Balcones

Balcones Brimstone

Balcones Distilling takes what works and builds upon their creativity. Using the Hopi blue corn found in their other products like the Baby Blue, True Blue, Blue Corn Bourbon, the Balcones Brimstone uses native Texas scrub oak to smoke the whiskey itself fresh after being distilled. This is markedly different from what virtually every other distiller who wants a smoky flavor does, which is smoke the grains themselves before distillation. And if that wasn’t enough smoke, the distillate is then aged in charred American oak barrels.

By Adam | March 5, 2021 | Foreign | No Comments |

Entering the realm of the absurd, July 2019 marks the sixth anniversary of Scotchology. The past couple of years have seen less drastic changes and even some relative stability. As of this posting, we currently have 123 reviews, comprising 88 scotches and 35 world whiskies. Social media continues to be the way we interact with others in the whisky community that are not in our immediate geographic vicinity. Apparently all the cool kids are doing it nowadays. We’re in a groove, and it feels good.

By Adam | August 20, 2019 | Musings | No Comments |

Balcones made the world take notice when their single malt began winning blind tastings against more established whiskies from Scotland and Ireland, along with a bevy of competitive gold medals beginning in 2011 and not looking back. They are continually listed near the top of American whiskies in various publications and have an array of core range offerings along with more limited experiments. The Balcones Single Malt Reserve 101 is a single cask of their “1” Texas Single Malt, specifically bought by Houston whiskey bar Reserve 101. Sourced from an early relationship with Balcones co-founder, Chip Tate, this malt is not on their regular menu. Even if you do get a chance to try it, there is no guarantee the staff will tell you where the only liquor store in the city is where you can buy a bottle. We’ve been sworn to secrecy for this barrel (though feel free to visit Reserve 101 and cozy up to the bartenders to see if they’ll spill the details), but encourage everyone to seek out a single cask expression.

By Adam | August 5, 2019 | Foreign | No Comments |