Whisky Discovery Tasting #1

A full house for our first 'Whisky Discovery' tasting at The Embankment, Bedford

We finally did it, jumped in with both feet, closed our eyes, and hoped for the best. When we finally caught our breaths, the chaos that was left behind was a bunch of strangers brought together by seven beautiful drams, and all having a whale of a night. 

From the reaction of everyone who came to our first tasting, it was a big fat tick in the fun box, and we are delighted that there are enough people interested to start a whisky club in Bedford! Hooray! What this space in 2014 for more news. 

For the evening, we teamed up with the Embankment Pub in Bedford The line-up on the night was seven drams, each paired with a different canapé that were jointly selected by the head chef and me, to complement each dram. 

These are the pairings in order of their appearance on the night:

1. Smoked Salmon on Sourdough Toast paired with SMWS G10.5 
2. Sweet Potato and Baby spinach Frittata paired with Paul John’s Brilliance. 
3. Morn Dew Cheese paired with Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage. 
4. Smoked Haddock Rarebit paired with The Whisky Lounge’s Salted Sea Dog. 
5. Pear Crumble paired with Glen Moray Chardonnay cask.
6. Vanilla Ice Cream paired with Balcones Baby Blue. 
7. Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart paired with Douglas Laing’s Scally Wag.

It was a big gamble starting the evening with the SMWS G10.5 as it was the highest abv at 61%. Due to food pairing, it was difficult to place it anywhere else in the line-up. It would have been too weird having a smoked salmon in between sweet canapés. It did become a good bench mark dram though, with many really appreciating the freshness and floral qualities of this dram after they had tasted the others. 

So what did we think of each dram?

Whisky Discovery #614

SMWS G10.5 A ‘Schweppervescene’ Moment 23 Year Old (61% abv)

Single Grain Whisky from Strathclyde Distillery 

Circa £68.50 70 cl

This is a single cask, single grain whisky from the Strathclyde grain distillery, located in the Gorbals district of Glasgow. There are no official distillery bottlings of this single cask however it is a popular grain whisky that’s used in many blends. 

Nose:  Punches with freshness, very lively and vibrant. A while later creamier note comes through of young ripe avocado, there’s some acetone notes that tickles the nose, with some sharp lemon/lime sherbets but without the oversweet sugar smell. 

Taste:  It starts with the lemon sherbets, followed by corn flakes and cereal notes, then a hint of bitterness which is nice to give it some depth, and at the end it becomes a minty menthol mouthwash. 

Finish:  The cooling minty menthol mouthwash has stayed, then it becomes warming with the bitterness returning right to the end. A long finish with leaving a dry mouth feel. 

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: First dram is the SMWS schweppervescence. grass & vanilla on the nose. Pepper on the palette, after taste of leather car seat. This one better with water, softens it.

@JohnnieStumbler: Wonderfully fresh on the nose. Grassy with fresh fruits. Great mouthfeel, sweet and grassy with a citric edge. With a touch of water, it really delivers. Paired with smoked salmon on sourdough toast. It really highlights the contrast between sweet and salt. Good shout! Very capable and worth further exploration. Needs time, water and a brave heart.

Whisky Discovery #429

Paul John’s Brilliance NAS (46% abv)

Indian Single Malt Whisky 

Circa £46 70 cl

The distillery is based in Goa, India, and it is one of only two distilleries in India currently exporting to the UK. It is made with using Indian six-row barley from the Himalayan foothills and has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s non-chill-filtered with no artificial colouring. 

Nose:  Rich and intense aromas. Aromatic and spicy of teak wood and nutmeg, with the smell of warm leather. 

Taste:  Again rich full bodied flavours. Teak wood comes through with some sweetness, for me it’s similar to the taste of flat Coca-Cola, and there’s also a floral notes present. 

Finish:  Begins with sweet cassia bark followed by some spiciness, leaving a mild wood note at the end. Not a very long finish, would have loved for this to go on for longer. 

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: Bloody lovely Indian Whisky. Not as grim as the Amrut. I really like it. Matched well with the sweet potatoe & spinach fritter. Would be excited to try the edited peated from them.
@JohnnieStumbler: Bourbon-a-plenty on the nose. Lots going on for a young whisky. Some rich fruits on the nose. Rich palate balanced out by a spicy finish. Intriguing. With sweet potato and baby spinach frittata, there isn't a stark contrast. Think harmony.
@cecilnorris1988: Plums, dates, a hint of the dreaded vanilla on the nose for me.

