Balcones True Blue Cask Strength

Rating: 21/23 Full blue; full strength. I was blown away by a Lost Lantern release of 100% blue corn whiskey from Balcones, so I'm really excited to be trying this. I also had a great tequila finished version of this. I'm hopeful that this will prove a worthy substitute for that Lost Lantern single barrel once I run out of it. N: Rich and pretty full. Sweet and decadent. Maple syrup, vanilla, musty blue corn. But that isn't it. There's something else rounding out this decadence. It isn't chocolate, but it's richer than the other scents. Some moderate woody barrel brings in tannins, but there is a bit of baking spice as well. Hints of orange peel and caramel. Maybe what I was getting before was a caramel richness? Perhaps a small amount of chocolate. P: This burns a lot more than I'd expected. It's very spicy. But there's some nice musty corn sweetness going on. A lot of it. There's a little bitterness to it, but it isn't overwhelming. A little grade A maple syrup, but also a tartness and bitterness of orange peel, but that bitterness really carries on, kind of like a bland medium roast coffee perhaps. I'm getting touches of bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and allspice. The cocoa powder is unfortunately the biggest player here though. There are a lot of things to like here, but the flavors are all condensed and there's too much bitterness. Water brings out more complexity from the spices. It mellows out the bitter chocolate as well, but it also suppresses the sweet flavors. I'm getting hints of Sierra Norte Red Corn vibes, but it isn't nearly as funky. F: Bitter with char and some chocolate. Lingering musty corn. Vanilla. Notes of woody spices. Not all that interesting, but solid. It's too bitter, but not overwhelmingly so. It does still burn, but that seems reasonable at this proof. It's actually a little sweeter than the palate. This isn't amazing me, but it is improving my opinion of this dram. - Conclusion - This is a clear improvement over Balcones Blue Corn Bourbon. Old Forester 1920 (18/23) seems to be in about the same ballpark as this. It's less full and has more minerality, but that blue corn funk with maple and chocolate and the like really works well. I'm inclined to give this the win. 1792 Full Proof (19/23) competes well with this on fullness while maintaining adequate complexity. The two seem fairly well matched. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18-19/23) is very close in quality to this. I think it burns a bit more, but it's also possibly mellower and more balanced. Well, it's at least more traditional. Honestly, they're close, but I think I'd take this. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) shows its alcohol more than this does, but it has some really nice weight to it that this doesn't. I'm surprised by how close the two are. There's no way I'm going below a 19 for this now. That Lost Lantern Balcones blue corn (22/23) is lighter than this, but with fewer flaws and more nuance. It seems like the better dram to me, but I can see arguments to the contrary. So this is a 19 to 22. That's quite impressive! Elijah Craig A121 (a very solid 22/23) strikes me as better than this, but the gap isn't tremendous. I'm thinking that this will be a 20 or 21. Eh, it's close. This actually could be a 22. Going back to the Jack Daniel's, this seems competitive! I'm thinking of a 21 for this. I'm very impressed by this one. Thank you, @soonershrink , for allowing me to try it:

Rating: 19/23 I had a sample of a different Balcones True Blue Cask Strength pick and was wowed by it. I looked up Balcones True Blue Cask Strength and found that this pick was the only offering around and it was local! Despite the hefty sin taxes, I went over to the store and grabbed a bottle. I hope that this holds up. N: There's a lot of presence, with a big tartness melded with dry wood, maple syrup, and bit of chocolate. I feel like there's a little more going on here, but I'm not able to place what those characteristics are. There's a bit of dusty dirt going on adding some nuance. I get some alcohol heat, but not flavor, here. I generally like the nose, though the tartness makes it a bit funky and restrains the fullness. P: This is quite rich, but it's oddly lacking in fullness. There's chocolate and maple and wood, with spices and heat from the alcohol, but there's never youthful alcohol flavor coming through. There is also a big tart dryness that carves a big chunk off of the fullness though. Unfortunately, it's a bit funky in an off sort of way and it's a bit bitter in a way that makes me think it's a tad over-oaked (just a tad though). The flavors that stand out the most here are the tannins, prickly spices, maple, and jalapeño earthiness. Maybe the chocolate too. It's all very rich and full. There are still vegetal hints, but they are very faint. I get baking spice as well mixed in with full wood in the tannins. It really seems a bit over-oaked, though not tremendously so. This is a decent enough palate, but it isn't all that amazing and it certainly doesn't inspire me. F: It's rich and full, but toward the bitter side. Those tannins remains, alongside maple with some vegetal floral hints. Faint baking spices. Faint. Maybe the tiniest hints of semi-sweet chocolate, but it's hard to detect. Actually, I think I definitely do get chocolate. - Conclusion - This is unfortunately not as good as the other Balcones True Blue Cask Strength pick (22/23) I tried. Lost Lantern's 2 year old single barrel (22/23) is frustratingly superior to this. I say "frustratingly" because this is more than 5 years old. This has more of a weird funk to it and is a bit over-oaked though. The Lost Lantern is nuanced and delectable. This just doesn't live up to that. On the other hand, this is definitely better than my bottle of Garrison Brothers Balmorhea 2021 (17/23). That is lighter with more minerality and kind of funky weirdness. The increased richness here is substantial and decadent. This might not be as complex, but I like it better, even though there are notes of jalapeño and ash. So this is in the 18 to 21 range. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18-19/23) shows substantially more nuance and sweet fruit, but it isn't as full and displays a lot more alcohol. My inclination is to favor this, but not by a lot. There is still plenty of complexity here though, with a nice depth as the palate unfolds. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) is more decadently rich than this, with its green banana and oiliness with a toffee backing. This can't compete with that richness, but it's more nuanced and still decadent. 1792 Full Proof (19/23) is sweeter with more minerality and banana toffee sweetness. I'm inclined to place this a little above the 1792, but I'm note sure. This is in the 19 to 20 range. It's delightful, but it is unfortunately a step down from the other pick I tried. I hope that it improves over time with air

