Balcones Lineage Texas Single Malt Whisky

An amazing new Single Malt from Balcones that is an absolute flavor bomb.

You just have to love the charming, independent, and rebellious spirit of Texas. Balcones Distilling is based in Waco — just about half way between Dallas and Austin. Texas is a big state, and they like everything big… big steaks, big trucks, big hats, and big flavors. Balcones is still a small distillery (thank goodness!), but it is filled with big ideas. They hand-make a range of Whiskies, Rums, and mysterious fiddly Spirits, all of which are unabashedly crafted with the big flavors they love. These Spirits are top notch, and they have the awards to prove it.

Balcones Lineage Texas Single Malt Whisky is a flavor bomb. And it gets that deep flavor from a few unique things. First, the barley is a combination of Simpsons Golden Promise malted barley from Scotland and local malted barley from the West Texas plains. After being distilled in copper pot stills built by Forsyths, it is aged in new and refill barrels, whose staves have been "yard-aged" for thirty-six months — nearly four times longer than most folks do it. Anyway… this amazing Texas-sized dram is bottled at 47% ABV and we just can’t get enough.

Smartass Corner:
"Yard-aging" is a technique that lets the unfitted staves sit exposed to the elements to cure — subject to sun and weather. This air-curing removes the "green wood" notes that can be medicinal and lets the toasting sink deeper into the grains.