The first time I tasted Balcones Brimstone I said something like “that’s interesting” and set it aside at the tasting. Then after trying several more Balcones expressions that evening, I came back to the Brimstone and it melted me. Melted my mind, my face and my palate. It wrecked me in all the right ways; I was in love.
The scrub oak smoke gives the whiskey a unique profile that’s unlike anything outside of a BBQ pit. It’s a profile I’ve found more and more alluring over the years as I’ve found myself being drawn to whiskeys using alternative smoke sources outside of peat. This being the one that started it all for me, I thought it was time to give it a solid sit-down.
Balcones Brimstone Review: Details and Tasting Notes
In Balcones’s Words: Balcones Brimstone
This one-of-a-kind whisky is smoked with sun-baked Texas scrub oak using our 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 smokey whiskies, or just have a penchant for big, new flavors, Brimstone is sure to be memorable pour.
Balcones Brimstone price, ABV, age and other details
Region: Texas, USA
Distiller: Balcones
Mash Bill: 100% Blue Corn
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 53%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $50*
Balcones Brimstone Tasting Notes
EYE
Ruddy chocolate
NOSE
Vanilla, smoke, char, cocoa, herbal, spice and earthy greens with a bit of oak and grain.
PALATE
Cocoa, smoke, char, vanilla, caramel, roasted nuts, oak and some herbal earthy spice.
FINISH
Long -> Smoke, chocolate Necco and vanilla.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a thick oily feel.
Balcones Brimstone Review: OVERALL
I love Balcones Brimstone, I have since my first experience. It’s crazy, it’s unique, it’s smoky and it’s fun. The aroma and palate contain a complex array of flavors and aromas and at this young age it’s a brutal force that powers through the senses.
One of my favorite things to do with Brimstone, besides drinking it neat, is to use it in a cocktail. I think it works exceptionally well in a Manhattan and a Sazerac, but my favorite execution is in an Old Fashioned. The smoke, the spice and the sweetness all combine to make a drink that’s perfect for sitting on the balcony with a book enjoying the last fading heat of summer.
SCORE: 87/100 (B+)
*Disclosure: This Balcones Brimstone was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Balcones Brimstone Review
- Nose - 87
- Palate - 87
- Finish - 87
- Balance, Body & Feel - 87
Balcones Brimstone Review Summary
Balcones Brimstone is good. Funky, interesting, unique and good.