Store Pick: 63.4%, 3 years old. Blue corn sucks as tortilla chip, but I believe we've found a decent use. The nose is my favorite part: Right from the start there is a clear butterscotch note with some "nail polish" heat in the background. Just a tid-bit of water helps tame the acetone BTW. There is a "funky, old t-shirt from Goodwill" note in the way background, behind the sweet butterscotch, lending the right amount of complexity and playfulness. On to the taste: Nice and melon sweet upfront , and in the middle, but toward the finish it veers into a spicy bitterness; like a walnut with store-bought-cayenne sprinkled on top. There is also a floral note death gripping on the roof of my mouth for about 2 minutes. The finish also has the most unique "cappuccino experience" which pops this up to a must buy whiskey. The juxtaposition of all the flavors seems rough; though appreciated ;) I'm glad I get to try Balcones, after my love affairs with scotch and cask strength bourbons initially dominated my "thoughts on malts." The perspective makes me really appreciate the creativeness in these pours. I'm a big fan. The price for me was also a nice boost; value is important to the score! I love that 'Merica is broadening the flavor horizons outside of bourbon... However, I just like this whiskey. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

Nose - butterscotch, vanilla, powdered sugar, candied corn, apple, peanut, butter pecan, dusty corn, funnel cake, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, sweet oak, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, candy corn, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, apple, black pepper, peanut, barrel spice, powdered sugar, dusty corn, brown sugar, cocoa, sweet floral notes, high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with sweet candy corn, baking spice, and prickly pepper flavors. I had such a good experience with the Cowboy bourbon yesterday, I’ve decided to devote the rest of the week to Texas whiskey, specifically Balcones expressions. Many thanks to @jonwilkinson7309 for providing this sample, along with a few more I’ll be reviewing this week. For reference, this is a single barrel bottling at 62.9%. The nose on this is like a carnival cranked to eleven. Candy corn, funnel cake, powdered sugar, candied apple, it’s all here. It’s extremely sweet, but doesn’t quite cross into cloying territory. The palate is similar, but more pepper and baking spice notes can be found. I have to admit that the only experience I have with corn whiskey is Mellow Corn. There are some similarities, but this is significantly better. However, I think the standard corn whiskey profile is too sweet for me. In musical terms, they present as all treble and no bass. I think the proof really helps here though. My guess is that the standard True Blue would rate very average for me. But this is not average at all. I’m looking forward to diving into more Balcones offerings this week.

Huge shout out to my generous northern neighbor from OKC for providing this and many other samples for my tasting/reviewing pleasure. The proof is well evident on the nose but a couple drops takes care of that. On first intake Im getting maple glazed donut, liquid coffee mate and the crumbs at the bottom of the tortilla chip bag(corn dust with salt). There's a bit of a varnish note with some raw vanilla dropped in to sweeten the scent. Oak is light and restrained. Palate is rich and vibrant with the cask strength flexing its muscle. Oily vanilla creme leads the way alongside rock candy and cow tales. Its a sweet and loud affair as the ethanol while integrated is very present. Tannins and oak again are at a minimum with just a toasty bump. Finishes with the fading confections and at last some barrel moderating to dry green oak. Im finding this quite enjoyable and pretty sure working a whole bottle wouldnt change my opinion too much. That said it is kind of a one note whiskey and many will struggle with the proof......86/100.....I still think the single malt line is Balcones wheelhouse but will be trying some more of their bourbons soon. Thanks again Sooner!

Rating: 19/23 N: Sweet, musty, milk chocolate, kind of tart, quite rich with corn character. There's a definite decadence to this nose. Hints of tangerine that border on malt, as well as faint sawdust. A bit odd, but quite nice hedonism, with balance and complexity as well. P: Wow, it's got maple and vanilla and the other decadent flavors. Rich, sweet corn, faint tangerine, light kettle corn, some wood tannins, notes of milk chocolate, musty notes that aren't quite sawdust. F: Astringent with wood and orange zest. Lingering must and vanilla. Hints of kettle corn remain as well. - Conclusion - This is delightful. It isn't blowing my mind or anything, but it's another great True Blue. There's more of an alcohol bite to this than the Total Wine pick (19/23) I bought has, but i also doesn't have that weird barbecue flavor. This also seems a bit sweeter! This is easily a 17, but I could see it being as high as a 19. I was leaning toward an 18 until I realized that this was sweeter than the Total Wine True Blue. Now I'm going with a 19.