Rating 5/ 10
Balcones True Blue 2021 (Discontinued) 50%
Nose: Metallic, floral, berries, celeriac, cornichons and pickling brine.
Palate: Packing tape, that bitter/vegetal balcones dna, mirepoix
Rating: 5 / 10
Tasting Notes by Brand: Balcones
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Texas Bourbon Pot Still 2020 46%
Nose: Sugar cream frosting, corn, incense, subtle stone fruit, reminiscent of old spice aftershave, chestnut
Palate: Cabinet spices, nice heat, caramel, browned butter
Rating: 5 (Shane) 6 (Ryan) / 10 – so wish this had a higher abv
Rating 7/ 10
Balcones ~Single~ Double Cask Nation 64.15%
Nose: Brown sugar, slightly floral, brine, honey.
Palate: Leather, oak, pond water, very peppery, licking envelope, nice toasted note on the finish
Rating: 7 (Shane) 5 (Ryan) / 10 – simple and pleasant
Rating 5/ 10
Simply Whisky BIG Balcones 65.7%
Nose: Sweet corn bread, apricots, vanilla ice cream, sugar cookies, honey blossom, polvito uruguayo, white tea
Palate: Hint of a nice sweet note followed quickly by suuuper strong wood, chlorine, bitter
Rating: 5 (Shane) 4 (Ryan) / 10 – nose is layered, rich and interesting but the palate falls short
Rating 8/ 10
Balcones Brimstone 10th 2018 62.2%
Nose: Dates
Palate: Dark chocolate, cherry cola, leather, super subtle bbq notes, menthol, phenols
Rating: 8 / 10 – this is such an exceptional brimstone. I usually struggle with this spirit, but this cask is just amazeballs.
Rating 4/ 10
Balcones Brimstone 2019 53%
Nose: Packing tape. Really don’t like this nose but going to tuck in. I used to avoid brimstone like the plague when I started into balcones, but after years of inlay whisky, I’m going to give it another try.
Palate: Licking envelopes, strong wood, slightly bitter and tannic, very little smoke here as compared to the OG version
Rating: 3 (Shane) 4 (Ryan) / 10 – and nope. Still don’t like it. So far away from the 10th anniversary or the sherry cask one that Chip gave Ryan.
Rating 3/ 10
Balcones Brimstone 2013 53%
Nose: Buttercream frosting, stone fruit, camphor, betadine, clove / clove cigarettes, menthol.
Palate: Ashtray, kissing a smoker who chewed some wrigleys to cover it up, hardcore on the clove
Rating: 3 / 10 – missing the bbq vibe I was wishing for. Reminds me of a coal ila. Did not hold up to Ryan’s memory.
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Texas Single Malt 2021 66.1%
Nose: Cranberry orange relish, nice sweetness, sourdough, stargazer lilies
Palate: Big wood with strong floral note and whallop of sweetness, with water strong orange peel citrus vibe surfaces. Resin pine vibe.
Rating: 6 / 10
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Texas Single Malt 2021 60%
Nose: male cologne vibe
Palate: Shoe polish, leather, chocolate
Rating: 6 / 10
Rating 5/ 10
Balcones Texas Rye 2020 64%
Nose: Warm leather, chess pie, werther’s original caramel hard candy.
Palate: Hot, trademark balcones sourness with a serving of brown sugar sweetness, very very minty with a large sip. Orange peel Relatively intense yet simple.
Rating: 5 / 10
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Texas Rye 61% (European Oak)
Nose: Green papaya, packing tape, green peppercorn, varnish
Palate: Stronnng wood, cardboard and tape, grapefruit peel, slightly astringent, earl grey tea.
Rating: 5 (Ryan) 6 (Shane) / 10
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Texas Rye BIB 50%
Nose: Coriander, verbena / mintyness you get with rye, white pepper, pine, pumpernickel, vanilla, chestnuts, a strange avian quality I get from wild birds… is it fowl? And an herbal tea vibe, hints of mulled wine – lemon peel.
Palate: There is a really nice toasted quality that comes across in the rye, lemon notes, varnish, pomegranate. Cardboard. Finish is super milk chocolate.
Rating: 6 (Ryan) 5 (Shane) / 10 – this is really weird and complex and uncomfortable. I would never buy a bottle (Shane) but it’s an adventure.
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones High Plains 64.5%
Nose: Caramel, nutty, bread pudding, caramelized banana, lotus biscoff cookie spread
Palate: Everything on the nose and then an intense bitterness. It works but a bummer.. Finish is just the biscoff cookie vibe
Rating: 6 / 10
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones SMWS 140.2 Shotgun Whirligig 58.9%
Nose: Orange peel, shop dust, cherry, sugary frosting, vanilla bean, almond biscotti.
Palate: Orange bitters, big oak bites, celery, cedar, cigar tobacco.
Rating: 6 / 10
Rating 5/ 10
Balcones Rumble 2019 50% (Discontinued)
Nose: Fig sap, grassy, lemon grass, honey, that nice little sour note from a bourbon barrel, camphor.
Palate: In line with the nose, ends on the sour grassy oaky note, bell peppers.
Rating: 5 / 10 – want to love it more than we do, but it doesn’t stand out, meh. I used to love this bottle… but palates change with time.