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Balcones True Blue

Chip Tate of Balcones Distilling is a rising star in the American whisk(e)y world. He’s taken on the amiable task of starting a new Texas Whisky  tradition (they drop the “e”). Recent winners of many awards, Balcones was founded in 2008 in Waco TX and specializes in corn whiskey with a few other products including a rum-ish spirit called Rumble which is distilled from mission figs and Texas wildflower honey. But like I said most of their output is corn whisky, but this isn’t your distant cousin-who-has-a-connection to that guy who lives in the shack up the hill mason jar corn whiskey. Instead of using easily and cheaply obtained bulk run of the mill corn, Balcones imports Hopi Blue Corn from New Mexico. From the Balcones’ website:

“While Hopi blue corn we use has an extremely interesting history, there is really only reason one we prefer it to all other corn for our whisky– taste.  Its gorgeous midnight blue kernels are packed with a rich, roasty nuttiness that is truly exceptional. Unlike most of the blue corn on the market, Hopi blue corn is not just white dent corn which has been specially crossed to give it a blue tint. There is a lot of quality corn in this category, even some nice organic examples.  But in a blind taste test, we could not tell the blue from the white corn.  Hopi blue corn, however, has been grown with the same rich color and flavor for thousands of years and is the only corn that could impart the rich character we require for our whisky.”

Along with distilling in Tate’s hand-built copper still, yes he built it, they also age their corn whisky in small barrels in a non climate controlled room in the distillery that speeds up the aging process. The constant changes in temperature brought on by distillery production forcing the liquid in and out of the barrel combined with the greater surface area contact of the whisky in the smaller barrels allows them to get more bang for the aging buck. While you can technically call their whisky bourbon it really falls more as a refined middle road between the sweet aged character of bourbon and a more earthy corn whisky of moonshine. Balcones’ first whisky Baby Blue is billed as “not only the first Texas whisky on the market since Prohibition, but so far we know the only blue corn whisky made anywhere.” Baby Blue’s big brother True Blue is a cask strength also lightly oak aged version of the Baby Blue corn whisky, and damn good. I’ve yet to try the Baby Blue but if True Blue is any indication, Balcones is doing things right. I chose True Blue over Baby Blue because almost as a rule I go for cask strength versions if I can get my grubby hands on them.

Aroma: floral, orange, light and tight wood, some slight vanilla, nutty corn, finishing with more orange citrus candy and leather

Look how empty that is. Makes me sad.

Flavor: big first punch of  syrupy orange, spicy pepper, and some cinnamon. Then that familiar corn whisky profile, but different. Sweet, nutty, spicy, but deep, dark and earthy corn with some chocolate thrown all under it. The Blue Corn has a noticeably different flavor than the cheap mass produced corn found in other “corn whisky”.

Finish: has some drying heat that comes in mid palate and hangs around all the while surrounded with more corny corn corn and dried chili spice with thick orange and dark honey sweet notes.

Ok so my impression of Balcones True Blue is: I’m ordering more now and will do my damn best to have it on hand all the time. Unfortunately I can’t get any in SC but that’s why mail-order whisk(e)y might be the second best human discovery behind fermentation. It’s such a new whisky experience. Powerful, and while young, refined, complex, deep and outrageously good. As many other reviewers have noted, it is a very American whiskey. It screams it. If you’ve been turned off from other corn whisk(e)y offerings, give this powerhouse a try. I’m sure it’s not for everyone as it does have a different and more forward flavor presentation than any mainstream scotch, bourbon or other whisk(e)y you’re going to find and it will no doubt turn off the less open and adventurous. But if you have a palate that expands past what you find at the generic neighborhood bar and you want to try something you’re likely not to find elsewhere, this should be on your list. I’m so pissed my bottle almost dry. *ring *ring Hello Binnys? Might as well grab some other Balcones while I’m at it…. Brimstone here I come.

