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Balcones Texas Single Malt

Probably the hottest small or “craft” distillery in the U.S. right now, Balcones in Waco, Texas is definitely one that is making its mark globally. Having recently won numerous awards for both its products and for the distillery in general, Balcones is poised to have the eyes of the entire whisky world on it over the next few years.

An insane amount of praise and publicity doesn’t typically go to a small, five-year old distillery without there being some quality product involved, so I have been keen to try anything from Balcones for a while. Muchas gracias to a retailer friend for sending me a bottle of this gem from out-of-state. Balcones has yet to make it to Nevada but with any luck they will soon (I hope).

It’s worth spending some time on Balcones’ recently revamped website as the stories and the videos are all worth watching. Here’s a little on their story:

Just five years ago, Balcones was little more than an idea fueled by a ruthless drive to create something new, something genuine, something worthwhile – a Texas whisky tradition. It all started with an old welding shop under a bridge. We hammered and welded our own stills, and sawed and nailed on that little shack to build the distillery that we use to this day. Since then, we have released seven unique spirits of which we are very proud and won 40 national and international awards from the world’s top judges and critics. We don’t just make whisky in Texas. We make Texas whisky.

Our commitment to hand crafting our spirits extends into the design and layout of the distillery and the engineering and construction of equipment. The benefits of building and installing our own equipment became clear to us as we put together our distillery. By building our own condensers, wash stills, heat exchangers, hot liquor tank, etc. we were able to build exactly the equipment we wanted to use to make spirits. We became extremely familiar with the tools of our trade. The equipment itself is one more level of the distilling process that we get to craft with our own hands.

We are very proud to not only taste spirit we made as it ages and matures, but to also work everyday with equipment that was painstakingly and lovingly made.

Craft distilleries are popping up everywhere. Half the time these ventures are initiated by business men who see a market opportunity. Balcones is the realization of a distiller’s dream, not simply an ambitious attempt to fill a profitable niche.

Let’s dig in to the first Single Malt Whisky from Texas I have heard of.

Balcones Single Malt

Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky

NAS, 53% ABV, Batch SM12-10 (bottled 12/31/2012)

Color: Dusty Dark Gold

Nose: Warm buttered banana bread, malty biscuits, ripe figs and raisins, some cinnamon, honey, citrus and maybe even a hint of mesquite fire? Truly a wonderful, complex nose. I could nose this forever and not even take a sip. Ok, fine, I”ll take a sip…

Palate: Wow, it’s like a good, complex Highland single malt with some hot, cinnamon almost bourbon-like influence in there. Plenty of sweet malty and honey goodness, more banana bread, a hint of orange and some nuttiness comes through as well – walnuts and pecans.

Finish: Really long and a lot of buttered, cinnamon-sugar toast, oak and walnuts.

Overall: Wow. I was blown away. For an NAS (I’m assuming pretty young) single malt this is pretty rich and complex. Shows what hot Waco summers can do aging spirit in a mix of small and large barrels. This may be the best American single malt I have tasted.

It’s definitely a single malt profile but tastes unlike anything I have tried coming out of Scotland or anywhere else. At 53% this is surprisingly drinkable and balanced. A splash of water does add some creaminess and a little fruit but I would encourage trying it both ways as it is very drinkable neat.

Cheers to Chip Tate and the rest of the gang at Balcones. I should have some samples of the True Blue and the Brimstone soon and can’t wait to try them. If the rest of Balcones lineup is anywhere near as good as the Single Malt, all the awards recently bestowed upon them are well deserved.

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St. Patrick’s Day: Tasting Redbreast 12 Year

I haven’t formally tasted or reviewed much Irish Whiskey, and have really only drank a few expressions from Jameson and Powers in the past, so I’ve been excited to branch out to some more complex Irish malts. Redbreast 12, and the newer “cask strength” version of Redbreast 12, has had all the rave and hype coming out of the Irish single pot still world, so, it being St. Paddy’s day and all, about time I give it a go. Thanks to my friends at Master of Malt for doing samples of this stunner in their “Drinks by the Dram” offering.

Redbreast 12 Years Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

3cl sample from Master of Malt, 40% ABV

From the Redbreast website:

Full of aroma and flavour, Redbreast 12 Year Old benefits from a strong contribution from distillates which have matured in Oloroso sherry casks, giving it its trademark Christmas cake character.

NOSE A complex spicy and fruity aroma with toasted wood notes evident.

TASTE Full flavoured and complex; a harmonious balance of spicy, creamy, fruity, sherry and toasted notes.

FINISH Satisfyingly long, the complex flavours linger on the palate.

