Balcones Rumble

The Bottle: Quite standard, particularly for Balcones, known for their attractive bottle designs. It includes useful details about its composition and the specific batch/bottling date. This particular bottle, for instance, was from batch R13-3, bottled on 10/9/13 by the head distiller, Chip Tate. In the Glass: Resembles apple juice in color. On the Nose: This is where the ingredients truly shine. Honey and turbinado sugar are immediately prominent, with a subtle layer of dried fruit underneath, likely from the figs. It genuinely smells like just those three components, and that's not a criticism; it's impressive how distinctly the ingredients come through aromatically. Taste: It's like mead, it's like rum. This spirit tastes like the offspring of those two. It presents with both sweetness and a slight astringency (due to the 47% ABV). The finish isn't as sweet as one might anticipate and concludes with a pleasant bitterness that complements the aroma and initial taste. The actual flavor development is where it truly resides, offering honey and rum-like notes. While not overly complex, that may not have been the distiller's goal. This serves more as a tribute to the possibilities of combining local Texas ingredients through a craft process. It's always engaging to witness what a skilled team can create when they step outside their usual domain for enjoyment, and this effort does not disappoint.

I bought two bottles for New Year's, one to keep and one for future use. The aroma is lively and full of candied fruits, flowers, and honey, balanced by a good amount of cinnamon and pepper. The palate is initially quite sweet with floral honey notes appearing early and continuing into the middle. At this point, I detected a slightly sour taste, like unripe blackberries, that lasted only milliseconds before the anise, cinnamon, and a lot of pepper arrived. The finish is smooth and balanced, with no flavors disappearing before the others have had their moment. To sum it up in one word...it was a rumble. I recommend it neat, with a little water to bring out those floral notes, or in a spicy and sultry old fashioned!

The aroma reminded me of añejo tequila. Adding a few drops of water enhances the nose with a sweeter honey note. The taste is akin to a sweet tequila blended with whiskey. It's quite delicate, and its sweetness increases the longer it's allowed to breathe. After approximately 15 minutes, I detected notes of liquored bananas. This was unexpected, given my experience with Brimstone. It's very different from their other lines. Not bad, just distinct. This seems to be characteristic of all Balcones whiskeys.

Delicate and floral. The aroma is somewhere between rum and tequila. It has buttery, salty, honey notes. It's not a terrible drink, but it took a very long time for my bottle to start developing. Initially, it was stale and not very pleasant. After letting the bottle rest, it's now drinkable. It has enough complexity to remain interesting, although it leans a little too sweet for my preference. At the very least, it makes an excellent Rickey or a sour (with lime).

This spirit occupies a space between rum and whiskey. Herbal and sweet. That's the most accurate description. The nose carries hints of honey and orange zest. It's reminiscent of a sweet blended scotch. The taste profile is rich with herbs, tannins, tobacco, and more honey. It's certainly intriguing and enjoyable. I'm curious enough to sample the cask strength version next!

I really enjoyed sampling this last night. With a sweet and peppery character, it felt like a good middle ground between Makers and TX Whiskey. Someone else suggested it was like the offspring of Makers and a fine aged rum. Regardless of how you phrase it, Balcones has produced a quality bottle here.