Founded in 2008, with operations commencing in 2009, Balcones Distilling claims the mantle of first Texas whiskey on the market since prohibition. Located in Waco, TX, their operation began with the refurbishing of an old industrial space. (Side note, something about this type of arrangement “feels” right for whiskey production.) They’ve since expanded within Waco, re-purposing another old storage building and Balcones is now easily found nationally. Today, we look at their bourbon with the Balcones Texas Bourbon review. (Whiskey Rising also reviewed Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky, Texas Rye and Texas Single Malt.)

Balcones does not list a mash bill for this bourbon. The distillery does claim to meticulously source their ingredients, including blue corn from New Mexico. Whether that serves as the corn base for this bourbon remains a guess, unfortunately. My bottle, batch TPSB20 3 dated May 5, 2020, states an aging period of at least 24 months in oak. This bourbon clocks in at 92 proof (46% ABV). Balcones claims this bourbon is full of big flavors, so now lets see if it’s Texas big.

Bottle and Appearance

In the bottle, Balcones bourbon displays a deep brown dark chestnut color. In the glass, it largely retains its same hue. Giving it a swirl allows for a moderate approaching thick coating. Despite the thickness, slippery and fast yet resilient legs quickly run down the sides. The bottle offers very little useful information regarding the juice inside and the label coloring approximates the whiskey inside. This causes the bottle to seem camouflaged on the shelf rather than jump out.

Nose

Lifting the bourbon to the nose creates a strong prickle effect that leads to a ping pong experience of flavors. At first, a nice and soothing caramel appears and stands alone. This doesn’t last long as a penetrating varnish joins it. Red apple figures in as well providing a mild yet approachable bitterness. However, toward the bottom of the nose it reveals an oily, mineral base. Despite the off flavors and lack of consistency, the nose isn’t quite offensive. Rather it comes across a bit dull and less than notable.

Palate

Moving along to the mouth, the bourbon enters with an astringency. Upfront a metallurgic burst materializes, and eventually resolves itself into rust. Red clay appears next providing an earthiness to go along with the hitherto metallic nature. As we move into the edible phase of the palate, corn finally appears as does white potatoes – neither provide much excitement. The body itself actually feels gritty as though sand fell into the bottle. At the end, the experience approaches offensive at times but generally feels inedible and rough.

Finish

The metallic streak continues from the palate as does the mineral tinge from the nose. While not much changes and the finish seems perfectly intent on merely recycling yesterday’s memories, a horseradish note does enter the fray. This eventually turns into a generic spiciness and lingers beyond its welcome, if there was one to begin with. Though the finish doesn’t outright burn on the way out, it falls more into a not not smooth category. The taste misses, though, in a not even close kind of way.

Drinkability

Drink Balcones bourbon neat. Drinking it over ice unlocks additional flavors. The most prominent of the newfound flavors is a honey mustard…that frankly doesn’t work. Pour this bourbon while welding some cast iron or working in a steel mill. Should any metal fall into the drink, it will blend right in.

Food Pairing

The recommend dish to serve with Balcones bourbon is poutine. The blue collar touch of french fries, gravy and cheese curds mixed together complements the otherwise…eh, let’s not kid ourselves. It’s just a good drinking food.

Facial Hair Rating

Balcones bourbon receives the Chevron Facial Hair Rating. The Chevron exudes an attitude that takes direct action without regard for the consequences. As such it seems to say, I’m going to wear a mustache whether you like it or not, dammit. It also may be the type that loudly and proudly proclaims to watch race car driving only for the loud and fiery crashes.

Overall

To conclude the Balcones Texas Bourbon Review – a little rough around the edges. Despite some of the less than appealing notes found within Balcones bourbon, the best complement is that it isn’t offensive for the most part. To be fair , it never really burns going down nor does it elicit a queasiness factor. Rather it generally misses on the flavors while accompanied by a strange, gritty body. It resembles drinking sauerkraut juice out of a tin can with the strong earthy and metallic currents. Not a bad deal if that’s your thing. The flavor may be big (though even that is questionable), but big isn’t always better.

Final Grade: C-

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