Balcones Brimstone

Nose: Youthful. A hint of meat hits me first, along with some smoke and a light sweetness. Swirling it a bit more and giving it a minute, the meat drops out, but some big, tannic over-oaking emerges. There's some vanilla behind it, but it smells positively acrid. Smelling it some more, I do start to get a bit of corn, but the burnt wood is substantially stronger. This smells like far too many wood chips that were cooked at too high of a temperature for too long were dumped into a young corn whiskey. I am getting a little bit of some fruit now (blackberry?), but it's faint and too little to make much of a difference. Palate: Charred wood. Like way too charred. There's also a layer of sweet corn, but there's a lot of ethanol behind it and it's an uncomplex base distillate. It's sort of like Mellow Corn mixed with some fairly over-cooked American oak wood chips - well into the acrid range, with lots of tannins. The char brings some smoke, but nothing here is complex and aside from a bit of nice corn and smoke, the ethanol and acrid wood char are the most prominent. I do get that blackberry from the nose and it's actually sweeter and more substantial than I'd expected. A touch of something herbal with a touch of mint even at times, but mostly this is just a few loud flavors, with the loudest ones being bad. Some prickling spice (black pepper) and heat that surprisingly isn't harsh. Finish: Tannic and bitter with some light corn sweetness and blackberry. More ash than smoke, really. Not a ton happening here and it isn't that good, but it's better than the palate I suppose. At least the ethanol isn't as loud. Conclusion: Side by side, I'd take another brand over this. That other brand is more complex and balanced, which says a lot. I don't have a specific comparison here to compare with, but I'm inclined to think that this is worse than that. This isn't terrible because - thankfully - it lacks sulphur, but it's certainly no better than average. I don't think I'd go below a certain rating, but that acrid wood is really bad. I'm getting a little blackberry from the other brand right now and I've never gotten that before. It actually has a stronger blackberry character than this does, so maybe I should nix that from my tasting. I only added it when I came back for the second half of the sample and I tasted no trace of it the first time, so I'm inclined to dismiss it. It was a nice improvement though. I'll give this the benefit of the doubt and give it a certain rating because of that blackberry, but that's it. It might be a good mixer in a smoky cocktail though. Thanks for sharing this one. It seems I'm the odd man out in my dislike for it. I'd be interested to try an older version though because although I'm not a huge fan of the way this is smoked, that distillery usually does quite a nice job with their blue corn whiskey.

Could Balcones possibly make a subpar whisky? This is the fourth bottle from Waco I've sampled, and I've enjoyed each one. Like all the other Balcones whiskies I've encountered, this drinks like a spirit that costs more than I paid. This is a 100% corn spirit, and it's 106 proof. According to the label it's aged for 'AT LEAST ONE DAY,' but whether that means only one day or more than one day is unclear. The color, however, is too dark for me to believe it was aged for less than a few months. Corn spirit, of course, has no minimum aging requirement. The color in the glass resembles wheat straw, with a slight reddish hue. On the NOSE I detected smoke immediately; this was the primary note. There was also alcohol, which is expected at that proof. And there's a sweetness in the nose as well, though I couldn't pinpoint what it was. The TASTE is as distinctive as all the Balcones whiskies I've sampled. It begins with a sweetness that, similar to the nose, I couldn't identify. Then comes the smoke, honey, oak (different from the smokiness), and an alcohol burn. The FINISH is extended, starting with alcohol that travels from the front to the back, followed by oak and smoke, also moving from front to back and lingering in the throat. I'm unsure what constitutes a smoked whisky, but this spirit is magnificent. It's a straightforward spirit, but Balcones achieves such excellent results with its distillate that it drinks like something far more complex. At $49.99 a fifth, I won't be able to maintain a constant supply, but it is well worth the cost; I'd gladly pay $60 or more, if I had it, for this spirit.

Nose: Thick, artificial, and rubbery. Overwhelmed by synthetic syrup sweetness and liquid smoke, with hints of lanolin and light, fragrant herbs. Even after 30 minutes in the glass, it was still an olfactory assault. P: Corn sweetness dominates, along with candy (like gummy bears!), sticky BBQ sauce, and prominent wood ash. A pleasant toffee apple and cinnamon are present underneath, but the cloying corn sweetness is too much to enjoy. F: Short to medium length. More candy sweetness and building ethanol heat. Overall: Aggressively artificial. Lacks clear character or purpose for me, just a powerfully synthetic blend of woodsmoke and sweetness. Wood smoke is difficult to execute well, and while I'm not a huge fan, this tasted like a home-distilled garage experiment and is not something I would seek out.

On the nose, there’s a lot of density. Mostly sweetness and smoke with a little bit of spice. The palate opens up super salty at first, then there’s a burst of brown sugar sweet notes, before it finishes with heavy smoke. It’s not a peat smoke though. Think more grilled-vegetable smoke. This is definitely an experience whiskey. I could see it being very polarizing. For enthusiasts, especially fans of craft whiskies, this will be easy to love because it’s rich, bold and has a long complex finish. But it’s not for the faint-of-heart. This would probably scare off a lot of newcomers. For uniqueness alone, I enjoyed this, but it’s not necessarily in line with my personal palate. Side note: add a little water and the smoke subdues considerably.

Smoky but not in the way you're used to. It has little in common with its peaty Scottish cousins from Islay but if you like them this is an interesting change. Tastes like a barbecue. It's rich, tangy, and full of smoke. Oily mouthfeel, full of character and unique. Has notes of garlic and motor oil that are unlike anything I've found anywhere else in whiskey. Under that there are touches of cinnamon, molasses, black pepper and red pepper. If you like barbecue and unusual whiskeys give this a try.

Nose: Abundant syrupy corn sweetness, dark cherries, and an unusual smoke. Palate: Significantly drier than the nose, shifting to smoke, ash, and leather. It has a pleasant thickness. Finish: Offers a touch of sweetness again at the end as the smoke also persists. It presents both high and low notes simultaneously. A very interesting, unique, and enjoyable whiskey to sip. I could see myself revisiting this one often.