Here’s my findings on this wonderful Irish dram:

Color: Rich Pot O’Gold (couldn’t resist)

Nose: Wow, stunning and complex. Rich Sherry oak, raisins, citrus, cold tea, wet tobacco leaf, almonds

Palate: Big, oily mouth feel, this is only 40%? More Sherry and spice, ripe fruits, honey, ginger, a little wood grain and liquorice.

Finish: Long, oily and deeply satisfying. Vanilla, Honey, oak and spice.

Verdict: Wow, wow, wow. At this price, I think around $42 for a bottle in the U.S., this would give almost any single malt Scotch at the same price point a good lesson in complexity and balance. No sign of a flawed cask anywhere, almost like a perfect balance between a sherried malt and a good honey vanilla highland malt. Definitely buy a bottle soon before they start inching up the price.

 

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Glenmorangie Artein

After enjoying the previous Glenmorangie Private Edition release, the mildly-peated Finealta, I was very intrigued when I caught wind of Dr. Bill Lumsden’s next experimental release, the wine-finished Artein. I like Italian red wine. I like Glenmorangie. Why wouldn’t they work together?

The inspiration for this release came from Dr. Lumsden’s interest in stone (Artein = Gaelic for “stone”), and its influence on the taste of whisky through its presence and influence on the water source. As it reads on the Glenmorange website:

A Monumental Whisky, Born of Stone.

While crafting Glenmorangie Artein Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Head of Distilling & Whisky Creation, was intrigued by the influence of stone in the natural ingredients of the whisky, especially considering the material’s special significance to us.

This relationship begins with the Hilton of Cadboll Stone, an ancient monument that is the whisky’s inspiration. But of no less importance is the layer upon layer of limestone that filters our Tarlogie Spring water, giving Artein its fruity aromas and layers of complexity. Or the rocky Tuscan hillsides which concentrate the flavours in vines that will, in turn, add complexity to the ‘Super Tuscan’ casks in which we extra mature our precious spirit.

The result is a whisky with a richness and depth that echoes the extraordinary legacy of stone.

I’ll buy the reason for the intrigue, but I’m more interested in how this Super Tuscan wine finish changes the character of the Glenmorangie spirit we’ve come to enjoy.

Artein 1

Glenmorange Artein

46% ABV, Non Chill-Filtered

Color: Rose-tinted copper

Nose: Dried flowers in a wet stone basement, citrus, raspberry and the typical Glenmorangie mint.

Palate: The slightly hot malty, minty citrus character of the Glenmorangie original filter through the lens of earthy red wine. Plums, tart cherries, red berries.

Finish: Zesty but really nice. The citrus and berry fade out over a sip of coffee while walking barefoot over a layer of damp topsoil drying out from a brief afternoon shower.

Verdict: Definitely had to taste a few times before I “got” it. Gets better with each re-acquaintance.  It’s unusual but very nice, very different from Finealta for obvious reasons, but very well done Dr. Lumsden and the whole Glenmo team.

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Glenfarclas / Master of Malt Movember

Highly anticipated for whisky lovers and Movember supporters like myself, this 9 year Sherry hoghsead cask-strength special bottling from Glenfarclas was something I knew I had to have on my shelf. Here’s a little info from the Master of Malt website (http://www.masterofmalt.com/movember/)

“Distilled in September 2002 and bottled in September 2011, this most unusual 9 year old Glenfarclas has been taken from two Oloroso sherry hogshead casks, and can be perfectly described as an ‘aperitif whisky’ – nutty and intensely savoury.”

Glenfarclas Movember 2011

Here are my notes:

Color: Dark Amber

Nose: Toffee, Fino, Almonds, Cinnamon

Palate: Wonderful sherry notes, dark chocolate, more cinnamon, figs

Finish: Long and warm – more cinnamon and mixed spice, christmas cake, nuts, tofee, seems to last forever hitting lots of lovely notes

Verdict: Fantastic long dram at a cask strength of 53%. Glad to have a bottle, the last drop of this will likely mark a sad day as I won’t be able to replace it. A cracker for Winter!

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Glenmorangie Finealta

I have enjoyed all the regular lineup that I have tried from Glenmorangie’s line, especially the Nectar D’or, so when I was in the mood to step up and try something different the Finealta cought my eye , as it seemed to be a new direction for this distillery. From the Glenmorangie website:

Glenmorangie Finealta is a painstaking recreation of a recipe dating back to 1903. Matured in a combination of American white oak casks and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks this whisky is unusual for its light touch of peatiness – a reminder of a time when Glenmorangie dried its barley in a peat fired kiln.

Aroma

Caramelised orange and peaches soaked in liqueur are instantly revealed before giving way to sugared almonds, raisins, lime and a hint of distant woodsmoke.

