Balcones True Blue Tequila cask finish

What a wild idea! Tequila and mezcal finishes are super uncommon for reasons I don't get. This dials up the tequila finish by starting with corn whiskey instead of malt or bourbon. Wait, BLUE corn! So, it's a really daring concept and I'm incredibly curious how it turned out. Nose: It's pretty sweet with agave front and center. I get somewhat musty, lightly dusty vegetation at the front with a big dose of vanilla, lightly wrapped in a maple sweetness. The vegetation doesn't smell rotten or annoying, bringing a nice bit of bitterness to balance it all. There's also a moderate amount of corn from the base spirit coming out of the dustiness and definite ethanol, though less than expected for a cask strength that's barely over a year old. The nose as a whole makes me think of a mix of several spirits: Balcones Single Malt, Balcones Baby Blue, Clase Azul Reposado, and Don Julio 1942. Considering that, I'd say Balcones absolutely nailed the blend of blue corn, tequila, and the Balcones signature taste. The vegetal flavor mixed with the general rich sweetness and moderate youth makes me think of Clase Azul. The dust and big vanilla say Don Julio. The light, yet slightly funky, dusty corn and mild ethanol represent the blue corn. The sweet maple found in Balcones Single Malt really ties it together as an aged Balcones product. The balance is excellent and the profile is quite interesting. I wouldn't say it's an amazingly complex nose, but it's quite solid. I hope the palate and finish live up to the high expectations set by the nose. Palate: Wow, this is quite something! The tequila flavors hit first with sweet vanilla and vegetal agave front and center. For a moment, it just tastes like a less sweet Clase Azul Reposado. Then, musty, dusty wood and grain come in. There's a brief segment where it mostly just burns and is light, but then the dustiness returns and transitions rapidly from grain to a big cinnamon woodiness, and the dram briefly tastes like nothing but a loud, cinnamony bourbon. As I move on to the second sip, the various parts harmonize better and the journey is less of a roller coaster. There's a bit more bitterness to the vegetation and I'm detecting a really nice tangerine (more orange than apricot) note. It took me a minute to identify what it made me think of, but I'm now pretty sure it's a flavor I most often get from Irish whiskey. It reminds me a little of the high proof and citric tartness of a certain Irish whiskey cask strength mixed with the sweet, juicy apricot found in another whiskey or maybe even one of the older Bushmill's expressions. The high proof makes the tangerine quite assertive. It's mouthwatering, but also a bit immature tasting as a result because the proof seems to make up a large component of the flavor. Oddly, it reminds me of when I tried a certain 12-year-old Scotch side by side with a blended malt. The first had a smoother, but more subdued fruitiness, whereas the second was livelier, but its fruit was less fully flavored on its own (before including the alcohol bite). It took me a while to decide that I slightly preferred the first because both were quite tasty profiles. That's a long way of saying that this is the second one and that isn't a bad thing. Finish: The finish is surprisingly dry. The main flavors here are that rich vegetal character (without the sweetness) and a substantial bitter vanilla presence, a lot like licking the measuring spoon after pouring vanilla extract into cookie dough. It's hard to stress enough just how much vanilla is in here, at least for a brief period. There's a big waft of ethanol that melds just a bit with the vanilla in a delightful way that makes me think of a really nice vodka. Late in the finish, the vegetation and vanilla calm down enough for a mellow musty, dusty wood to emerge. This is an easy 17, but I think a 20 is pushing it. It's tough to rate this because there isn't really anything else I can reasonably compare it with. The complexity here is very good and the balance works in a weird way that feels like a little push one way or the other could send it tumbling. In this expression at least though, the balance certainly works. It kind of takes some of the best elements of a certain reposado tequila and a specific añejo tequila and stitches them onto a specific distillery's foundation. And somehow, this is mostly a great success. For that reason, I'm landing on a 19. In terms of pricing, this would be well worth grabbing at $100 or maybe $120, considering the proof. An intriguing and delightful dram!

