Whisky : Balcones Single Malt Twin Liquors Cask Selection #2

Country/Region : US/Texas

ABV : 63.5%

Cask : New American Oak

Age : 2 Years (Distilled May 31 2016, Bottled June 22 2018)

Nose : Big and rich, a Texas sized aroma, thick with breakfast, comes roaring out.  Rich maple syrup, sweet pepper cactus jelly, cinnamon French toast— the nose begins sweet and toasty.  Big oaky vanilla, toasted coconut, pressed flowers, and charred oak notes intermingle.  The nose is young and spirited, but deliciously complex with strong mustiness and woody notes.

Palate :  Tannic and rich, it has an excellent syrupy body and pleasant dryness.  Maple syrup, vanilla extract, crystalized ginger make themselves known.  The palate does not entirely escape breakfast as oatmeal waffles, maple butter, pears, and sliced red apples all emerge.  There are some interesting cola notes toward the end which really come out stronger after the addition of a few drops of water.

Finish :  Lingering oak spices and astringency.

Score :  6

Mental Image : Country Waffle Buffet.

Something Better : Ledaig 13 Year Single Malts of Scotland (similar maple & toast, more salt/meat)

Something Similar : Auchentoshan 18 Year SMWS 5.70 (similar vanilla extract/syrup, more chocolate)

Something Worse : Yellow Spot Single Pot Still (similar maple and nutty notes, less body, more candy)

Notes :  I really liked this— way more than I thought I would.

If a C seems low for something I really like, consider that this is usually outside my preferred flavor profile, but it was so good that it drew me in.  If Twin Liquors’ website is correct and they were retailing this for 78.99, I would easily grab a bottle. 

There were so many interesting things going on in the glass that I really enjoyed every time I poured a dram.  My wife found, and I tend to agree, that the best part of this dram is the nose.  The aroma is so wonderfully rich with a wide variety of distinct notes that I could happily spritz this around the house.  I would be very pleased to wear this scent as a cologne.  Indeed, with the way the wood spice and musty notes came together, my wife thought this would make for an excellent cologne.  At the very least this would be a stellar scented candle.

According to Balcones, the angel’s share at their aging warehouse in Waco, Texas is 8-10% annually which is comparable to Amrut in Bangalore, India.  I am never quite ready to bite on the idea that especially hot and greedy angels cause a more rapid maturation.  Certainly the spirit is picking up tons of excellent wood influence in a shorter amount of time.  However, it does not seem to always mellow the spirit out the same as a longer aging period in a cooler climate.  I would assume this is because the heat is causes water to evaporate out of the cask more quickly than volatile compounds or alcohol.  Whereas casks in Scotland generally see decreases in their alcohol by volume (abv.), casks at Baclones— like Amrut and many bourbon distillers in the US typically see increases in the alcohol content of their barrels overtime.  

The taste was not bad by any means, it was maybe a little dry and there was no mistaking the young age of the spirit.  Despite being in the cask for only 24 months, I think this was ultimately really good.  It may be young, but it has a lot going on and that is what I want in a single cask expression.  With all the tannins that the spirit picked up from the wood, it probably would have become a little too dry and astringent if it spent any longer in the Texas heat sitting in the cask.