This one-of-a-kind whisky is smoked with sun-baked Texas scrub oak using our own secret process. The result is a whisky full of fresh, youthful corn and light fruit notes married with a bold smokiness. Whether you like smoky whiskies, or just have a penchant for big, new flavors, Brimstone is sure to be a memorable pour. Aromas of masa, Texas campfire and powdered sugar backed by stone fruit, peppery spice, and mint. Bold yet balanced, Brimstone is yet another Texas original from Balcones.
Balcones Distilling
Appearance
Very dark red in colour, like a fruit juice. The swirl line is medium thick, which beads up immediately, and coats the glass all over. #balconestasting
Nose
This is different, a sweet/Smokey affair atm. HP sauce? A little of the hot mashed potato that I get now and then. A touch of menthol is here, with toasted tea cakes, balsa wood shavings, black currants, cigar leaves, brown sugar and caramel. #balconestasting
cola cubes, rum and raisin, and perhaps royal icing dancing around. #balconestasting
Palate
Mouthfeel is a little thin for me, and it’s a spicy/Smokey monster. Smoke from a fire made of tree boughs, and dark fruits a plenty. Cloves, figs, dark plums, fisherman’s friends throat sweets, cask char, black coffee with a sweet syrup in it. #balconestasting
As it develops I’m getting Victoria plums, green grapes, white and black pepper, and then lots of cigar leaves, cinnamon and cumin, black currant JAM! And I’m getting something like faint sulphur from sherry cask drams, this is a dirty dirty dram alright. #balconestasting
Finish
Quite long, earthy, more drying, cherry syrup in black coffee, and dandelion and burdock, which i love. #balconestasting
My thoughts
In my opinion this is another great dram from Balcones, especially in it’s fruity smokiness with deeper notes as it develops. I was surprised a little by the thin-ish mouthfeel, but that’s all i can point out that didn’t impress. Everything else is very nice, both it’s aromas and flavours are unique actually. If you come to this thinking the smoke is the same stuff you get from Scotch or Irish whiskies you’d be wrong, this is different, and in a good way.
This bottle comes in at around £75, and it’s a bottle i’d happily own, but for me, loving real fruit platter whiskies i’d buy their Single Malt. If you like smokey whisky, with a twist, this could well be for you. I’d certainly say to anyone interested in it to try and source a sample, but £75 in the current whisky world isn’t too bad, and there is a lot going on in this bottle.
A big thank you goes out to my whisky friend Paul – @pswhisky on Twitter, for sending out these samples and arranging the tasting that this bottle was a part of. Follow Paul and indeed us on Twitter using the buttons below.
Bottle image – Royal Mile whiskies.
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