Nose - cheesecake, buttercream frosting, vanilla, orange zest, chocolate, apple, guava, pineapple skin, rich oak, grass, powdered sugar, pine, bell pepper, white pepper, creamed corn, floral and herbal notes, fresh agave, nutmeg, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - orange, chocolate, lemon, pineapple, dusty corn, brown sugar, caramel, rutabaga, apple, vanilla, grass, mint, anise, deep floral and herbal notes, white wine, cinnamon, rich oak, nutmeg, cooked agave, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with an assortment of citrus, vegetal, and confectionery flavors. Wow, where to begin with this one. This spirit is a chameleon. To describe it as complex would be an understatement. The nose is rich with scents of orange, chocolate, tropical fruit, vegetal succulence, and cheesecake, which is likely the first time I've ever identified that aroma in any spirit. The palate is somewhat akin to eating one of those chocolate oranges given as a holiday gift, followed by a substantial bite of stir fry. There's a rich sour quality, reminiscent of white wine, and some telltale notes of cooked agave also appear. What a delight! I've never encountered anything like this before, and I doubt I will again. This is an excellent spirit, however, its unusual nature will prevent me from assigning an extremely high rating. It's genuinely tasty, but it's definitely something you need to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate. A huge thank you to a friend for acquiring this bottle for me! It's one I will treasure for years to come.

Balcones is a distillery I haven't tried but have been curious about. In my view, this distillery has been skillfully producing quality products and challenging traditional whiskey norms. This sample was provided by a longtime distiller acquaintance who is very generous with his collection. The initial aromas reveal sweet corn, vanilla, and a touch of tequila. It's sweet and earthy, with notes of dried grass, caramel, apples, marshmallows, and melon. It becomes even sweeter and richer with time. The arrival is almost imperceptible in feel and body, extremely velvety, round, and smooth. The sweetness noted in the aroma carries through to the palate with vanilla, brown sugar, corn, and mandarin oranges. A pleasant level of spice balances the sweetness with black pepper, oak spice, spearmint, rye, and dill. As the palate transitions almost seamlessly to the finish, the spice fades, leaving a medium-length finish with a tingling tongue and a mouthfeel of caramel, toasted marshmallows, Luxardo cherries, and a hint of drying oak tannins. Among the bourbons and American whiskies I've sampled, this ranks as one of the best. The balance and depth of the aroma and flavors are near perfect. It's not cloyingly sweet, overly dry, or sharply spiced. The interplay of the three sensations is perfectly executed. I'm grateful to have tasted this rare and hard-to-find bottling. My thanks again to Pranay for the wonderful sample. [95/100][Tasted: 9/12/20]

The nose begins with a rich, decadent blend of candy corn, cotton candy, caramel apples, and prickly pear cactus, then the tequila influence becomes more apparent, balancing the sweetness with cooked agave, a smoky aroma reminiscent of a bowling alley, eucalyptus, followed by leather and polished oak with a moderate ethanol burn. The taste starts with a thick mouthfeel with caramel apple before a mix of vegetal notes and sweetness combine, then candied orange peel followed by spices of black pepper, and light oak with a medium ethanol burn, finishing medium length with candy corn, cooked agave, clay, eucalyptus, prickly pear cactus, leather, and light oak spice. Wow, the difference the tequila cask made compared to the cask strength version. This is a wonderful, rich dram that balances those smoky, vegetal notes with corn sweetness, preventing it from becoming too bitter or sweet. Big thanks to a friend for the generous sample. This is something special and a shame it’s not more widely available.

This is a bottle from a New York club, which seemed really unique—a distillery's blue corn whiskey fully matured in tequila casks and bottled cask strength. At first whiff, you get the classic tequila grassy aroma. The palate is where this really comes alive. It’s deeply complex with a sweetness upfront, followed by a grassy herbal flavor. I feel as if a really robust whiskey was needed to stand up to the tequila without losing its DNA. And this Texan delivers. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is available anywhere (but maybe the distillery), but if you do see it—it’s a worthwhile experience.

I sampled several Balcones expressions after the original founder departed, and most were disappointing. Excessively so. It's as if they simply amplified certain flavor elements and left the dram unfinished and overdone. Things began to improve with the French Oak release, and this one has also developed well. Now, I'm not fond of tequila flavor, so I couldn't consume much of it, but it's a skillfully made whiskey. It's like a fusion of tequila and a whiskey aged in virgin oak. Thanks to a friend!