Balcones Brimstone utilizes their typical corn mash, but during the process of making the whiskey they utilize a “secret process” to smoke the spirit using Texas scrub oak. This makes the whiskey smell like a day by the grill and also seems to make the whiskey a bit more oily than their standard corn whiskeys. When trying them at the event, the Balcones Brimstone definitely had an oilier heavier mouthfeel when tasted side by side with the Baby Blue and True Blue.
Balcones Brimstone Info
Region: Texas, USA
Distiller: Balcones
Mashbill: 100% Corn
Cask: New charred oak
Age: NAS (<2 years)
ABV: 53%
Price: $50
Balcones Brimstone Review
EYE
Caramel
NOSE
Thick curls of smoke, caramel, vanilla, dried dark fruit, touch of grain and light bit of spice and wood. Like a glass of bourbon next to a wood fire grill.
PALATE
Thick smoke, caramel, smoked meat, spice, vanilla, toasted grain followed by a light bit of wood and melted plastic. Even with the weird plasticy note I’m enjoying this whiskey.
FINISH
Long and smoky layered with notes of dark sweets, fruit and a bit of burnt plastic.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Nicely balanced, full round body and a heavy oily feel.
OVERALL
Balcones Brimstone is a thick, oily whiskey that, for a lack of a better word, comes across as hearty. It’s whiskey that drinks like a meal and I don’t have much to complain about when it comes to its warm and inviting aroma and flavor. Because it’s so unique and different it’s one of my favorite things to order at a bar when people ask for help in “trying something different”. Though there’s one bar in particular here in Los Angeles that offers pours of it for a damn good price and I always start my evenings there with a glass of Brimstone whether someone’s asked me that question or not.
Balcones Brimstone is also a whiskey that I’d love to experiment with for making cocktails and I really need to pick up a bottle the next time it becomes available at K&L. I feel like its bourbon meets BBQ essence would make for an exciting twist on classic bourbon cocktails.
SCORE: 87-89/100 (B+, consumed at a tasting)
