Balcones Lineage Texas Single Malt

I have never had a Balcones product before, not being sold in my area. After seeing several very positive reviews on this site I was able to locate an out of state source that would ship to me. You folks steered me well. This is a delicious single malt. In the bottle it is nearly as dark as a cola, but pours a lovely dark amber in the nosing glass. NOSE: vanilla, cooked peaches and nuts compote, a bit of spice and underlying sweetness. PALATE: Very soft on the tongue, sweetness (not too much) is immediate followed by a full, rich malt taste that displays old leather, honey, nuts, vanilla, cooked peaches, and a little spice. This compares to an older, non-peated Highland malt; as Ctrexman stated in his review a few months back. (Personally it reminds me in general flavor notes of a non-sherry Macallan 12 yo or a Royal Brackla 12 yo. Nothing like the lighter, fruitier styles of an Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, or Glen Grant.) The Texas heat has aged this youthful malt beyond it's years. It is bottled at 47% ABV, but mouths like a 40%. The finish continues with these flavors and is medium-long. This is not a heavy peat Scotch, a complicated multi-layered Springbank, nor a fruity/floral Speysider. It is simply a straight forward well-crafted American single malt that is simply delicious.

I'm not sure I can come up with anything that hasn't been said already, but here goes... Based on some of reviews I've seen both here and elsewhere, I expected this to be a very different Balcones offering, albeit a good one. Having tried it, I'd now say it's unmistakenly a Balcones, with a twist. What's new (at least in my experience with Balcones)? The fruitiness - a great peach note on the front palate, followed by honey. There's also a malty cereal note that's a bit more typical in Scotch. What's the same? The Balcones rich, malty mocha. Like its home state, big and bold. Anyone who is familiar with Balcones would be able to guess that it's Balcones in a blind tasting. The final verdict? A winner. And at $40, a notably great value. Balcones is big enough that I'm hesitant to call it a craft distiller, despite it being independent of the big conglomerates. But I can't think of any American single malt that comes close at this price, craft or otherwise, and I'd take it over a number of other American single malts that cost twice as much.

Heavy floral notes on the nose. That follows through on the sip but eventually gives way to more complex flavors but for me, they're hard to nail down. Has a sense of sweetness but not in a sugar-heavy way like a Bourbon. It ends on a cherry note but more black cherry than maraschino. Very unique flavor, in a wholly good way. You could definitely surprise some people with this whiskey, I would imagine most have not tried anything quite like it.

N: Juicy ripe cherries early, gives way to a distinct pecan pie scent. Then the fruits come back dried with a little plum and maybe some red grape. It's a single malt, but something about it reminds me of corn - thinking maybe it's the American side of the wood that's tricking my nose a bit (or I've mistaken wood scents for corn for a long time - meh, possible). Bit of a lemon custard develops late. There's a nice roundness to the scent - it feels whole and finished, which is nice at this price point. P: Dense, woody, and rich. Dried red fruit and the pecan nuttiness hit first, but it's not the pie this time - lacks the sweetness and crust - just the nuts. After that, there's a quick hit of coffee and then bitter wood tannins, but never too overwhelming. Hanging on a bit longer gets some chocolate and wood char just before a finishing burn. Finish is hot cinnamon and capsaicin and builds just to the edge of being too much, but doesn't quite cross the line. Nicely done, actually. Lingering bitterness from the tannins numbs the heat some. Lots going on here. Extremely well made. Excellent value. It still feels a bit young and green, but the nose is well developed and seems to have a little Texas character to it with the pecan pie (I spent 11 years in Texas and have never had pecan pie anywhere else, but forgive me if that's less Texas and more just South in general - I'm not 100% certain). The palate feels like it sometimes jumps around a bit awkwardly or clumsily, but it always has somewhere to jump to. It's an interesting and excellent pick at the price.

Very complex. Wood. Cherries vanilla some floral.

In a recent blind taste, I was able to taste Bookers Boston Batch, Country Ham, Granny’s Batch, New Riff Single Barrel and Balcones Lineage to see what I liked most. My favorite turned out to be Balcones Lineage, followed by Booker’s Boston, Country Ham, Granny’s Batch and last New Riff Single Barrel. At first I wasn’t a fan of the nose, it has this mix of wood, black tea, baked apples and orange zest, but after I was able to identify the notes and put them together, I started really loving the smell of it. Then the taste was just incredible with pumpernickel bread, chocolate, figs, toasted marshmallows, and rich caramel that then has one of my favorite finishes I’ve ever tasted with toasted marshmallow, cinnamon, orange zest and apple pie lingering for minutes after my taste. I honestly feel like I would be cutting this one short if I hurried for another taste because it’s telling me a story on the finish for minutes. This is by far the best value bottle for the money out there. I may need to buy a case of this.

I got strong peach on the nose. Surprisingly unique from the moment I poured it. Balcones just keeps rolling out winners.