Whisky Discovery #454

Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage 17 Year Old (53.3% abv)

Highland Single Malt

Circa £50.45 70 cl

They don’t make it like this anymore! This vintage bottling was distilled in the last year that the distillery used peat in its kiln to dry it’s barley before malting, due to this, there is some peat present but at a very low ppm. Not really noticeable as peat. It’s been matured in first fill ex-bourbon barrels. 

Dave has tasted this whisky before as part of a tweet tasting, click here to see what he thought then.

Nose:  Very spicy with a sweet bread aroma that’s like Panettone bread, there’s an Ovaltine note, and the smell of lemon butterfly cakes. 

Taste:  Begins with a spicy chili heat, followed by barley sugar sweets, sugared covered roasted hazel nuts, slight hint of smokiness and floral notes that’s like a mild black cardamom taste. 

Finish:  Warming spices with a touch of sweetness and smokiness, then spiciness returning right at the end, leaving a dry mouth feel.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: Smells divine, light hint of peat, sweet, candy & grass on the nose, sting like chilli aftermath. Good warmth. This is a sexy Whisky.
@cecilnorris1988: I've had this before with @JohnnieStumbler. As good now as it was in the Summer '13 A huge shout out to Morn Dew Cheese too. Your marriage with the Glen Garioch 95 17 Year Old is a beautiful one.
@JohnnieStumbler: I'm hugely biased as this is one of my go-to drams. Wonderful. With Morn Dew cheese. Works splendidly. The creaminess of the cheese just marries with the mild peatiness perfectly.

Whisky Discovery #616

The Whisky Lounge ‘Salted Sea Dog’ Batch No. 2 NAS (46% abv)

Islay Single Malt

Circa £21.00 20 cl

This is an independent bottling from the lovely folks at The Whisky Lounge. All we know is that it’s from one of the well-known distilleries on the North-East of Islay, and who are not normally known for their peated whiskies. This is non-chill-filtered and free from artificial colouring. 

Nose:  Peat is noticeable but not overpowering. Warm banana bread aromas followed by powdered ginger, and the smell of very dry crumbly fruit cake that’s gone stale. 

Taste:  Nice balance of peat smoke and sweetness. Texture and flavour of watered down cinnamon infused sugar syrup, with some bitterness at the end from lemon pips. 

Finish:  Initially warming with hints of sweetness that lingers, and then warms again, this time of white pepper giving a good length finish.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: I AM IN HEAVEN! I am not sharing that with anyone. *sits in the corner and has a moment* Salty sea dog, is heavy peat that melts away making you want more. Coal dust, seaweed & a slight twang of 2p pieces #wdt1 #buymeabottle
@JohnnieStumbler: Beautiful peaty, coastal nose. Less of a peat assault on the palate. Gentle and moreish. With smoked haddock rarebit, a symphony of smoke and sea spray.
@cecilnorris1988: Back at St Peter Port in Guernsey. Salt (surprise surprise), seaweed, PEAT!
@Johnnyboythrash: Not a fan of the smoky whisky that we experienced, but this is my & @rosetintvintage first whisky tasting, so still finding palette.

Whisky Discovery #132

Glen Moray 10 Year Old Chardonnay Cask (40% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £25.00 70 cl

Glen Moray still doesn’t seem to be that well known, it is only a smallish distillery and one of the seven distilleries listed on the Speyside Single Malt Trail, and are located in Elgin, Morayshire. This whisky has been fully matured in for its entire life in Chardonnay cask which gives this dram a light delicate floral feel. 

We first tasted this dram last year. Dave wrote about a posted in thoughts back in May 2012, you can read about it here 

Nose:  Noticeably creamy and smooth, with vanilla, hints of dryness, sweetness from clear honey, and a floral bouquet throughout. 

Taste:  Instantly of the clear honey, leading to a fresh citrus zest which prevents the dram being overly sweet. The sweetness is however present throughout. Texture is a smooth silky feel. 

Finish:  The honey note stays for a split second, a lot shorter than I had expected. A fresh fruity chili heat, like a Scotch bonnet chili, appears and stays, while cereal notes arrives at the same time as leaving the mouth with a dry mouth feel with some bitterness right to the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Not blown away, a bit too nicey nicey & soft after taste. I like whisky with balls! this is light, sweet, pear drops apples on the nose. It's nice but too nicey nicey.
@JohnnieStumbler: This is a little sweetie on the nose. Fruit and gentle oak. Sweet and lightly fruity; a dessert whisky. Overpowered by the butteriness of the pear crumble.
@Johnnyboythrash: Just found a whisky I really like, and @rosetintvintage agrees.