Highly Recommended 63.00% ABV

Ahh yes Islay. That wind battered Scottish island from which the manly whisky comes. Smokey, peaty, peaty smokey, and big enough to put hair on your chest (and other parts). Ok that’s maybe a bit much but yes, Islay whisky has its own style even when it varies from it. While this is the first Islay I’m going to review, it’s not the first I’ve tried (make sure you pronounce it correctly… ‘eye-la‘ not ‘iz-lay’ ,  you’ll only make that mistake once in the company of scotch hounds or Scots). But in this price range it is by far the most bestest, greatest life changing thing ever. Really. I mean it like a 13-year-old means Skrillex is better than the Beatles. Well, sort of. Anyway… It’s a damn fine whisky. Ardbeg is on the south-west shore of the island and is a relative neighbor to a couple other famous Islay distilleries,Port Ellen, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. Though it was officially established by the MacDougall family in 1815, like many older distilleries it was probably in existence in some form or another years before. Cruising along for a century producing whisky mainly used in blends it ran into trouble and ceased production in the early 1980′s but reopened in 1989. Glenmorangie plc. acquired Ardbeg in 1997 and has since made a big push in the whisky world. I guess you can say it is a cult whisky judging by how many of its fans swarm after it. This in some part can be attributed to their slick marketing and fan club called the Ardbeg Committee and also in part to the halt in production in the 80′s and the limited availability that it created during the 90′s. This made the  old casks sitting in blenders warehouses jump in their desirability and value. Smart bottlers seized this opportunity releasing independent bottlings which added fuel to the cult status fire. Some claim quality has suffered under new ownership and management but I would have exactly no idea about that having only tasted their 10-year-old for the first time this past year. And I love it. I don’t care. Really. So much so I’ve savored the bottle since December and have just now purchased a replacement. The first re”peat” performance since diving into scotch… sorry. That was horrible. I’m ashamed.

Tasting notes. It’s a light straw color. Nose is light and crisp but layered with ocean, smoke, light citrus, lemon and some vanilla background. Mouth feel is oily but not heavy. Taste has a big hand-full of pepper surrounded by sweetness, smoke and seawater. Giving it a little time, some oak and more sweetness opens up always surrounded by campfire smoke. It finishes long and warm with more smoke and pepper and some other spice, maybe clove. If you want a smokey peaty whiskey to try, this is your bottle. It’s not going to crush your face like some other Islays, but it’s no kitten either. It’s well balanced. All of its parts enhancing each other. In this price range, easily one of my favorites. It will remain a mainstay. 46% ABV highly recommended

For another entry in my journey through lists of must try single malts (that are approachable price wise at least),  one that often shows up is Talisker 10-year-old. So far I’ve reviewed a highland, a speyside and one from the Orkney islands. Today’s whisky review is Talisker 10-year-old coming from the only distillery on the Isle of Skye. Located off the northwest coast, Skye is the largest and most northern island of the Inner Hebrides (which to the south is also home the famous whisky island Islay). Like most of the northern Isles, Skye has a long history of settlement by Mesolithic, Neolithic and Nordic people. Its climate is greatly influenced by the gulf stream keeping things fairly mild with average temps ranging from 44-60 F winter to summer but with a good battering of wind and weather. Located on the shores of Loch Harport on the west coast of Skye, Talisker was founded in 1830 by two MacAskill brothers. The name Talisker comes from a farm near the village of Carbost where the distillery is located. After struggling for a while it changed hands and was bought by Roderick Kemp and Alexander Allan in 1881. Kemp left in 1892 to buy the McCallan. After Allan died and a few other iterations, Talisker was aquired by a group including John Dewar & Sons, later they became the Distillers Company in 1925. In 1928 they changed from triple distillation to the more standard and less expensive double distilation. Up until it was destroyed by fire in 1960, much of its production was used in blends. It was rebuilt with exact replicas of their five stills to retail the original character of the whisky and started production again in 1962.  Talisker is now a part of the beverage giant Diego which has heavily promoted the brand. Aside from their 10 year old, they also offer an 18, 25, and a Distiller’s Reserve among other special releases. Talisker’s water comes from a number of springs flowing from nearby Hawk Hill and they get their malt from Glen Ord which also supplies a number of other distilleries. They stopped malting their own in the early 70′s and demolished their malting floor just to make it official (or something like that). While much of Talisker’s production is sold as its own single malt brand, it is still used in a number of blends including Johnny Walker. Talisker was one of the popular Classic Malts of Scotland promoted by UDV (Diego) in 1988.

First thing that hits you from the nose is the smoke, it’s not as big as some other whiskies made to the south, but it’s a big part. It’s backed by alcohol fire and some peppery spice. It’s a warning, but an enticing one (wait what?). But it’s not all fire and brimstone your face, there’s some sweetness and some salty character of the islands running around back there too. On the palate more spicy smoke, sea, salt, more spice. And then more pepper spice. Some mouth coating sweetness with some more pepper. Did I mention it was peppery and spicy? The sweetness has some dried fruit going on, maybe oranges. The body is full and oily. The finish is medium with more warming spice and dried citrus but little alcohol heat. It’s just damn good. I’ve heard this whisky described as “elemental”. I like it.

