Balcones Texas Single Malt Whiskey (750mL)

Chip Tate started this distillery just a very few years ago with the idea of making a Texas whiskey; not the revered corn-driven Bourbon over in Kentucky; not the mystical barley malts of the aforementioned Scotland.  Texas Single Malt, pardner.  And although Chip has moved on to other innovative ideas in the world of spirits, he left behind the legacy of an original flavor and style that the good folks at Balcones have been smart enough to carry on. 

Big and spicy, bursting with rich flavors of pear and apple, spice notes of cinnamon and clove, this 106 proof pocket rocket is aflame with all the young, bursting ideas that makes the American craft distilling movement the paradigm shift for the 21st century.  It’s taken home so many awards that the entire liquor industry was baffled when it outscored some of its older more established brethren in a blind taste test.  Using innovative barreling techniques and rested for only a few years, it delivers complexity and resilience, filling the mouth with subtle fruits balanced with the carmelized elegance of American oak. 

Each batch of whiskey is bottled and marked with the type of wood the batch was finished in so consumers can taste how each blend differs depending on what kind of wood it was aged in, if desired.

The final proof (52.7 percent alcohol by volume) is also achieved in a unique way. “In the bigger barrels, we use a french brandy method to bring the whisky down to proof. Slowly proofing down the whiskey ensures that you can super saturate the liquid, which brings out nice and round flavors that marry together perfectly.”

Tasting Notes:

NOSE: ripe, buttered stone fruit, banana and pears; honey and rose water with delicate citrus accents

TASTE: silky and full on the palate; lightly toasted bread with fresh butter and marmalade

FINISH: long finish with lingering toast and burnt sugar notes morphing into rich malt and wood flavors with counterbalancing acidity

Awards:

Winner of "Best American Whisky" at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2012.

Best in Show Brown Spirits / Best Whisk(e)y, Double Gold: 2011 New York World Wine and Spirits