Whisky Discovery #321

Balcones Baby Blue NAS (46% abv)

Texas Blue Corn Whisky

Circa £55 75 cl 

We have tasted this whisky many times, and it’s one of my personal favourites. You can find out what Dave thought about it when he first 'discovered' it here. 

This is Texas whisky and the only distillery in the world using blue atole corn to make whisky.  Atole corn has a nutter flavour than yellow corn. It gives the whisky extra depth to other corn whiskies but still keeps the freshness and verve of a traditional corn whisky with a smooth finish.

Nose: There’s some sweetness from Demerara sugar, some dry oak notes but more like oak shavings and saw dust, and there’s some creaminess there also. 

Taste:  This reflects the now, starting with caramel notes with some dry oak. Then the nutty flavour of roasted hazel nuts and hints of burnt toasts comes through, balancing out the sweetness. It has a very smooth Crème Brule like texture but without the heavy feel.

Finish:  Again the same flavour profile that you get throughout this dram but begin with warming black pepper. The caramel, toasted bread, and oak notes comes through afterwards, these lingers right through to the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Honey, macadamia nuts, vanilla on the nose. Let down on the palette, hard corn spirit. It's so unusual it draws you back. Strangely I'm not a huge fan but I can't stop retrying it. Popcorn Whisky.
@Johnnyboythrash: Ooh, the Balcones is even better. Was trying to describe & @rosetintvintage  says nuts & toffee...I'd agree
@JohnnieStumbler: This has corn chips and nuts all over the nose.The palate doesn't live up to the nose but not bad at all. With vanilla ice cream, it's Doritos time!
@cecilnorris1988: Damn you vanilla! The penultimate whisky. I know @JohnnieStumbler and @Mooley are fans of the nose.

Whisky Discovery #610

Douglas Laing Scallywag NAS (46% abv)

Speyside Blended Malt Whisky

Circa £38.00 70 cl

Douglas Laing has been in business for the last 65 years as the leading independent Scotch whisky master blenders and bottlers. They specialise in selecting single casks and small batch whiskies. I find it incredible that the business was started by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and today, it is still owned and run by the Laing family; Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing. 

Scallywag has been blended from Speyside malts, all we know is that it includes whiskies from Mortlach, Macallan, and Glenrothes. It’s non chill-filtered and uses predominately whiskies that’s been matured in various Spanish sherry butts, but there is some first filled bourbon casks in there as well. 

Nose:  Initially of some new make spirit then as it opens up to give some vanilla and creamy notes, reminds me of raw Victoria sponge cake mix, and soft butter. There’s also some fruitiness there as well, mainly raisins. 

Taste:  On the initial sip, I found it to be full of almond essence that turns into Amaretto liqueur after several sips. This is followed by the taste of Plumb Schnapps, and then the fruity richness arrives, full of dates and raisins but doesn’t make the whisky feel heavy. Towards the end there’s some lovely creamy shortbread. 

Finish:  Lemon zest and hint of lemon pith, then honey and vanilla notes with raisins right at the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Not out on retail yet! Scallywag Douglas Laing.Toffee, dates, WITH A MASSIVE HIT ON THE PALETE. Amazing So @amjohnno has preordered me a bottle of Scallywag for Christmas. I am a very lucky girl! 
@JohnnieStumbler: A little young on the nose, a tad feinty perhaps.A privilege indeed; trying before general release. With hazelnut tart, it just works really well. Good call. Christmas on the palate. Worth a punt but this whisky hound likes the peat.
@Johnnyboythrash: I like this Douglas Laing Scallywag, and the badge...awesome!

Going by the ‘mmmm’ factor from the room, the top 3 most popular pairings were Douglas Laing’s Scallywag with chocolate and hazelnut tart, The Whisky Lounge’s Salty Sea Dog with smoked haddock rarebit, and the Glen Moray Chardonnay Cask 10 Year Old with pair crumble. These pairings just worked so well together.

My favourite moments from the evening was someone wanting the Smoked Haddock rarebit and Salty Sea Dog on tap, and a lady who was pretty sure she wouldn’t like the Glen Moray because she hated Chardonnay, turned out to absolutely love the Glen Moray! 

Check out our album on Facebook page for some more pictures from the night. 

Lastly thank you…..