If you’re new to whisky, this is going to be a whole different experience than the other ones I’ve reviewed to date. It’s much more assertive and the smoke is a big part of the character. Which is good. If you’re a long time bourbon drinker (like myself)  this will be a big departure from anything you’ve likely had. A good departure. A trip you should take. But if you’re interested in trying scotch whisky and would like to start a little easier, go with one of the other’s I’ve covered (or some I will soon cover). You should be able to find this at most any decent liquor store.  45.8% ABV Highly recommended.

At last, across the weary faem,
Frae far, outlandish pairts I came.
On ilka side o' me I fand
Fresh tokens o' my native land.
Wi' whatna joy I hailed them a' -
The hilltaps standin' raw by raw,
The public house, the Hielan' birks,
And a' the bonny U.P. kirks!
But maistly thee, the bluid o' Scots,
Frae Maidenkirk to John o' Grots,
The king o' drinks, as I conceive it, Talisker, Isla, or Glenlivet!

From "The Scotsman's return from abroad" - Robert Louis Steveson

Robert Burns is regarded as the Scottish national poet and often referred to as its favorite son. Most famous for having written Auld Lang Syne and the unofficial Scottish national anthem Scots Wha Hae he was a prolific poet and is celebrated on his birthday every January 25th (and other nights) with “Burns Night”  or “Burns Suppers” celebrations in Scotland and around the world.

These typically involve Haggis, Neeps and Tatties,  recitation of his poems and songs,  toasts  (with expected attendee participation), and of course whisky.

Freedom and whisky gang thegither

Oh whisky! soul o’ plays and pranks!
Accept a bardie’s gratefu’ thanks!
When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks
Are my poor verses!
Thou comes – they rattle in their ranks,
At ither’s arses!

Fortune!  if thou but gie me still
Hale breeks, a scone, an’ whisky gill,
An’ rowth o’ rhyme to rave at will,
Tak a’ the rest,
An’ deal’t about as thy blind skill
Directs thee best.

Time for a another scotch review. As I’m making my way through what I’m considering (and what many recommend) as “introductory” single malts I come to Highland Park 12 year old. Billed as ”The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky” by world-famous beer and whisky expert Michael Jackson, it’s often found on the list of must tries for those new to single malts. The highland park distillery was established in 1798 in the Orkney islands off the north coast of Scotland. Orkney has human settlements dating back 8,500 years including various Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and later the Picts.  Norway invaded and settled the archipelago in the 9th century and in the 1400′s the islands were annexed from Denmark when Christian I of Denmark failed to pay the dowry of his daughter who married James III of Scotland. Because of the quality and preservation of Neolithic sites, the “Heart of Orkney” was dedicated a UNESCO World heritage site. Unofficially founded in the late 18th century by Magnus Eunson, Highland Park distillery is (or was, not sure now) the northern most whisky distillery in the world. From the accounts on Highland Park’s website Eunson seems to have been quite the character. You can see some parallels with stories of  bootleggers in the American south, many of whom were not so coincidentally of Scottish decent. In 1818 the official founding of the distillery took place by Robert Borwick and his son-in-law John Robertson. It remained in family hands until it was purchased by Stuart and Mackay in 1876. In 1895 James Grant became the partner of Mackay after the death of Stuart. Highland Park remained in the Grant family’s hands until 1937 when it became part of the Highland Distilleries portfolio. Like many distilleries in Scotland they ceased production during WWII returning to production in 1945. After being purchased in 1970 by Matthew Gloag & Sons, blenders of The Famous Grouse,  Highland Park began bottling its first single malt in 1979.

They take pride in malting their barley at the distillery, going through the labor intensive practice of hand turning it every 8 hours for seven days. Something few distilleries do today. They use a mixture of local Orcadian barley and some from Simpsons in ”main land” Scotland. The mix of the higher phenol Orcadian malt with the Simpsons malt gives the whisky balance. They peat dry their malted barley using local peat from Hobbister Moor. Peat fires are commonly used to dry the malted barley for milling in the whisky distillation process. It adds a distinctive smokey aroma and flavor to whisky sometimes described as phenolic, earthy or even in this case, heatherly. The variation depends on where the peat comes from, how long the barley dried over peat fires and I’m sure all manner of other things.  Highland Park claims the peat from Orkney differs from the famous Islay peat in composition and therefore has a distinctive character of its own. Their website has a great description of the peat they use from Hobbister Moor here.  Though all this talk about peat is not to confuse this whisky with a highly “peated” one. It’s there, but it’s not kicking you in the teeth like some of the big Islay malts. I’ll get to those at another time. Highland Park matures some of their whisky in 23 warehouses on site in Orkney. Because of Orney’s stable climate (average temp is 46 F with winter and summer averages ranging less than 10 degrees in either direction) they claim it lends to a balanced maturation. They use a variety of oak casks for their maturation including American oak (though interestingly not ex-bourbon) and Spanish Sherry oak butts, puncheons or hogsheads.

