Nose - salted caramel, dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla ice cream, creme brûlée, chocolate turtle, cinnamon, nutmeg, peanut, pecan, black pepper, clove, leather, tobacco, brown sugar, toasted marshmallow, graham cracker, brownie, mint, black cherry, rich oak, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - cinnamon bun, clove, dark chocolate, toffee, vanilla cream, nutmeg, tobacco, toasted marshmallow, powdered sugar, brown sugar, leather, pecan, walnut, black pepper, spearmint, black cherry, baked apple, graham cracker, sweet tannic oak, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium long with dark chocolate, baking spice, tannic oak, and black cherry flavors. Sweet baby Jesus! This truly is bourbon candy, as Garrison Brothers quotes on their website. It’s extremely rich and sweet, but not cloying. I’m immediately overcome with memories of being at the Golden Corral dessert bar as a child and adding every single topping to my chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream. Balmorhea is by far the best new oak finished bourbon I’ve tried. This is what Woodford Double Oaked wants to be when it grows up. Balmorhea is not something I’ll drink everyday, but I know I’ll crave it from time to time. Absolutely fantastic. Not quite as fantastic as Cowboy bourbon, but those are some big shoes to fill. I paid $160 for this and I would do it again in a second. For reference, this is the 2021 bottling. This completes my week of Texas whiskey reviews. I’m so pleasantly surprised how wonderful each of these Garrison Brothers and Balcones expressions have been. I’ve even identified a few that will become permanent additions to my collection. And I’ll definitely be on the lookout for new Texas offerings to try in the future. Starting tomorrow, I’m crossing the pond for a week of Compass Box reviews.