We were very lucky to be given a bottle of Douglas Laing’s new little scamp, Scallywag, before it was available in the shops. A big thank you goes out to them, it was the cherry on top of the cake. You can check out their whiskies on their website here. Douglas Laing

I would also like to say thank you to the other independent bottlers and distilleries for their support, and for creating some beautiful drams. For more information on all of the other drams listed in the tasting, and where you can purchase them, visit these websites below:

• Single Malt Whisky Society
• Paul John’s Whisky
• Glen Garioch
• The Whisky Lounge
• Glen Moray
• Balcones 

Until the next time, Slàinte! Kat

Balcones Tweet Tasting

I was very fortunate to be invited to join the Balcones Fifth Anniversary Tweet Tasting at the end of August. Although I'd tasted all of these before (and you can find out what I thought of them then by clicking this link), it's always good to join in with a tweet tasting and read what others think as they nose and taste the drams.

Kat and I helped out Balcones at Whisky Live earlier this year, so have had the great fortune to meet Chip as well as revisit all of the drams we'd previously tried. One of the 'secret' drams he brought over to the UK at Whisky Live was his 5th Anniversary Bourbon albeit that the official labels didn't arrive in time (or got held up in customs) and so the bottle had a packing tape label.

We first saw the 'real' 5th anniversary Bourbon at Imbibe Live in June and have been eagerly awaiting it's release.

Both Chip Tate, President and Head Distiller at Balcones and Winston Edwards, Brand Ambassador joined us from the United States and were tweeting in on the action and on hand to answer any questions.

Just for the record, all 100% of Balcones whisky is mashed, fermented and distilled at their distillery. They never resell whisky from other distilleries or source aged whisky barrels for blending under the Balcones label. This is authentic craft whisky. It has not been chill-filtered, coloured or otherwise unnecessarily tampered with to ensure that its full aroma and flavour are preserved.

Whisky Discovery #346

Balcones #1 Texas Single Malt NAS (52.7% abv)

Texan Single Malt Whisky

Circa £75.00 70cl

This was the first Balcones we would pour at Whisky Live (if requested to run through the range) before we'd introduce the Blue Corn whiskies. This was first released in July 2011 and is a unique style of malt whisky, Texan style! Made from malted Golden Promise barley imported from the UK and made in the traditional way it would have been in Scotland right up through to the distillation process. The difference being the maturation; Balcones careful cask selection and management alongside the Texan climatic conditions.

So What Did I Think?

The nose on this has lovely sweet roasted malt notes, with hints of maple syrup and the smell of a wood shop. After a short while buttery notes start to evolve like butter melting in a frying pan. A drop of water really sweetens this nose and let's the fruit notes out, toffee apples and a little cinnamon 

The rich roasted malt notes come through on the palate, spiced with cloves and cinnamon. The wood shop notes come through as sawdust 

What did the others think?

@abbeywhisky: Nose soft vanilla, honey, chestnut stuffing, toasted malt, sweet orange zest, dried figs & a touch of maple syrup followed by hints of spice, cinnamon & nutmeg.
@ansgarspeller: Dark nutty raisin bread, with some almonds and pistachio. Sugar cane, vanilla, citrus, toast, sweet, pear, apricots, orange
@RLemkin: Sweet mixed fruits, cinnamon, something that reminds me of velvet.. so a wee bit musty?
@HMcnee: Malt, sweet, honey, candied orange peel, mixed spice almost like a rich fruit cake
@StewartCraigon: Mmm, creamy chocolate swirls in a pool of honey and orange jus.
@dvdbloke: Palate - oily, silky, burnt toffee/barley sugar. Certain creaminess, nutmeg spices and a dash of honeyed chilli.

Whisky Discovery #321

Balcones Baby Blue NAS (46% abv)

Texan Corn Whisky

Circa £55.00 75cl

This was the first Balcones we tatsed and it was Chip’s first whisky released from his new Texan distillery. Baby Blue, was the first whisky to be distilled (legally) in the state since prohibition.

This is a unique corn whisky made from atole, a roasted blue corn meal. Corn whisky isn't new, and common to American whisky making tradition, however Balcones are the only distillery to date to use a blue corn. This has become a favourite of Kat

So What Did I Think?

I've smelt the roasted blue corn as Chip brought over a bag of the stuff to Whisky Live, and as soon as I start nosing this dram was reminded of it. But as this starts to breathe the melted buttery notes start sneaking out with the slightest hint of well caramelised banana. It has a lovely sweet buttery nose.

