Whiskey #14, I'm in AMERICA, she said...

SHE SAID:  First things first, I actually was physically in the Unites States at the time of this posting, BUT my apologies for being two days late on these last two whiskies.

I was suppose to post this one on Saturday and then whisky #15 on Sunday to finish off the two week whirl wind trip around the whisky fabric. HOWEVER...  something funny happened on the way to the Appalachians mountains: there is NO INTERNET there???   So two things resulted:  A) I was not able to post my final blogs and B) I was completely cut off from twitter, facebook, email and internet.  So here is this one, late by my admission however out of my control at the time.

Presidential Mountain Range - New Hampshire, USA

Whisky #14 was a wonderful gift I received and one of those drams that was on my whisky bucket list.  I had read so many great things about it as well as the people who make it.  But let me start at the beginning.  In the United States there has been a mass explosion of craft distillers from one end of that expansive country to the other.  In 2000 there were 12 states that had a craft distillery listed as operational, in 2011 it quadrupled to 45 states with almost 250 registered craft distilleries (Coppersea Distilling Report of 2011). If that's not a boom I don't know what is?  Graham has been fascinated with craft distilleries for the better part of the last year. Me not so much BUT somewhere in all the conversations we had or rather that he would ramble on about while I listened, I became quite interested in the subject as well and started researching and reading a bit about this movement that was taking the USA by storm. Based on many, many blogs and articles I could see that people trying these products all seem to be saying close to the same thing:  "Too expensive, too young, too harsh.  Give it a few years and maybe the product will improve." The large majority of reviews were negative or at least less then stellar.   One brand however seem to rise above all these and consistently had good to great reviews.  One of my favorite whiskyfabric bloggers went '"all in" with this particular distillery and wrote about it at length several times, having met the distiller himself and I am pretty sure Josh tried every single whiskey as a result.  Josh Feldman and I had several conversations about these whiskies and when he and I decided to trade whisky samples he was adamant I try it.  Honestly when I looked at his tradeable whisky list there were plenty more on I wanted to try first but if you know Josh it becomes easy to understand his passionate commitment and enjoyment of good whiskies so I let him talk me into it.  As a result of my introduction to Balcones so began my own personal obsession to try them all.  So thank you Josh for the fantastic introduction to small craft distillery whiskey done right.

Chip, relaxing with a dram

My background is chemistry.  I know what an ester is, I can write any chemical nomenclatures as it relates to whisky as though I wrote my own name.  I can tell you where the butyric acid comes from in some whiskies just as well as explain the importance of a good water source and how it affects the process.  I am essentially:  A WHISKY GEEK.  So my fellow whisky enthusiasts I implore you to unite for I have found our whisky leader: Chip Tate, founder and master distiller at Balcones Distillery, Waco Texas USA.  

I have never read about anyone else who is as involved in the whisky making process as he is.  From mathematically calculating the shape he wanted for his copper pot stills to barrel management, yeast strain profiles, attention to details for mash bills used and not only knowing but understanding the chemistry involved in every line of his products Chip is truly imperative to the entire whiskey making process at Balcones from start to finish.  His presentations are not only educational they are also a passionate journey through his dream and goals realized.   If you want to know more about Balcones and or Chip, go to www.cooperedtot.com and search either word.  Josh did a fantastic job several times blogging about this great new avenue of American Whiskey and the people that make them.  Most of the Balcones product line is currently available on the US market for about $45-65. It's headed to the UK in the next few weeks AND fingers crossed, I know that Chip has been talking with some Canadian contacts with hopes to have it a few shows in 2013.  

Dot, me, Cis - drams and birthday balloon!

For my birthday we had planned a get away weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  It only seemed befitting that I try an  American whiskey there, so I chose Balcones Texas Single Malt.  The greatest part of opening the bottle that day was getting to share it with Bob Caron and his two aunts Cis and Dot (79 and 82) whom I had the pleasure to all meet and spend the afternoon with while we were there.  I learned alot from these two women that day and I hope to write a blog in their honor very soon.   The single malt was well received, the ladies easily finished their glass and we had great discussions as a result.  All in all, the dram was as fascinating and surprising as the company I had that day.  Every time I will have a dram of the single malt, I will be transported to a gorgeous fall day, nestled in the mountains with laughter, stories and new friendships. Thanks Bob, Cis and Dot for a fantastic birthday.

BALCONES TEXAS SINGLE MALT WHISKEY, SPECIAL RELEASE 53% ABV

Color:  Deep copper orange.  This is a super viscous whiskey that stuck to the glass in droplets.  Legs are plentiful but slow in nature.

Nose:  Demerara sugar hits you hard on the nose, like a dark aged rum barrel.  Sweet, sticky date squares.  Rich dried fruits. A touch of acetone at the back, kind of reminded me of the smell at the dry cleaners.  Once I added water, the sugar took a back seat to some nutmeg and a distinct nuttiness stuck around. 

Palate:  I fully expected the nose to outshine the palate: Was I ever wrong.  This is a roller coaster ride of flavors that I found difficult to keep up with.  First there was sweet pears that were glazed in a Carribean rum, followed by cereal.  Then it took me to some cinnamon and plump golden raisins.  I added just a touch of water and found the oak (but it's hard to describe because it was not like finding the oaky smell in Scotch whiskies).  This oak has a more pungent but sweet flavor to it.  Then more spices but gentle and slightly muted with the water addition.  After a few minutes, vanilla appeared as did a full flavorful creamy custard.  

Finish:  So smooth, I forgot what the ABV was the first time I was drinking it.  There is no harshness with this dram what so ever.  The finish is long, with a hint of spices and just a touch of dryness to it.  

Empty glass:  Rum raisin ice cream (very creamy, delish!)

This whiskey is bottled un-chill filtered and has nothing added to it.  I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that is is a No Age Statement whiskey because it is so flavorful.  Come to find out Chip uses a very distinct technique when it comes to how the whiskey is matured.  He utilizes several different types of woods as well as sized barrels, then further finishes the whiskey in larger composite barrels. Explains why the oak flavors that come through are a bit foreign to me and unlike anything I had ever tasted before.  Quite fascinating from a chemistry perspective!

All and all, this whiskey really surprised both Graham and me.  The Brimstone (another Balcones favorite of ours) hits you over the head with smoke and earthy overtones but this one, the Single Malt takes the cake on sweet dark rum, fruit and spices. From start to finish this is BIG and BOLD on flavor.   But then again, this shouldn't surprise any of us as the cliché goes they do make everything bigger in Texas!

Congrats to Chip and everyone else at Balcones on this single malt.  To all other craft distillery whiskey makers in the US, THIS is the benchmark for doing it right. I can't wait to see where Chip goes next.  

In my very fancy cowboy boots, sipping a dram with lovely friends on the American Whiskey trail,   I remain...

The Whisky Lassie