When served neat, this 130 proof is HOT! While still giving off strong notes of apple and earth on the nose and peach balck tea on the tongue, specifically the kind you would drink out of a mason jar on your grandmother’s porch. However, when served on ice with some time to breathe, it really opens up. Notes of apple and stone fruits accompany earthy tannin flavors, reminiscent of leather and the aforementioned tea leaves, as well as a subtle smoked peach note, which any good Texan should be able to identify. At 65%, this is not the kind of bottle you sip neat, unless you can handle some heat. But put it on the rocks beside a crackling bonfire, or on a back porch on a hot summer day, and nothing can beat this wonderful “half-peated” single malt. I got mine on release from the Balcones distillery and will continue to bring it out every hot southern afternoon I get the chance to.