After reading numerous reviews about Balcones single malts, I decided to take the plunge. Just so happens that my local Total Wine had recently selected barrel 17280, aged 25 months in American oak put up at barrel proof of 125.8. The color is of coffee. Slow beefy legs. When trying something this new, I like to pour a couple drops in my hands and rub them together, then smell once dry. This gives you a feel as to how much barrel flavors and fragrances have been incorporated and what's in store. It passes the test but the youth is revealed. First sniff from the glass finds a LOT going on and boy is it rich and decadent. Early on, I get chocolate covered raisins, dark fruits and faint baking spice. Someone said fig newtons and that's there too. Try as I may, I find no vanilla/oak/caramel fragrances but after 30-45 minutes of open time, (rye-like) new make comes forward and there is a hot edge. The initial taste is sweet, full of molasses and bunt sugar mingled with Bing cherries. Chocolate comes on at the end. The finish is the best part, it's very long of chocolate covered cherries. It also leaves my lips numb and tingly although that quickly fades. After consuming a half ounce pour my taste buds and olfactory are shot. High proof new make on distillery tours treat me that way too and it takes a while to recover. I am getting nothing but new make so I will attack again tomorrow. Day 2 with a touch of water and some air, new make is most prominent as is the numbing effect. It's bad out of balance. What happened to yesterday's whiskey? A week later and the original experience pretty much returns although that rye like new make is more of a rich malt like I got in a malted milkshake when I was a kid. It's still hot but not like day 2. The lip numbing experience is there but only slightly. Neither ECBP nor Stagg Jr have ever treated me that way. The finish has gone hot, dry and long now of malted chocolate cherries. After 45 minutes the wonderful experience is holding. This stuff has been all over the place. Neck pour was 4-4.25 but evolved to 3 after 30-45 minutes. Day 2 was maybe 2. But today all those rich flavors and fragrances are back and the 4-4.25 seems again appropriate I am utterly amazed at the depth of color, fragrances and flavors in a 2 year old whiskey and how it rolls into new make properties like you flipped a switch.