At 46% abv I really don't think Baby Blue needs water. There's quite a lot of wood spice and some chilli heat on the palate at first, but this settles quickly, leaving an earthiness that I don't remember experiencing previously. It certainly doesn't taste as sweet at the nose suggests, however I think this would be perfect drizzled over vanilla ice cream, freezing the whisky first to thickened before pouring

It finishes with the earthiness and some aniseed, while being quite dry

What did the others think?

@MavDrinksCat: Whoa, momma. Baby blue is super creamy on the nose... 
@thomas_speller: Fat, salted butter, herbal and spicy too on the nose...
@StewartCraigon: Boiled milk from a saucepan on the nose, very malty, Ovaltine.
@TheWhiskyWire: Hot buttery sweet corn topped with autumn berry jam, yumzy! 
@emilymayfox: Palma violet hint with spice and pepper on the palate - bounces around your tongue!
@rodbodtoo: Baby Blue has a really soft, round mouth feel. burnt / creme brulee flavours, lovely.
@KirstyPryde1: Taste the oils on the tongue. Definitely has the chew factor 

Whisky Discovery #348

Balcones True Blue 100 NAS (50% abv)

Texan Corn Whisky

Circa £68.00 70cl

Out of the Balcones expressions currently available in the UK, True Blue 100 is my personal favourite. If the True Blue Cask Strength was available, I'd pick that, but this is the next best thing!

Introduced in 2012 this is 100 proof roasted blue corn whisky, a sibling of Baby Blue, but with deeper wood notes. it's made from the same select barrels of their blue corn whisky that have always gone in to their True Blue Cask Strength, but diluted down to 100 proof.

Since the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, '100 proof' has long stood for quality and authenticity. True Blue 100 carries on that tradition. 100% of the whisky in this bottle was born, raised, and bottled at Balcones-from mash to glass.

So What Did I Think?

True Blue is Baby Blue that's grown up, a lot spicier on the nose, with a little sourness too, an almost Balsamic sourness, with richer wood notes, clove oil, tee tree oil, coriander seeds and fennel . After a little while in the glass the sour note mellows, and becomes more tobacco like, drying tobacco leaves, sweetened with vanilla .

On the palate there is a woody char with a shot of licorice, but there's so much more. Wood notes remind me of the old boatyard I used to work at. 

Finishes with woody cloves and a slightly metallic taste

What did the others think?

@rodbodtoo: nose is suave, smooth. Like very expensive aftershave - lots of cedar & clove notes
@dvdbloke: Baby Blue with added OOOMPH. If it were possible to breath carameled treacle toffee I guess this is what it would feel like
@BeersIveKnown: Furniture wax, crème caramel and white pepper
@TheWhiskyWire: A Spinal tap version of Baby Blue with all its gargantuanly glorious blue corn bounty cranked up to 11.
@KirstyPryde1: Warm figs drizzled in honey, spicy, cloves touch of cinnamon, warm washing from the tumble dryer, vanilla
@petedrinks: Ppretty damn tasty - rich alcohol-soaked fruit, chocolate, slight tannic finish

Whisky Discovery #355

Balcones Straight Bourbon (53% abv)

Texan Corn Whisky

Circa £65.00 75cl

As I mentioned earlier I've tasted this a few times and have been dying to get my hands on some. It was one of the highlights of Whisky Live London for a lot of people.

Chip decided that he should be marking the distillery's fifth birthday with the launch of something special and this Straight Bourbon is claimed to be Texas's first single barrel Bourbon release.

US Federal standards state that Bourbon is made from a mashbill that is at least 51% corn. This Balcones Bourbon is 100% Blue Corn

Bourbon has no minimum specified duration for its aging period, and spirit aged for as little as three months can be sold as bourbon. However to be called a 'Straight Bourbon' the spirit must be matured in virgin oak for a minimum of two years

Just 10 bottles from the 53-gallon barrel will be made available in the UK from mid-September with an RRP of £95 through whisky specialist Master of Malt.

So What Did I Think?

This packs a punch on the nose, you need to sneak up on it! It really is quite meaty on the nose, and was getting a burnt bacon note, maple syrup and a sweet wood smoke. Earthy notes start to come through once the initial alcohol burn lifts, spices with cardamom seeds, cloves, licorice and some mown hay notes too.  

The palate opens with rich spiced orange notes followed by a huge hit of chilli pepper heat. Once the burst of chilli pepper fades it thickens in the mouth, coating everywhere with a sweet and sour sauce. Softer spices follow, with some dark fruits, black cherry, blackberry turning earthy towards the end with the earthiness of turmeric right at the very end.

