Balcones Prohibida Rum

Nose: Intense rum and scotch notes – I don't know of anything else like this in the spirits world. Cane sugar, smoked caramel, every imaginable type of cooked fruit, fresh banana, earthy and sour tropical fruit, faint notes of burning tires, smoked meat with fruit on top, burning grass, and what I imagine a pig cooked in sand smells like, with cooked apple wrapped in bacon, and it just goes on and on. It's truly unique, though not far removed from its two sources: Balcones rum and The Peated. Palate: Sour fruit that has aged in a scotch barrel, rich barrel-aged barley malt notes, cooked vegetables, chalk, green herbs, a Stevia sweetness (flavor, not intensity), BBQ'd tropical fruit, sour citrus, sour apples, caramel, cooked vanilla, toasted marshmallow, dragon fruit, sour pineapple, oak, smoked almonds, petrichor, cinnamon. Finish: Medium hot with cinnamon and oak, mint, banana, smoked tropical fruit, cooked cane sugar, dark coffee, woody bitterness, herbs, mild menthol, minty toothpaste, oak bitterness (tannins), cooked vegetables, and more wood. A very long finish. I haven't encountered anything like this before. It's clearly rum at the first level. But everything secondary is a bold peated scotch. It's incredible in some ways, but also excessive in others. I greatly enjoyed it and think I'll likely get another bottle. But that will probably be it – just one more, suggesting it's more of a gimmick than genuine, but it's a damn good gimmick. I would absolutely suggest getting a bottle – whether you want more is entirely up to you. ____________ Please join an unofficial community on Discord (now a full year old!): https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We discuss spirits (and other things) in real time and serve as a great resource for each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link expires (it shouldn't), please post a comment and I will gladly provide a new one.)

Peated cask rum from Balcones. I really appreciate the inventive approach from the team there in Waco. A small taste at an acquaintance's place last night. This was certainly the most intriguing item I sampled. I wouldn't have guessed it was a rum from the aroma alone. The flavors are well-balanced between the rum's sweetness, fruit, and the distinct peatiness. Looking forward to a proper serving soon to add more details.

Nose of coriander, smoke, peat, apple, white cake, white icing, and some other fruit I can't identify. Palate is light with smoke, wood, coriander, tropical fruit, and peat.

This certainly opens up. Honey and tropical notes arrive in waves, followed by a creme brulee finish.