The Highland Park 12 year old was their first release when they began proprietary bottling in the late 1970′s . Like all Highland Park core expressions it is aged in all sherry casks, 20% of them for the 12 year old being first fill. It’s a nice darker honey color when poured. Has some legs when swirled around but nothing major. The aroma is full of honey sweetness, some fresh fruit, sherry and a hint of smoke. Flavor is more of the same, honey sweetness, sherry, fresh fruit a little more smoke and citrus. Some caramel, vanilla and cinnamon spice also shows up. I’ve read many reviews that mention heather in the flavor, though honestly I’m not sure I could pick it out. It’s a characteristic of the Orkney peat, I just have no experience identifying it. It has a medium weight with a slight oilyness. The finish is medium long with more smoke making a lingering appearance. Very nice. One thing though, I’ll admit despite reviews everywhere assigning this whisky near deity status for its price level (<$45.00), my first dram after opening the bottle was disappointing. I’m not sure if my taste buds and nose buds (nose buds?) were all screwed up from something stupid I had done or maybe I was tired or the dog stank or something, but I just could not get a good grasp on it. It just never seemed to open up for me. Same with the second one a few days later. I was all primed to add some water the third go around but figured I’d give it one more neat try and voilà. Bingo. I can’t explain it past some environmental thing going on but the third time was the try. Much more open and easy to wrap my tiny brain and inexperienced senses around. This is one worth keeping around.  43% ABV. Recommended.

In the future I’ll review a combo of the Highland Park 18 year old along with a bottle of Ola Dubh ale aged in Highland Park 18 year old casks.

So this blog is titled pork and whisk(e)y right? I do believe it is time for some whisky. As I’ve said before I’ve been a long time bourbon drinker but have recently gotten the single malt bug due to in part to being given a bottle by a coworker. This of course triggered my somewhat obsessive and annoying “thirst” [see what a clever wordsmith I am? no?] for an interesting subject once introduced to it. After doing some reading and having a dram or two from the gifted bottle, I picked out a few distillery’s offerings as good introductions to single malt. One that was on most lists I came across was Glenmorangie Original 10 year old.

Glenmorangie has produced whisky in the town of Tain on the Dornoch Firth  in the Highlands region of Scotland since 1849 (though they were licensed 1843). After changing hands in the early 20th century and taking some time off during the two big wars and prohibition, the distillery has produced whisky since its inception. Glenmorangie means “Glen of Tranquility” in Gaelic. The current stills are exact replicas of the original second-hand gin stills and are claimed to be the tallest in Scotland. They expanded from 2 to 8 stills in the 80′s and then to 12 in the late 2000′s now producing 6 million litres of alcohol per year.  They are credited for being one of the first distilleries to make wide use of a second aging in finishing casks. This means that after a set number of years aging in used bourbon casks (10 years or more typically) the whisky is transferred to another used cask such as a Sherry, Port, Madeira or other wine / spirit to “finish” for what is often 2 additional years, but that too can vary.

While the Original 10 year old expression is only aged in first and second fill American White oak ex-bourbon casks, many of their other expressions utilize some form of finish aging. Glenmorangie is so concerned with the quality of the wood used they own a forest in Missouri from which the wood for their casks is hand selected before making a stop in Kentucky for a time filled with bourbon then on to the distillery in Tain.  The Original is the best selling single malt in Scotland. It is often suggested by whisky blogs and websites to whisky noobs because it’s not a big peaty beast, is light and a little sweet and has some subtle complexity. All coming together to make an enjoyable neophyte whisky experience with room to stay around. After trying it I agree. It’s a pale gold color with a light floral nose with some honey. Taste -wise it is a lighter balanced whisky with some vanilla, a little more honey and toffee or hinting at some very light smoke. A smooth almost viscous mouthfeel with a medium finish that gives a little ginger. Very pleasant and not overwhelming. If you’re looking for a first whisky to try, this would not be a bad choice. I’ve enjoyed it. 40.0% ABV.  Recommended.