Balcones Baby Blue, Texas bourbon, in this case, corn whiskey should be pretty sweet. Fermentation in Texas is a lot different due to hotter climate, it’s believed that whiskeys age/degrade much faster so they need less time in the cask for added character and mellowness. The nose—very sweet, sorta smells like a custard, more directly like a banana pudding. With a closer sniff, the fruity sweetness develops into a brown sugar, there’s not much else going for it outside of the very noticeable aroma of sweet custard. The taste—has a noticeable bite upfront and a smoky oak flavor, the sweet finish ties in the aroma of the nose with a banana pudding flavor behind a spice. The second sip brought out more an oat grain like flavor with a woody mid-palate the sweet finish is consistent and noticeable. The result is a slightly disappointing pour, not to say it isn’t good, but it lacks the character of the nose, it lacks the balance and harmony expected from a corn forward mash. While it has a great finish, upfront it feels unrefined and phenolic in some instances, that level of inconsistency brings chaos to an otherwise pleasant drink. A big factor is probably due to the immaturity of this whiskey, with a bit more age maybe it’ll taste less young. —the scotch guy