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Balcones Distilling hails from Waco, Texas, and has lengthy targeted on heirloom blue corn varietals of their whiskies (a lot of which we’ve dipped into up to now together with Baby Blue, Brimstone, and True Blue Cask Strength). Roasted blue corn is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled, and matured in used oak on website on the distillery. (Drinkhacker be aware: Given the 100% corn content material, technically the whisky might declare to be bourbon, however for the growing old in used tequila casks as an alternative of latest American oak barrels.)
Balcones’ newest blue corn launch is Large Child, their first bottled-in-bond providing. For a fast refresher on the bottled-in-bond designation, the whisky should be produced by a single distiller in a single season, aged a minimal of 4 years (Large Child is aged 5 years) in a federally bonded warehouse, and launched at 100 proof.
The distillery says that as a “crisp corn whisky, Large Child 2022 is loaded with glowing minerality, southwestern flavors and a citrusy earthy end. The 100-proof whisky could be loved neat with soda water and agave syrup, or in a salt-rimmed cocktail.” The fairly unconventional profile that it guarantees definitely perks one’s ears (and nostril and palate) to what this could probably quantity to in a glass.
Let’s see what it delivers.
The nostril is kind of vibrant however on the astringent aspect, with notes of baked pecan, gritty maple syrup sweetness, and a malty agave undertone. The palate kicks off with daring introductions of peat and white pepper, oakiness drenched within the tequila-driven agave accents, lime-forward bitter citrus, and (maybe by energy of suggestion) corn husk. There’s a spiced sweetness within the combine that’s onerous to put, however I’m going to go along with Mott’s apple juice sprinkled with cinnamon and lemon rind. The end rides on smoky agave oak for some time.
And to resolve the question, the distiller’s reference to “crisp corn whisky” that’s “loaded with glowing minerality” is an apt teaser for what you possibly can count on. It is a spunky pour that’s surprisingly enjoyable and straightforward to drink, regardless of such a modest contact of sweetness and daring pops of pepper and oak, with the coup de grace supplied by an unexpectedly mushy touchdown of cornflakes and roasted pecans that makes you return for one more trip on the curler coaster.
100 proof.
B+ / $60 / balconesdistilling.com
Balcones Large Child Corn Whisky
$60
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