This whiskey created a lot of buzz in whiskyworld on the back of the ongoing general "Balconesmania" that I don't quite get. I love the fact that a Texas whiskey is making bloggers drool and whisky magazine cover pages, but I am a little puzzled why. Their products have ranged, in my opinion, from good (Texas Single Malt) to bizarre (Brimstone) and even their biggest fans will admit to a little inconsistency in their early bottlings. I would have to put this one however in the category of "best one yet" and suggests to me they do their best work when working with tried and true whisky recipes (eg single malt, bourbon) rather than blue corn and mesquite wood smoke. Sometimes cliches are cliches for a reason (which maybe a cliche as well). The nose has alcohol, toasted wood, vanilla and sweet cookie dough. The taste is hot at first, then corn syrup, charred wood, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper. Rich and powerful stuff but still balanced with a silky mouthfeel. A velvet fist in an iron glove? The finish is long and dry like a Texas drought.
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