Review #788; American Single Malt #9: Balcones 4yr (2014) SMWS 140.2 “Shotgun Whirligig”

This bottling comes to us by way of the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society, specifically their US branch. This bottling is a 4 year old single malt from Texas based distillery Balcones. This single malt has been aged for 4 years in Texas in a First-Fill Ex-Bourbon barrel before being bottled at cask strength with no color added, and was non chill filtered.

ABV: 58.9%

Nose: Dark Chocolate, SourDough Bread, Black Pepper, Hay, Balsamic Vinegar, Lemon Zest

Palate: Medium mouthfeel, Sourdough Bread, Balsamic Vinegar, Lemon Zest, Black Pepper, Hay, Dark Chocolate, Cumin,

Finish: Medium length finish, Vinegar, Lemon Zest, Black Pepper, Hay, Dark Chocolate, Sourdough Bread, Cumin

Rating: 6/10

Well I’ll be, this is the best Texas whiskey I have tried up to this point. Its super weird, super funky, but in a good way. Acidic, Fermented, Bready, it has all kinds of weird stuff going on that I really like. A very good whiskey from Balcones and perhaps single-malt is the way to go in Texas

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect