Balcones Texas Single Malt

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this since Brimstone was my only experience with Balcones to date. I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity of this whisky. I sampled it right after a Macallan 15 and while different, the Texas single malt holds its own against the scotch. Sweet and buttery, with a hint of marmalade. I can tell this was made where Brimstone is distilled. There’s an ever-so-delicate whiff of smoke in the finish. Overall an enjoyable single malt whisky. 🥃

Rating: 15/23 Bottle kill. This has had a lot of air. It's been open for a bit over 2 years and has been under half full for the majority of that time. I wouldn't say that it's gotten so much air that it's unreasonable to review this way though. N: I just tried Balcones Rye and this has some of that same funky smell to it. It's less bold here though and integrated with plenty of spices and sweet, moderately mild malt. There's some orange coming off of the malt and also a bit of maple. There's also sort of a dry, bitter, tart, ale thing going on. It's not the most nuanced or decadent nose, but it is intriguing for sure and certainly not bad. P: A lot of spice immediately, mixed with some of that tart ale character. Then maple slowly works its way in. Leaving it on my tongue, I get brioche as the yeastiness comes out and also some nice apricot. There's a moderately high fullness here that is helped by the moderately high viscosity of the mouthfeel. The malt isn't the richest and boldest, but it does make itself known and it works well in tandem with the bitter ale flavor. The complexity here is moderate, but the bitterness and tartness sometimes just taste a bit generically bitter and tart rather than having any depth. F: Lots of maple. I mean, wow! I like how this transitions to end on that sweet, decadent note. The flavor is surprisingly full here. Some yeastiness that's less tart all than just leavened dough. - Conclusion - I really like where this is going with the yeast and maple, as well as its sweet spices. Balcones has come up with a unique flavor here that works quite nicely. Still, I think that Westward and Copperworks have it bested with their (admittedly more expensive) flagship offerings. Additionally, Loch Lomond 12 (16/23) beat this side by side - though not by a lot. As I was sipping this, I thought I'd be giving it a higher rating because I really enjoyed that maple sweetness. I guess though that this is why I set standards and do side-by-sides. Russell's Reserve 10 (my perennial 15-16/23) seems more complex and balanced. On the other hand, despite its nice complexity, Wild Turkey 101 (14/23) lets a bit too much alcohol through, putting it below this. I think I can be pretty confident at this point that this is a high 15.

Moonshine-ish nose. Hot drink with leather at the beginning. Some toffee. Better with a few drops of water. Maybe cotton candy at the very end. Better than pot still.

So complex. Unique. Nose: apricot, earthy, plumb. Not alcohol heavy. Taste: barrel strong, heavy. Wraps the tongue. Like it wants to be smokey but isnt actually.