Rating 5/ 10
Balcones Lineage 2021 47%
Nose: Gingerbread, pecans, sugar cookie, cherry panettone, sourdough
Palate: Milk chocolate cherries, oatmeal, lemon drops.
Rating: 5 / 10 – fine for an affordable bottle.
Tasting Notes by Brand: Balcones
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Texas Bock 50% 2020
Nose: Boiled peanuts, barley sweets, caramel cream puddings sojourn has before judo, charred matches after they burn out, subtle elderflower
Palate: Salinity of good salted roasted peanuts, rich mouthfeel, barley sweeties, strong oak.
Rating: 7 (Shane) 6 (Ryan) / 10 – this is quite nice. I’d drink it again with bells on. Its too much oak for Ryan.
Rating 7/ 10
Balcones ZZ TOP 2022 (B1) 50%
Nose: Orange peel, lime zest, apple, light cloves and cinnamon, creme brulee with raspberries on it, fennel bulb, lightest touch of dill
Palate: Pink peppercorn, medjool dates, leather, cinnamon, toasted sesame, turmeric.
Rating: 5 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – a great interwoven and oaky complex pour. Love it.
Rating 6/ 10
Balcones Hechiceros 10th 2018 61.5%
Nose: Sweet sweet port, sweet ‘n sour chicken.
Palate: Cedar, that Balcones sour note dna, heavy oak. From the nose I was expecting more dark fruit but it didn’t carry through as much as I wanted.
Rating: 6 / 10
Rating 5/ 10
Balcones Baby Blue 2021
Nose: Dusty, leeks, willow bark, soldering, grains
Palate: Chalk, kale, turkey broth, copper penny.
Rating: 5 / 10 – interesting but not yummy. What a difference between the older bottles. Those were so sweet and is so different
Rating 8/ 10
Balcones Brimstone PX X Anniversary cask 10397 62.2%
Nose: Coffee can, sawdust, big woodshop, cascara, dried goji berries, walking into the fruit bins in the health food shop, licorice sticks
Palate: Biltong, coffee, dark cocoa, tart acidic note on the vinegar brick road to the emerald city, long aged balsamic
Rating: 8 / 10 – beautiful and complex and potent yet still smooth and approachable. What the fuck. How can you be both funky, broody and so seductive. I’ve never been one for the bad boys, but there you have it. It’s got that clint eastwood vibe.