What did the others think?

@simon_m_field: Wow, the aroma is quality, very oaky and reminds me of a famous bourbon I wont mention !
@petedrinks : Dried citrus fruit, almond, molasses and did I mention a lot of alcohol
@KirstyPryde1: Sugar almonds wrapped in soft organza, musty like a vintage dress, warm hay, crème Anglais, star anise
@abbeywhisky: An inviting nose, pulls you in.... orange, touch of smoked wood & spice followed by dried pear, apricot & subtle vanilla
@BeckyPaskin: Bold and creamy with punchy toasted almonds, dried fruit and warm liquid caramel
@ansgarspeller: A full body, with a finish of some nuts, cinnamon, dark chocolate and coffee. has a bit more of a bitter in it then the 1st

Whisky Discovery #345

Balcones Brimstone NAS (53% abv)

Texan Corn Whisky

Circa £65.00 75cl

Brimstone was launched in May 2011 and rather than using Scottish peat smoke, this 'one of a kind whisky' is smoked with sun-baked Texas scrub oak using Balcones own secret process. The result is a whisky full of fresh youthful corn and light fruit notes married with a bold smokiness.

Whether you like smoky whiskies, or just have a penchant for big, new flavours  Brimstone is sure to be memorable pour. Aromas of masa (a corn dough), Texan camp-fire and powdered sugar tempered with an almost salty goodness. Bold yet balanced, Brimstone is yet another Texas first from Balcones. Brimstone is the world's first wood smoked whisky ... a Texan camp-fire in a bottle. This is another of Balcones corn whiskies made from roasted Atole, the Hopi blue corn meal.

So What Did I Think?

When I first tasted it I got it immediately, all the BBQ sauce flavours, but once I picked up rubber on the nose these come straight to the fore for me every time I revisit. This evening was no different and it was like new school plimsolls! A drop of water tames the Brimstone rubber and the sweet and smoky BBQ flavours are back, perhaps that was where i was going wrong? 

This has such an insanely long finish that it's only place in a whisky tasting is the final dram as the smoky flavours will overpower everything else afterwards. If you have a few drams of this late into the evening I can almost gaurantee that I will wake up still living with the finish!

What did the others think?

@KiltedMoose: Nose: Smoking wood, honey-cured bacon, burnt salted popcorn, Dry roasted peanuts, dark chocolate, brown sugar.
@dvdbloke: Imagine pig skin was barbecued for 100 hours, and then its essence was magnified by the power of 7.6, and put in the glass
@glasgowgastro: Getting that smokey aroma, a bit peaty like some malts. 'Smokies' from Abroath (smoked haddock to non-natives)
@lvwhsky: Pretty unique stuff, Big mesquite woody note, sticky barbecue sauce, clove/allspice fragrance & an orange note
@rodbodtoo : Black pepper, sezuan pepper, barbequed aubergines. Wow that's a different beast
@thomas_speller: A strange combination of thoroughly baked bacon, burned matches and honey on the palate. Not sure yet...
@abbeywhisky: Lovely spice & BBQ sauce flavours combine. Smoked ham, hint of salt. licking the edge of a really salty but tasty crackling
@KirstyPryde1: Can't get enough of the smoke, I love that there's a little rubber on the palate

And finally....
As per previous Tweet Tastings there was a great deal of tweeting going on and to see what happened search on the  #BalconesWhisky hashtag on twitter for the full story. Although no new Whisky Discoveries to log, another entertaining evening revisiting the Balcones range currently available in the UK

A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire, Chip Tate and Winston Edwards from @BalconesWhisky, Emily Harris @emilymayfox from Mayfox Communications for sending out all of the samples to us and of course the tweet tasters who were:

@TheWhiskyWire @emilymayfox @beckypaskin @WhiskyMavericks @TheWhiskyBoys @LRWhisky @WhiskyDiscovery @Sherry_Ben @petedrinks @whiskyrepublic @abbeywhisky  @ardbaggie @beersiveknown @SquareMeal @rodbodtoo @dvdbloke @simon_m_field @rlemkin @HMcnee @paulnwright @glasgowgastro @KirstyPryde1 @TWLJoe @ansgarspeller @girl_whisky

For more information see: www.thewhiskywire.com and www.balconesdistilling.com

Whisky Discovery #348

Balcones True Blue 100 NAS (50% abv)
Texan Corn Whisky
Circa £68.00 70cl

Three Blue Corn Whiskies from Balcones

True Blue 100 is the final dram of our first Balcones Whisky Mission. This is the latest release from Balcones, introduced last year (2012) and is a 100 proof roasted blue corn whisky, a sibling of Baby Blue, but with deeper wood notes.

