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 #345

Balcones Brimstone NAS (53% abv)

Texan Corn Whisky

Circa £65.00 75cl

The Balcones Whisky Mission part four brings me to purification through fire - a Texan oak fire that is, with Brimstone. 

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. In all there are currently four Balcones whiskies using this corn, Baby Blue, True Blue Cask Strength, True Blue 100 and this Brimstone.

Brimstone was one of the whiskies being talked about after last years Whisky Live London, there was a great deal of interest on Twitter after the show, but unfortunately Kat and I didn't stop at Chip's stand. The buzz around Brimstone repeated itself after The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show last October too and again we missed it. One comment I do recall from the twitter exchanges was that this needed to be one of the later whiskies you should taste, i.e. don't start your show with this one as the flavours are very powerful and it has an incredibly long finish.

So What Did We Think?

Kat: Like the other two I've tasted, Brimstone still retains a smooth silky quality. This is a smoky whisky but of the charred wood variety. This too was a high ABV, however I didn't feel the need to add any water to this. Here’s what I thought.

Nose:  Initially it made me think that it’s been finish in a rum cask as I got a strong sweet aroma of Demerara sugar and bitter sweet notes from molasses. This was followed by an aroma of fresh bread that’s at room temperature (not the same smell as bread hot out of the oven), then by a strong charred oak aroma and bitter tannins. Vanilla notes starts to come through towards the back, for me this was exactly like the smell of Nielsen- Massey vanilla extract that I had in my cupboard. There was also a buttery note. 

Taste:  Bitter sweet caramel, charred wood smoke (not overpowering, I found it more subtle than what I was expecting), sweet espresso coffee, cream crackers, there’s a floral note like orange blossoms or manuka blossoms, and lastly some bitter notes from green plants but I couldn't identify specifically what.  

Finish:  I found it to leave a very dry mouth feel, and very short in terms of the other flavours doesn't linger, just ends abruptly, only leaving the bitter sweetness behind. For me I would have liked the other flavours to linger for a lot longer as they were truly delicious. 

Dave: The nose opens up with a sweet sticky BBQ sauce, and then adds the roasted meats, like the smell of a hog roast. The corn meal shows it's hand with some roasted rustic corn notes, and there are some salty notes to go along with the buttery sweet Demerara sugar. Spice comes along through roasted chilli peppers, that sweet spiciness that sometimes takes your breath away when concentrated. Leave it a little while in the glass and it evolves with rubber notes, tarmac and hot bitumen, which while odd sounding in a tasting note, it is strangely alluring.

This starts sweet on the palate then slowly builds up to a spicy crescendo before settling back to sweet burnt toffee, rich dark marmalade, the thick-cut type my Dad would make using Demerara sugar, and some meaty BBQ flavours. There's a slight hint of fragrant smoke and a rubber inner tube too.

This has an insanely long finish that I'm sure I woke up tasting the following morning! Chilli heat leads the way, with some mint and smoky BBQ sauce, the rubber notes remain there throughout for me and there's a rich liquorice note too which fades leaving a drying wood smoke smouldering like that of a dying garden bonfire, slightly herbal and charcoal, it's this note that I'm fairly certain I woke up with the following morning.

My overall verdict is I love it! I love the smoky corn notes in this, however just as a peaty Islay whisky, this is not something you should start your whisky tasting evening with, unless you will be following it with another Brimstone! My favourite of our Balcones Mission so far is still True Blue Cask Strength, but still have three to taste following this.

Now I know Chip will be at Whisky Live London next weekend (22nd & 23rd March) and I'm fairly certain that this will be one of the whiskies being presented. You really must try this, but I wouldn't recommend you start your day with this one unless you want everything you taste afterwards to be dominated by this scrub oak smoked delight! Kat and I will be helping out at Balcones on the Saturday so come across and say hello to us too!

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

Whisky Discovery #323

Balcones True Blue NAS (60.1% abv)
Texan Corn Whisky
Circa £68.00 75cl

So moving onto No.3 of my Balcones Whisky Mission with True Blue. This was the third distilled spirit from the Texan distillery, first released in June 2010. 

Following on from their first whisky, Baby Blue, this too is a unique corn whisky made from roasted Atole, a Hopi blue corn meal. Chip Tate explains “We use this rich and nutty corn to produce a whisky that we hope will bring something new to the corn whisky tradition."

Artisan Whisky

Balcones is authentic craft whisky, unless you're doing it yourself in your garage, you couldn't get much more authentic. It has not been chill-filtered, coloured or otherwise unnecessarily tampered with to ensure that its full aroma and flavour are preserved. As a result, you may notice a slight haze or sediment in the bottle - signs of the rich oils and esters that have not been removed so that your whisky can be enjoyed as it was intended to be.

All of the Balcones range of distilled spirits are hand-crafted small batch spirits, made by passionate whisky makers in the distillery they built themselves. They hand write the batch number and individually stamp the Balcones' wax seal on each bottle.

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.

So What Did We Think?

The nose starts quite spicy, but this settles down quickly to become rich and creamy toffee like on the nose, with lots going on underneath. with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla pods, steamed sweetcorn which reminded me of  the sweetcorn we enjoyed along the side of the road in Mexico last summer (probably from a very similar corn to what has been used) There's a Brazil nut nuttiness to it and the coffee notes of when I rinse my cafetiere out at the end of the day, when the grounds have been sitting in the bottom of the pot.

