Balcones Texas Single Malt is called such because it’s Balcones’ Single Malt and they’re located in Texas… it’s a pretty self explanatory name. Though unlike Scottish single malts, and most single malts around the world, this one is not aged in barrels previously used to age other spirits. It is instead aged in new charred oak, which gives the single malt a bigger bolder punch than you might normally find in 100% malt based whiskey.
Balcones, like Corsair, has gained a reputation for being a craft whiskey maker who excels at doing things a bit differently than everyone else and turns out great results time and time again. Their experiments and core line up both have amassed a large amount of awards and continue to push the boundaries of what it means to be an American craft whiskey maker. Now on to the Balcones Texas Single Malt review!
Balcones Texas Single Malt Info
Region: Texas, USA
Distiller: Balcones
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: New charred oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 53%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: SM 15-2
Price: $90
Balcones Texas Single Malt Review
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Fruit, hay, dark sweets, char, touch spice and toasted grain. Not very complex, but good enough to enjoy a glass now and then.
PALATE
Fruit, wood, dark sweets, malty sweetness, char, touch of anise heavy spice, wood and dried dark fruit. A bit more complex than the nose, but not amazingly so.
FINISH
Short, fruit, char and an ambiguous “sweetness”
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Decent balace, medium body and it runs a bit hot.
OVERALL
Balcones Texas Single Malt isn’t an amazing mind blowing whiskey experience, but also in no way is it bad. It’s not very complex, but it is quite nice in its own right. I wouldn’t exactly call it a daily drinker though; it’s more like a nice way to break up what you typically drink and add a bit more variety to things. The kind of whiskey that sits on your shelf and slowly works its way to empty over a course of a year or more. Which puts it in a tough place.
With the Balcones Texas Single Malt retailing for about $90 I would want more out of it. If I’m going to be dropping basically $100 after tax on a bottle of whiskey it needs to be the kind of whiskey I do want to drink every day. If it’s $100 and I can’t at least consider it a daily drinker I have a real hard time calling it a value or even worth picking up “just for fun” which leads me to the only advice I can give: try it yourself, at the bar or a friend’s house, before picking up a bottle yourself.
SCORE: 83-86/100 (B, consumed at a tasting)