Taste

Mandarin, marmalade and hints of cherry brandy combine with the spiciness of nutmeg and ginger before icing sugar, chewy meringue and violet build up slowly on the palate.

Finish

Full, rounded aromatic smoke with chalky minerals lingers on top of subtle layers of powdery floral scents.

Now let’s see what this beauty has to offer.

Glenmorangie Finealta (Private Edition)

750ml 46% ABV

Nose: Definitely that same Glenmorangie profile of malty citrus & honey, but with some actual peat and sugared wood smoke.

Palate: Spices, more citrus, some vanilla and bourbon oak, then a nice wave of salty peat, roasted chestnuts and sweet smoke.

Finish: Hotter than any other Glenmorangie I’ve had but very good. Some of the peat phenols stay and dissipate into more salty oak and some flowers and honey.

Verdict: This is quite a good dram, probably my favorite Glenmorangie I’ve had unless I’m in the mood for the real sweet Nectar D’or. Well done for a departure from their typical line. Glad to have a bottle as it finally starts to get a little bit wintry in the desert.

 

 

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Aberlour A’bunadh (Batch 35)

I had heard great things about this one and hadn’t had the chance to try yet. I had heard it was a great value so I went ahead and bought a bottle as good cask strength sherry bombs were becoming a favorite of mine after trying the Glenfarclas 105 and the Balvenie 15 Single Barrel.

From Aberlour’s website:

A’bunadh, Gaelic for ‘of the origin’, is matured exclusively in Oloroso ex-sherry butts. It is a natural cask-strength malt whisky produced without the use of modern-day chill filtering methods or the addition of water.

Colour
Deep, rich amber

Nose
Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso sherry

Palate
Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with sherry and oak. Full bodied and creamy

Finish
Robust and intense with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak

Let’s give it a taste:

Aberlour A’Bunadh (Batch 35)

750ml 60.3% ABV

Nose: Intense spice, apricots, orange and rich oloroso

Palate: Very full, creamy, big notes of fig, raisins, more mixed spice and creamy dark chocolate. Getting that apricot note again, too.

Finish: More sherry oak, long, warm but really incredible for 60.3%, no real raw alchol-y notes at all, just big sherry and dark chocolate and it lasts forever.

Verdict: I will say this again, probably, but whoa, Mama! This is a fantastic strong sherry bomb, especially for the price, really well done, no off notes at all, just a fantastic dram, will be keeping me company all winter and should earn a permanent spot in anyone’s collection.

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Wild Turkey Rare Breed

Continuing the Bourbon education, I decided to pick up this little gem from Wild Turkey. Meeting Eddie Russell and really enjoying the Russell’s Reserve, I wanted to explore a little more of Wild Turkey’s range and stepped into this barrel proof expression.

The idea behind Rare Breed was to give Bourbon drinkers the chance to experience Wild Turkey closer to the way Jimmy & Eddie Russell get to taste it, uncut from the barrel before diluting with water. There are some other barrel proof (cask strength in Scotch terms) bourbons out there, but this is the first one I have tried at any higher proof than 45% ABV.

From the Wild Turkey website:

Rare Breed is a “barrel-proof bourbon” (108.2 proof, 54.1% alcohol), meaning it has no added water to lower the proof or dilute the flavor after it’s been distilled. This bourbon is a unique marriage of Wild Turkey 6-, 8-, and 12-year-old stocks, giving it a remarkably smooth flavor considering its high alcohol content. It has hints of light oranges, mint, and tones of sweet tobacco.
Jimmy Russell keeps his Rare Breed in the freezer so he doesn’t have to add ice, which would dilute the flavor.

Let’s give it a go.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed

Barrel Proof at 54.1% ABV

WTRB

Color: Dark Dirty Amber

Nose: Caramel, burnt brown sugar, some leather and tobacco, and a little mixed berry. With a drop of water, some more of the dusty leather and tobacco comes out, and some yeast and cereal I get a lot of in the regular Wild Turkey.

Palate: More leather and tobacco and then the huge rye spice kicks in. Warm cinnamon and nutmeg, some bitter wood notes but not much, and then that little bit of mixed berry flavor comes in again. With a drop of water the rye spice tones down and some more caramel and toffee comes through.

Finish: Long and hot with tons of rye and cinnamon spice. Again water tones it down but I find this one to be quite good without water.

Overall: I really like this for what it is. Big and uncut. It’s not delicate or really balanced, but it’s big, bold and has plenty of complexity. Look forward to more barrel-proof bourbons and I hope any more I try are as good as this. Well done, Jimmy & Eddie!