Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon

Nose: Walnuts, dusty corn, cherries, vanilla. Toffee, toasted honeyed cereal grains, bananas. Musty pot still funk - that creamy thing you get from Midleton, Redbreast comes to mind. Bright and shiny almost acetone note. Wet cardboard. Yeasty cinnamon rolls. Orange blossom and honeysuckle. Green veggies - bell pepper, cucumber, and celery. Palate: Cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cumin. Tongue-drying tannic character flowing into that acetone note again. Oaked musty walnuts, cashews, and pecans. Waxy. Floral perfume. Very bright, not much low palate. Mid palate is fairly subdued and straightforward. Everything on show here is upper register. Cream cheese frosting with a bit too much confectioner's sugar and an almost lactic tang. Paper. Finish starts off with musty, lactic, funky tang. Then a bright pop from the ethanol - that metallic, acetone note shows up. Oak, char, and barrel bitter poke their head through. As the ethanol burn dies down, banana Nilla wafers take over as things coast into a simple brown sugar and vanilla tail, with notes of dill, dried basil, and celery blossoming here and there. Finish is relatively long. Other notes: My first taste of this really challenged me. My nose and palate had a really hard time dissecting this in any meaningful way. Coming back to it now, I'm finding some more complexity and am better able to identify what's going on. The overall character is still largely the same to me, but I have better appreciation for what's going on in the glass. Though I'm still not likely to put this on my short list to buy again, I'm glad I gave it another shot. I wish the palate was a little more rounded out, but I can understand what they're trying to demonstrate here.

Not bad, probably won't buy again. A little hot, short finish.

Copper / reddish appearance Vanilla and fruit aroma Corn, grain, and a bit of sweetness. Finishes a bit warm

Incredibly corny. Reminds me of a hotter True Blue, or a slightly aged Baby Blue.

It’s a very rich bourbon that coats your mouth. It’s earthy, heavy, with hints of honey. Has an interesting smoky flavor on the finish. I like this one lot

Nose is full of apple and graham cracker. Taste wacky. Disjointed and far from harmonious. Doesn’t quite work as I mixer either.