True Blue 100 is made from the same select barrels of our blue corn whisky that have always gone in to their True Blue Cask Strength, diluted down to 100 proof.

Since the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, '100 proof' has long stood for quality and authenticity. True Blue 100 carries on that tradition. 100% of the whisky in this bottle was born, raised, and bottled at Balcones-from mash to glass.

More approachable than full cask-strength whisky, True Blue 100 retains the depth and complexity of over-proof spirits with the softer edges, supple textures and fuller fruitiness that slight dilution can bring. Rich notes of honeyed citrus, stone fruit and cinnamon and a rich, roasted corn palate.

So What Did We Think?

I'm starting to really enjoy the blue corn whisky from Balcones, this being the fourth tasted over the last week or so. Proprietor and distiller Chip Tate is featured in the latest edition of Whisky Advocate where he explains the careful sourcing required to ensure the authenticity of the Hopi Indian-derived blue corn, as much of the blue corn on the market tends to be white starchy grain dyed blue. The blue corn Balcones is using is a waxy corn type, not a starchy type.

Chip goes on to divulge the difficulties associated with working with real blue corn. The corn needs to be roasted first, which posed the first problem due to the scale of the Balcones operation. Maltsters don't like the blue corn due to the oil content, and so working with a roaster was the first challenge to overcome. The oily waxiness of the blue corn creates a grittier mash which in turn needs a longer fermentation in order to achieve the best of it's oil based flavours.

True Blue 100 has an amazingly rich autumn leaves colour, all natural I hasten to add. The nose has a rich and creamy toffee aroma with sweet vanilla custard notes. There's some ginger spice (no not Geri Halliwell) and some nutty notes that go on to develop into a coffee grounds note. There's some soft fruit too, ripe mango and soft yellow plums.

The palate was not as sweet as the nose suggested it would be. Quite woody with a charred wood note too. There's a slight mustiness of old leather, a black breakfast tea, and roasted corn notes, before turning a little sweeter with some dark fruit notes. Spicy chili pepper slowly builds then oak tannins start dry the mouth leaving a light saltiness.

So our first foray into Texan distilled spirits, seven new discoveries, four of which have been made using blue corn. Of the seven tasted, I still maintain the True Blue Cask Strength to be my favourite, and I'm looking forward to revisiting all four of these blue corn whiskies again this weekend, head to head, when we'll be heading down to meet up with  Chip and Balcones at Whisky Live London on 22nd and 23rd March.

Many thanks to Johanne McInnis (@Whiskylassie) of The Perfect Whisky Match for sending samples and providing the bottle photographs

Whisky Discovery #347

Balcones Rumble Cask Reserve NAS (58.4% abv)

Texan distilled spirit

Not available in the UK yet

So onto our penultimate dram of our Balcones Whisky Mission, Spirit Number six is 'Rumble Cask Reserve' first launched in November 2011. This is a real bonus as I doubt many will get to taste this limited release. 

Chip explains "While making the rounds of tasting our barrels, I discovered a cache of older Rumble casks that had been all but forgotten. The spirit inside was remarkable - rich, delicious, and unique. I carefully mingled the best of these barrels to create Rumble Cask Reserve.  The result is so special I think it deserves to be preserved in its natural state - unfiltered and at full barrel proof. Each Rumble Cask Reserve bottling is very small and is meant to express different facets of this unique spirit. I hope you enjoy the differences between each bottling of this Texas innovation as much as you enjoy the spirit inside the bottle."

If you read my earlier post on Balcones Rumble, you'll have read that this is a 'one-of-a-kind' Texas spirit made from the finest local wildflower honey, mission figs, turbinado sugar and natural Texas Hill Country spring water all aged in small oak barrels. 

So What Did We Think?

The colour of this is rich and dark and with a very similar profile to the Rumble tasted alongside it. There are similar notes in both but the Cask Reserve Rumble has the flavours more accentuated, it tastes and feels different, slightly richer and more special.

