ctbeck11
Balcones True Blue Cask Strength
Corn — Texas, USA
Reviewed
March 2, 2021 (edited April 11, 2022)
Nose - butterscotch, vanilla, powdered sugar, candied corn, apple, peanut, butter pecan, dusty corn, funnel cake, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, sweet oak, moderate to high ethanol burn.
Taste - caramel, candy corn, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, apple, black pepper, peanut, barrel spice, powdered sugar, dusty corn, brown sugar, cocoa, sweet floral notes, high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with sweet candy corn, baking spice, and prickly pepper flavors.
I had such a good experience with the Cowboy bourbon yesterday, I’ve decided to devote the rest of the week to Texas whiskey, specifically Balcones expressions. Many thanks to @jonwilkinson7309 for providing this sample, along with a few more I’ll be reviewing this week. For reference, this is a single barrel bottling at 62.9%.
The nose on this is like a carnival cranked to eleven. Candy corn, funnel cake, powdered sugar, candied apple, it’s all here. It’s extremely sweet, but doesn’t quite cross into cloying territory. The palate is similar, but more pepper and baking spice notes can be found.
I have to admit that the only experience I have with corn whiskey is Mellow Corn. There are some similarities, but this is significantly better. However, I think the standard corn whiskey profile is too sweet for me. In musical terms, they present as all treble and no bass. I think the proof really helps here though. My guess is that the standard True Blue would rate very average for me. But this is not average at all. I’m looking forward to diving into more Balcones offerings this week.
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@ContemplativeFox yeah —it definitely wasn’t an everyday dram. But as unique as you can get
@PBMichiganWolverine made quite a discovery with that tequila finished Balcones. It's pretty out there, but it's also really good! (Thanks again for the sample :) )
@PBMichiganWolverine Awesome. Fingers crossed. I don’t imagine something like that sits on the shelves too long.
@ctbeck11 perfect—-I’m going to see if they have still have the tequila finish—-if they do, will get 2 ( one for each of us ). It’s about $80 . Will include some samples i have from my open bottles as well
@PBMichiganWolverine Absolutely! That would be much appreciated. My email is my Distiller username with a Gmail domain to reach me offline to coordinate if you come across it. Or if you may be interested in a sample swap sometime in the future.
@ctbeck11 i might actually buy another bottle of that tequila cask one—-if I do, and if they have it—-shall I get one for you ( just pay shipping and bottle )? Will let you know if there’s any available if you’re interested
@ctbeck11 Well I haven't had any of those lol. I've been meaning to swing by SC to pick up one of their unpeated malts. The neck pour of the rye CS was the best thing I've ever tasted.
@jonwilkinson7309 Thanks! And definitely. If anyone can pull off a rich, tasty NAS corn whiskey, it’d be Balcones.
@PBMichiganWolverine I remember reading reviews of the tequila cask offering. Sounded delicious. Unfortunately, Balcones distribution is extremely limited in Virginia. Although, it seems like the tequila cask was a special bottling that likely wouldn’t have even made it into their core markets.
@Zachary-Robbins Thanks! On deck I have Lineage, Texas Single Malt, Brimstone, and French Oak.
Great review, and I suspect you're right about the True Blue. The Baby Blue is sweet, easy, but completely lacking bass, to use your musical analogy. The True Blue is a step in the right direction, but this whiskey really fills out at cask strength. The proof probably helps, but it also the Balcones richness that kicks in. The only other cask strength corn whiskey I've had is Bull Run 13 year (both regular and pinot noir finished). The Bull Run is a good whiskey, but it still has that corn thinness.
I’ve had their stout cask one, and the tequila cask matured. The tequila one was amazing
I wasn't a big fan of the Baby Blue, but the Rye Cask Strength and Peated Malt Cask Strength are phenomenal. I'm curious about this, but still worried it might be too sweet like the Baby Blue. Looking forward to your other Balcones reviews.