Balcones Texas Single Malt

Very interesting dram. It surpassed all my expectations. This is a single malt from Texas, that means malted barley and no corn at all, which is kinda a big deal because we are talking about a U.S. whisky. Nevertheless, as soon as you nose it, the first aroma notes are typical bourbon notes. Bottled at 53%abv, with a beautiful chesnut color. Amazingly thick and slow legs on the glencairn. So many things going on the nose There is definitively some bourbonish/jack daniels profile, i guess to impress U.S. drinkers. On the nose: Banana, Vanilla escense, Vanilla ice cream, White chocolate, Maple syrup, Sherry sweetness, Prunes.It sure feels like its going to grow into red fruits but it doesn't. Amazingly sweet and appealing. On the palate is also a good dram, but not as incredible as the nose. Oily, Cake burnt, Spicy: mild pepper. Some Sherry. Oaky. Sour prunes. A little smoke, woody smoke. Mostly sour and smoky. Sour sherry. Finish is medium, a little hot, ashy. Ginger spice stays a little longer. Malty. Cloying sugar. Overall it feels like they use a virgin american oak barrel but some sherry must have been used also. The only way banana and vanilla are that strong in the aroma is by using a new barrel of american oak. The dried fruits/sherry notes are mostly on the palate. Great dram, totally recommended: my score for it is a solid 88 over 100 but it surely feels like more. Maybe a 4.5 would do it justice.

Nose: sweet caramel with an almost praline tone. There is something rich and spicy hiding underneath Taste: toasted bread upfront into a well rounded spiciness that gently mellows Finish: long and oily that comes back around to toast

Smokey, smooth

I was a scotch drinker before becoming a Bourbon drinker. I now prefer Bourbon so this ended up being a disappointment. I does not compare to Scotch. With that said, it’s not terrible. I get dried fruit on the nose and spice on the palate. Decent finish too. It’s kind of in no mans land between Scotch and American Whiskey.

Hints of cherry and an amazing sweet malt finish.