Balcones
Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whiskey 46% 70cl
- Details
Founded in Waco, Texas in 2008 by Chip Tate, Balcones has an excellent reputation and a troubled history. Chip set up the distillery in an old welding shop and named it after a fault line that runs through part of the state. Instead of buying in stills, he built his own - even making his own barrels. Idiosyncratic in every way, Balcones launched into an American whiskey market that was just about to explode. With a great liquid and a memorable character at the helm, things could not have started better. Although Garrison Brothers started production before them, Balcones was able to release the first legal Texan whiskey since Prohibition with the launch of Baby Blue, and it can be considered one of the earliest of the current wave of 'craft' American whiskey producers.
But in 2013 things started to go wrong. A major investment from Gregory Allen resulted in changes to the board, and while the first few months were better than ever as growth could take place, the relationship at the top started to go awry, resulting in Tate being sued by the others on the board, and countersuing himself. Eventually Tate left the following, under the proviso he could not make whiskey for 2 years. Tate would eventually go on to set up Tate & Co Distilling.
Despite the palaver in the background, Balcones continues to impress with an excellent range of spirits that feel Texan in every way, with current Head Distiller Jared Himstedt steadying the ship and maintaining quality. Baby Blue was the first release from Balcones, so named as it is a whiskey made from Texas blue corn, a maize that is somewhat oily. Corn whiskey generally isn't aged, so the 'Baby' element of the name is due to aging for a short time in used 5 gallon barrels. It's full of corn flavour - what a surprise - but considering the youth there is still a refinement to it, although some might feel that youthfulness impedes the overall flavour. While I get that argument, I love the sprightly spiciness of it, along with the sweeter candy corn notes dancing around. It's an unusual whiskey, but one that excites. It's also fantastic in whiskey cocktails, providing sparks of life not shown by richer Bourbon whiskies.
- Delivery & Returns
DELIVERY CHARGES:
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