Balcones 3 Year for Tilted Bottle
Whisky: Balcones 3 Year for Tilted Bottle
Country/Region: United States/Texas
ABV: 63.5%
Cask: Refill European Oak, 2nd Fill Madeira Cask (9 mo.)
Age: 3 Year (Distilled 25 Jan. 2018, Bottled 1 July 2021)
Nose: Leather, florals, and brown sugar. An aggressively classy bar with lacquered wood, leather, burning candles, cedar, and a faint bit of sulfur. Plum wine and dried dates intermingled with brown sugar and mellow herbal notes. The aroma was halfway toward rich tobacco when maple, cinnamon sticks, and Parma violets intercepted.
Palate: Full-bodied and rambunctious; a youthful spirit carved across the palate with caramel and fruit candies. Leather played second fiddle to tapioca pudding, sweetened condensed milk, cardamom, cinnamon, tamarind, and star anise— Thai iced tea or maybe a sticky sesame dessert. Orange rind, pine needles, and nettles emerged toward the back end with a hint of cherry.
Finish: Lingering notes of spice and cola.
Score: 5
Mental Image: Thai Ice Tea
Notes: This Balcones was the sort of thick and heavy dram that weighs down the palate. It was loaded with creamy spice, which only occasionally allowed sweeter notes of honey, dried fruit, and caramel to escape. I initially tried this blind and guessed it was a 10 Year Speyside finished in a Madeira cask at around 60% abv. I was way off on the distillery; I hardly got any of the cola notes I associate with Balcones, though they did appear on the finish! A few drops of water brought them out more, but I was already heading in the wrong direction. I am pleased that I was not far off on the abv and miraculously got the cask correct! So maybe I can get blind guesses correct occasionally!
I am not sure if I liked this or not. It presented as relatively young and a bit hot on the nose and palate— almost numbing at times. The flavor profile was unusual, and the mouthfeel's heaviness did not quite match the profile, which felt as though it should be much lighter. The impression of Thai Tea was enjoyable, though much like Thai ice tea, this felt saccharine or overly sweet after a few sips. While there was some initial heat, I thought a few drops of water mellowed things out nicely. It was certainly a different take on Balcones and a fun dram to shift through.
