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By: Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/29/2021 | Send Email
This is a big and powerful whiskey. The nose is very pronounced with sweet top notes and caramel aromas. In the mouth, it is full-bodied and juicy, with wonderfully sweet spice flavors that do not hide behind other aspects of this whiskey. A little water opens it up, but both the nose and mouth are still big and concentrated, still with seductive spice notes. Direct and delicious, this is is not a shy wallflower.
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By: Andrew Tobin | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/29/2021 | Send Email
For those of you who remember our last bottling of Balcones, you'll be just as excited as I am! Our friends in Texas have delivered another powerhouse bottle to us, and don't let the four-year age statement fool you—that much time in Texas heat gave this whisky about as much barrel influence as you could want! The first thing that jumps out to me is the honey-glazed peanut note, baking spice, and fresh leather. The nose is huge, and every whiff brings in a whole new world. The palate is this wild umami flavor mixed with dark caramel, popcorn, peach ring, cranberry, and gobs of baking spices! They've done it again, to absolutely no one's surprise. This should be on every whiskey fan's radar!
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By: Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/29/2021 | Send Email
There was no doubt in my mind when selecting this barrel. It was unlike any Balcones I'd ever tasted—just as good as the best releases I've had, but superlative in every way. It's over the top in flavor and proof. Coming in at just over 65% ABV, it's massive. The aroma practically carries across the room when you pour a glass. It's bursting with figs, peaches, vanilla, caramel, raisins, almonds/marzipan, walnuts, and brown sugar. Each nosing finds something new. Particularly interesting is the wild herbal sauvage thing going on as it opens that complements the robust fruit, just as it would in a perfectly balanced bottle from the Rhône. The palate is equally huge. Tame it with water and it's exceptionally easy to enjoy. The peaches move from fresh slices to peach rings, candied and sweet. The herbal piece moves into heirloom celery, the kind you can only grow in your own garden, not the watery stringy stalks you find in the grocery store. The spice of the new European oak stands tall in the lengthy and unrelenting finish. I've always liked what Balcones has done, but I've found a completely new appreciation for them in this singular cask.
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