfortunately, in the process of pouring and sitting down with the two glasses, I've actually lost track of which is which. Neither blows me away as anything worth seeking out, but I generally think of BT as a competent, if unreasonably hard-to-find at times bourbon. And the Alamo appears to hold it's own. There are some differences in flavor, but I can't easily pick apart which is which and which is better. Don't get carried away, it's basic budget-level bourbon, but it's surprisingly decent. And from what I can gather, it appears this can be purchased at or less than BT's SRP. Texas whiskey, you never cease to amaze me -- to have a never-heard-of brand stand toe-to-toe with BT. But will I remember the Alamo? Honestly, as with Buffalo Trace, I don't know that I'll think much about it after I finish this bottle.

Peat note I’m not loving

Oaky nose. There are some sweet flavors like brown sugar and candy sprinkles. There are some spicy notes mid palate. These linger through the finish and are joined by some vanilla and caramel.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one, never quite sure what you are going to get with these craft distilleries. This one opens up with lots of dark fruits, some vanilla, and brown sugar. A very pleasant nose. On the palate you get some of that young corn note that is so common with less mature craft bottles. Towards the back of the palate some of the vanilla returns, along with some spice that makes for a decent, if unspectacular, finish. Overall, not at all disappointing for what this is.

Not my favorite. The smoky notes at the end just aren’t for me.

Drinkable, but a bit non descript.