Balcones Pilgrimage After Peat (2023 ed.)

Comes across like the offspring of Lineage and the Peated. It has the strong peach flavor of Lineage and some of the smoke and heat of the Peated. Does well with a good bit of water. There’s a backbone of subtle smoke throughout, but no peat. Peach, along with some slightly overcooked pie crust. Smidge of honey, apple, pepper, and I wouldn’t have said bay leaf if I didn’t see it first in Balcones’ own tasting notes, but I think that’s a good descriptor for the herbal hint in there. Interesting and enjoyable whiskey, and thrilled to have a bottle courtesy of a friend who picked this up at the distillery as a gift.

Tasted and purchased at the distillery in Waco last summer. Aged 4 years and 1 month. Non-chill filtered. This single malt is the distillation of an unpeated malt mash that was run after the diatillation of a heavily peated single malt in a copper pot still. I enjoyed this a lot. Definitely get a lot of funk, which some may not enjoy. There is peach, citrus, pear, honey, with a light peat smokiness lingering in the background. Balanced and really complex.

N: honeydew, cooked caramel apples, mint, fresh pancakes, vanilla icing, eucalyptus. Rich on the palate, mint, honey, caramel, cinnamon.