Balcones Peated Texas Single Malt Whisky

Tried neat thanks to @Looneyhead On the nares its peaty and earthy with notes of wood fire, pears, apples, black pepper. On the palate its hot and smoky with notes of leather, smoke

Mine came from a 59% abv batch, I believe 2021, though that part of the label is torn. Really complex nose, peaty, but I wouldn’t call it peat forward. Also there are crème brûlée, smoke, stewed pears, vanilla custard, eucalyptus, oak, and black cherry and dark figgy fruits. On the palate it’s smoky and sweet, with toasted caramel, pecan pie, oak, very mild peat, cinnamon and figs. It’s also surprisingly smooth for the proof. Smoky, spicy barrel char finish.

Absolutely Delicious!

Smokey, like BBQ in a glass

Have you heard the story when i entered a total wine in Houston, Texas where i was on vacations, and suddenly i bought some Balcones whiskey? Well that story has a protagonist. A Balcones Peated Cask Strength which was bottled at a frightening 62.9%abv. Well i waited months to open it and i shared it on one of my tasting events. On the nose, sweet peat. Wall paint, red fruits, liquid paper and the typical Caramel/vanilla from the american white oak. It actually has the aroma of anti-lice shampoo. On the palate, again this paint flavor, red apples and coffee, it is very good but so strong that even me, a guy who has had higher abv whiskies, had to do Hulk Hogan's trademark move when he was almost defeated and he started shaking to absorb pain, lol. Aftertaste is some serious thing. Ashes, tobacco, cigarrettes. This is atomic. Way too powerful. Not super enjoyable, bit still a good dram. Overall, i really liked this one, but i did not find it complex enough to justify the higher abv. Usually if i want a cask strength, i pick it up because of the different flavor and aroma layers it will give me due to the strong alcohol combination of phenols, cresols, high alcohols and aldehydes, but this was not the case. Too straightforward, my score is 84 over 100.