Balcones Texas Rye 100 Proof

Rating: 14/23 I've heard good things about this and I generally like Balcones' maple flavor, so it's time to check this out. N: This is funkier than I expected. It has some character of rhum agricole - or perhaps an american whiskey made in the Irish style a la Ransom The Emerald. The biggest note is sort of lightly rotting vegetation. It could be that the vegetation has a bit of herbal quality though or something. I do get a bit of spearmint. This is weird. There's also some licorice and something spiced and kind of rich and sweet, perhaps sort of like a ginger chew or mild gingerbread. I do smell the alcohol in here, but this isn't overly youthful. Mostly, it has an organic, bitter note. P: It's slightly sweeter than the nose suggested. There's still that vegetal and somewhat herbal bitterness, but then it turns a bit chocolatey, but then I get jalapeno earth and spice (though not hot spice) for days. Wow, so much jalapeno. There's some sweet creek water as well. Oddly, this is a bit more balanced than the nose was and the flavors have some interesting distinction. I get some nice papery sweetness like a Don Julio tequila, but on the fuller side. There's quite a bit going on and I do like the profile, but is it a rye? There's definitely a substantial malty character to this brining in that funky vegetal flavor and caramel sweetness. F: The jalapeno fades, especially its spicy element. more of the paperyt caramel sweetness comes out as the vegetal milk chocolate resurges. There is still a layer of spice though and that jalapeno earthiness doesn't disappear entirely. - Conclusion - This isn't bad, but it's super weird. It's always challenging to rate these ones that defy their categories. I'd been thinking that this was quite full, but then I tried it alongside Rossville Union Barrel Proof (13/23) and this wasn't as full. It does have less of an alcohol flavor, but Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser (16/23) is definitely fuller and more traditional in profile. This is certainly more complex, but it's also more challenging, so it's tough to rate. This is fuller than Ransom The Emerald (14/23), but it's also less complex. I don't know how to rate this. I'm thinking that it's not better than the Catoctin Creek, so a 16 is the upper bound for it. At the other end, I do think that this beats the Rossville Union, so a 13 is probably too low. Most likely, I'll go for a 14 or 15. It probably comes down to how this compares with Ransom The Emerald. It's close, but I'm going for a 15. But this is still really weird; if I were looking for one rye to stock my bar with, this certainly wouldn't be it. OK, final couple of sips. I'm torn between a 14 and a 15. Since I was at a 15 previously, I'll stay there. Actually, no. This is going to be a 14. Thanks for the sample @ctbeck11 !

I like a good rye whisky now and then, and I've enjoyed the stuff I've had from Balcones Distilling. I hadn't planned on getting this today, but there it was, it was within what I could afford (though right up at the very top of that range), and I'd wanted to try it, so I got it. I hate to say it, but I wish I'd gotten a bottle of Bulleit rye, or gone for a bottle of Maker's Mark bourbon. It's not that this is bad whisky, it's just that it's not all that good. The color is a beautiful copper in the glass. This is - as the label says - a 100 proof whisky, with a mash bill of 100% rye (various varieties). Per the Balcones custom, the label says that it's AGED AT LEAST 24 MONTHS IN OAK. NOSE: Warm smoke, alfalfa hay, a hint of grass, and alcohol. TASTE: Of course there's the spiciness of rye, then grass, salt, a very faint oak note, and semi-sweet chocolate. This whisky brought out the saliva like crazy, something I've never experienced before, and there's a much thinner mouthfeel than I'd've expected at 100 proof. FINISH: Long, with just two notes - chocolate and bitter oak. This will go next to the Brimstone. Neither one is the best that Balcones produces, and certainly this isn't the best rye whisky I've ever had. I don't think I'll buy another bottle, not with Bulleit rye out there.

N: Soap, shaving cream, and ethanol. Chocolate, fresh herbs, baking spices, maybe something vegetal. Some orchard fruit after a few minutes, particularly peach. Then the typical rye mint. P: Oddly bittersweet with a rich, sweet chocolate up front that quickly shifts (like whiplash quick) to a bitter green grain note. Then some more of the peach, baking spice, and fresh cut herbs. Some honey and biscuit notes in the middle. Finish is more of that bitter green grain, peach, little bit of oak, mint, and more fresh herbs. This is an oddball rye, no doubt. I have to guess the Texas grains used have a lot to do with the taste here, because I can't think of another rye whiskey like it. Parts of it are quite nice, parts not so much. I would put this in the same category as Brimstone - it's a bit of an experiment that's going to appeal more to some palates and less to others (i.e. highly subjective). I don't hate it, but I sure don't love it either and I doubt I do this one again. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

From a 50 ml sampler so this is not going to be a complete review but more of a provisionary one. I've had a few Balcones expressions and honestly I haven't fallen in love with any of them. They've been okay, but I haven't explored their loftier heights. This is my first experience with their rye. The nose had a lot of typical rye elements but I didn't find it particularly forward or inviting. It was kind of mellow and marked by a bit of ethanol. On the palate this is hot cocoa. Wait, that's not right. This drinks hot. And there's lots of cocoa flavor. Not at all what I was expecting. Enjoyable, young, and a bit hot. I think it could make a pretty darn good Manhattan. I'll have to try. A full bottle is on my buy list.

A rich, 100% Elbon Rye Whiskey by the Balcones Distillery in Waco, Texas distilled with copper pot stills from Portugal, aged for 1 year in in new & charred oak barrels then diluted with Hill Country spring water before being bottled at 100 Proof. It has an aromatic birth with notes of cocoa, pepper, espresso & a hint of chocolate; while a rich & silky life adds notes of tobacco, chocolate, hints of mint, pepper & oak; that led to a delicate & minty death with hints of buttered corn, dry oak & cedar. January / August 2020 / October 2021 / August 2022

This one smells like a rye. Classic barnyard stubble, sandalwood, apple, honey, graham crackers, allspice, ginger and cinnamon. Palate melds the nose in a smooth woody, brown sugar and apple-forward blend. Leathery caramel, if that’s a thing. Cocoa tobacco. Not complex but enjoyable. Has backbone. Would be complimented by a flannel shirt and a cigar. Not a light, summery rye and that’s ok with me. Finishes with molasses-soaked wood and a hint of chocolate cherry. I don’t understand the low reviews on this one.