One of the corn stalls we stopped at

This is quite sweet on entry, I wasn't expecting that with the high alcohol content, but it is remarkably smooth and really didn't need any water adding. The rich creamy toffee note that dominated the nose is here on the palate too, but there's a lovely spiced orange note, along with some green oak wood, vanilla and a baked pear with cinnamon flavour that is really pleasing. There's also a light salty tang.

The spiced orange remains on the finish with some white pepper and the oak tannins start drying the mouth feel at the very end, drawing me back for more.

This is a lovely drop of drammage and my favourite of the mission so far. Interestingly nosing the empty glass the following morning reveals rich clove and cinnamon notes from the the residue, which seems to have drawn moisture from the air, turning it cloudy. 

This is available in the UK and has been added to 'Dad's Whisky Wish List' for 2013. 

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

Whisky Discovery #321

Balcones Baby Blue NAS (46% abv)

Texan Corn Whisky

Circa £55.00 75cl

This is the first blog post of a series of seven distilled spirits from the Balcones Distillery. I said distilled spirit as opposed to whisky (or whiskey) as although five of the range we will taste are whiskies (which is of course a distilled spirit) the other two are not. All seven of these review samples were originally shared by Johanne McInnis of The Perfect Whisky Match blog, and additionally we've also had samples sent by other whisky friends as well as Balcones UK PR company Mayfox Communications

We first heard about Balcones last March when we attended our first ever whisky show, Whisky Live London. We were actually sitting next to founder and renowned craft distiller Chip Tate in the coffee shop opposite the entrance on that Saturday morning. We were whisky 'newbies' attending our first show, and knew very little about whisky then.

Chip founded Balcones (pronounced bal-conies) in 2008 and distils in Waco, Texas. Within the US craft whisky industry, Chip’s name is synonymous with expertise, innovation and precision, having produced some of the most highly acclaimed artisanal whiskies to come out of the US over the last four years.

From a young age, Chip has been fascinated with the experimentation of natural ingredients and brewing, initially encouraged through his mother’s culinary skills at home. After years of curiosity and a natural affiliation with physics and technical machinery, Chip trained as a brewer and has worked as both a professional brewer and brewing consultant around the US, before moving into distilling spirits.

Chip sitting in front of  his hand built stills

Upon founding Balcones in March 2008, that summer, went to train as a distiller under Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich on Islay. Following this intense training period, he and his two Balcones distillers returned to Waco to hand build the working distillery from scratch: from metal sheeting and copper, to old stainless steel vessels bought on eBay, they literally built the distillery from the bottom up. As a result, today Balcones is the only distillery in the US that is hand built by the distillers themselves.

In September 2009, Chip released his first spirit and first Texas whisky on the market since prohibition: Baby Blue, made from roasted Hopi Blue Corn, as well as Rumble, a unique Texas spirit distilled from fermented Texas wildflower honey, mission figs, and demerara sugar.

Balcones have gone on to release five further distillates and all seven will be tasted and reviewed over the next couple of days leading up to our next visit to Whisky Live 2013 on Friday 22nd March

For first taste of Balcones we started with Chip’s first whisky released from the new Texan distillery; Baby Blue, the first whisky to be distilled (legally) in the state since prohibition.

Baby Blue 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.  

Kat: When eaten blue corn tastes nuttier and more glutinous than yellow corn. Blue corn tortilla chips are probably the easiest product to buy here in the UK if you wanted to try eating some blue corn, but generally not widely available, which is a shame for two reasons; firstly it’s a pretty purple/blue colour and secondly it’s a just truly delicious. 

So What Did We Think?

Kat: I had to leave this in the glass for about 5 minutes before the full range of aromas revealed itself. There’s a sweetness with a hint of slight tart green apples which made me immediately think of toffee candy apples. There’s some oak, more green oak for me, and the smell of my home made banana bread. 

I will try my best here to describe the smell of my home made banana bread; You have to imagine that it’s just been made, so hot out of the oven and just waiting to cool down on a wire rack. The smell is a bit malty, with hints of dried ginger, cinnamon, and of course ripe bananas. It fills my flat with a warming welcoming smell and puts smiles on friends’ faces when they have a slice. The aromas of this give me the same feelings, almost comforting. 

The palate opens with the sweetness of caramel, compared with the aroma, the taste is more of slight burnt caramel. There’s a hint of nice bitterness to offset the sweetness that I found to be a bit like orange pith. There’s some oak that appears towards the middle but over taken by a Brazil nut like taste. Lastly there’s a touch of a floral bouquet. 

That orange pith stays leads the finish, a fresh chilli heat follows and ends with a sweet caramel taste to the end. A long lingering finish that slowly fades. 

Dave said: This has a fabulous sweet butter toffee nose at first, but as Kat said, just wait for a little while for the nose to develop and you will be rewarded. The sweetness continues with honey before some spicy rye type notes appear which turns more malty with time. The malt develops towards a fruity bread dough or something that reminded me of my Mum's sultana cake mix, and I could smell buttered popcorn too. Eventually vanilla makes an appearance

It tastes young and spicy though not quite as sweet as the nose was suggesting. There's a pithy bitterness and herbal tea like notes, along with green oak wood before the spicy build up with chilli heat which leads to the long spicy finish balanced with sweetness but the oak tannins leave the mouth feeling dry, yet mouth-watering at the same time.

Our first taste of Texas distilled spirit, and I think you can safely say we have been impressed with what we have tasted. Chip will be exhibiting again at this years Whisky Live London (22-23 March)and we're really looking forward to meeting him properly this time. Look out for us there too as we'll be hanging out with Chip on the Saturday.