Balcones ZZ Top Tres Hombres

Decent flavor and finish. Pretty smooth

Color: Copper Aroma: Stone fruit, Dark Cherry, Walnuts Taste: Thin Body, Nutty, Earthy Finish: Warm

Initial nose and wash of caramel apple w/nuts, spiced dark cherry-fruit on second wave driven on a backing of dusted umami. Finished with black peppered tea leaf and limestone rich mineral base.

The nose is soft starting with a mix of powdered sugar dusted sautéed apples, freshly baked pumpernickel bread and dusty barn floors then dark chocolate covered espresso beans, candied pecans and light herbs followed by raspberry sorbet, tangerine orange and caramelized peaches that transitions to spearmint, cloves, anise and polished oak with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a mix of powdered sugar dusted sautéed mangoes, dehydrated apricots, freshly baked pumpernickel bread and dusty barn floors then a mild bitter spice that quickly fades to dark chocolate covered pretzels, espresso, candied pecans and light herbs followed by raspberry sorbet, tangerine orange and caramelized peaches that transitions to charred caraway seeds, light flinty minerality, cloves, anise and mildly bitter black tea with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate mocha, candied orange peel, freshly baked pumpernickel bread, anise, light flinty minerality and mildly bitter black tea. This is a really nice easy sipping dram that is well composed with the three grains each providing a different flavor while working cohesively together with a light Texas wood funk in a harmonious balance. My main fault with it is that the flavors are a bit thinner than I prefer and wish they were richer and bolder, but this would still be a dram I’d be more than happy to have time and time again as it’s a balanced, interesting and a unique easy sipper that I think many would be happy with at a very reasonable price of around $60. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample.

N: Toffee, red fruit, apple, caramel, tropical fruit, pecan pie, coconut, herbal, nutty. The core elements of bourbon, single malt, and rye are all present, and all have the character of different Balcones whiskies. Really impressive. P: Red fruit, sweet bread, cinnamon, caramel, vanilla ice cream with a strawberry syrup drizzle, dark chocolate, candied cinnamon. F: Sweet and spicy with fresh red fruit, strawberry, baked bread, cinnamon, faintly woody notes with char and tannin, some rye herbal notes, dark chocolate. This is my second bottle of this stuff and I really just can't keep my hands off it. It's a perfect blend with very clear and pleasurable elements of bourbon, single malt, and rye. But, not just that, it's Balcones bourbon, single malt, and rye. The sweet frosting notes of Balcones bourbons mix perfectly with the fruity and bready notes of the their single malts, while also playing nicely with their high rye bourbons and straight ryes. I feel like I'm not saying it well. It's like a blend of True Blue, a good single barrel of their Single Malt, and the High Rye Bourbon (which has that notable chocolate note of the Rye, but a little less so). It's some of the greatest hits of Balcones. I guess that makes sense. _______ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord: https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired, please post a comment and I will provide a new one.)