Whisky : Balcones 3 Year, Twin Liquors & Brazos Valley Bourbon Society Cask Selection

Country/Region : United States/Texas

ABV : 66.4%

Cask : New French Oak

Age : 3 Years (Distilled 4 Jan. 2017, Bottled 4 Aug. 2020)

Nose : Mocha, cola, and caramelized sugars.  Unsweetened baking chocolate and sour cherries were followed by waves of rich woody spice, maple, brown sugar bacon, and marshmallows.  A few drops of water brought out more brown sugar, coffee, and sour cherry.

Palate :  Thick and tannic with wood, cola, and stone fruits.  Heavy, spicy, and a bit hot, this was full of unsweetened backing chocolate, bitter dark chocolate, and a faint fruity sarsaparilla.  There were intriguing notes of almost medicinal sticky-bitter fruits.  A few drops of water brought out sour cherries, pickled plums, cherry pits, and maple bacon.

Finish :  Lingering mocha and mild ginger spice.

Score : 7

Mental Image : That’s Not a Candy Bar

Notes : Due to kid logic— believing anything labeled chocolate must be a delicious snack— I mistakenly tried eating a bar of unsweetened baking chocolate.  I learned, albeit slowly because I made this mistake more than once, that chocolate really needed sugar in order to be truly delicious.  Now I am adult and while I do enjoy bitter dark chocolate more than I did in the past, I have not tried to eat baking chocolate again.

This reminded of those experiences due to its slightly bitter, not quite sweet profile, full of French Oak driven notes of mocha.  There was enough sugar that notes of cola and fruit popped nicely, especially with a few drops of water.

Overall, this was delightful and a different take on Balcones than I have encountered in the past.  A few drops of water really brought this together, so I don’t think I would drink it without adding a few.

Photo Credit : Texas Whisky Trail