The nose opens quite astringent at first, probably due to the higher abv, but it quickly settles down once the initial burn has evaporated off. The new leather note from Rumble has aged. The nose is still oozing with sweet honey, but there's more depth to it now, darker, richer, treacle-like with more of an aged Demerara rum note. The tobacco notes are richer too, more pipe tobacco than hand rolling tobacco. Yet underneath these rich and dark notes there appears to be some sharper fresher notes, zesty almost.

Left in the glass the nose evolves and becomes a little smoky, like a damp wood fire. Rich aniseed notes develop, as does smell of a tarpaulin, and old musty canvas tarpaulin or tent from boy scout camping trips. 


The palate is smoother than the Rumble, the slightly tart note has gone and, initially much sweeter and more like the aged Demerara rum we experienced a little while back. Spicy oak quickly coats the mouth and builds to a chilli-heat like burn before settling back to the sweeter notes, slightly smoky with lovely rich liquorice note and some richer fruit, like a baked pear with burnt sugar on top.

The finish is long and lingering, cloves come to mind, and there's a sweet yet earthy charred wood note that slowly fades as the tannins dry the mouth

Look out for Chip and Balcones at Whisky Live London on 22nd and 23rd March and if there's some Rumble Cask Reserve out for tasting, you really would be silly to pass on this, it is a great experience.

Many thanks to Johanne McInnis (@Whiskylassie) of The Perfect Whisky Match for sending samples and providing the bottle photographs

Whisky Discovery #346

Balcones #1 Texas Single Malt NAS (52.7% abv)

Texan Single Malt Whisky

Circa £75.00 70cl

Continuing our Balcones Whisky Mission we reach number five and their first Single Malt Whisky, aptly named 'No.1', first released in July 2011.  A unique style of malt whisky, Texan style! Made from malted Golden Promise barley imported from the UK and made in the traditional way it would have been in Scotland right up through to the distillation process. The difference being the maturation; Balcones cask selection and management alongside the Texan climatic conditions.

So What Did We Think?

Kat: Just like the Baby Blue, this whisky needs time to develop in the glass. It’s bold at 53 % abv so for me I like it with a splash of water to mellow things out. This whisky is very smooth already but with a runny syrup consistency, by watering this down its freer flowing and has a really nice silkiness to it. So after taking my time over a few hours to sample this whisky, here is what I've found. 

Nose:  Dark chilli chocolate (the chilli note is more of that of dried cayenne chilli powder with its slightly smoky aroma but without the heat), cream corn (perhaps a bit of power of suggestion creeping in here), over ripe bananas, Demerara sugar, and baby powder. In the empty glass, dry woody notes appear like the smell of tree bark. 

Taste:  Very sweet with the same taste and consistency as runny honey, very smooth velvety, and some malty notes. To balance this out all out there are bitter citrus acidity notes from grapefruit. 

Finish:  It is long and lingering one. First the sweetness hits you but this gets replaced in a few seconds (I’d say by the time you count to 3 elephants it’s done) with the bitter citrus grapefruit that stays until the end. I enjoyed it but personally I enjoyed the Baby Blue more. 

Dave: What I have noticed during the tasting of the Balcones range so far is the amazing depth of colour these whiskies (and distilled spirits) have. Bearing in mind that these distilled spirits can be no older than five years old as the distillery was only founded in 2008, the rich tarnished copper colour of this single malt is exceptional and considering no colouring has been added must be a testament to the careful cask selection and management

The nose starts off quite brash, almost spicy probably due to the alcohol vapours escaping quickly from this young whisky, before settling down to be rich, sweet and creamy with notes of fragrant vanilla, fruit comes by way of soft pears, maltloaf, sweet honey, buttered granary toast and some fresh cut green hardwood. With time both liquorice and aniseed can be teased out too. In my opinion it is hard to beat a buttered granary toast note, and this is my favourite from this whisky.

The palate starts with a short spicy blast and the notes of liquorice that took a while to tease out on the nose are fairly up front on the palate. It comes across as quite malty with a maple syrup, light honey sweetness. The maple syrup, light honey sweetness is joined with butterscotch popcorn and some white pepper on the long finish which ends up quite drying.

Another interesting whisky from this new distillery, a single malt in the Scottish style but with a Texan edge. Balcones will be at Whisky Live London 2013 next weekend (22nd & 23rd March) and this is one to add to your list if you've not tried it before. Come and say hello to us too as Kat and I will be on the Balcones stand all afternoon on Saturday.

Many thanks to Johanne McInnis (@Whiskylassie) of The Perfect Whisky Match and Emily Harris (@emilymayfox) of Mayfox Communications for samples and photographs