Another Balcones. A very rare brand of booze indeed. I think the only places to get it in Europe are The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt. I tasted their True Blue and Baby Blue before. I didn’t really enjoy them, they needed more ageing.

Both the aforementioned whiskies and this Brimstone are made with 100% Texas Blue corn. The difference of this Brimstone is that the whiskey (not the corn!) has been smoked on Texas scrub oak. As you might have guessed Chip Tate and his acolytes are trying their hardest to make it every bit as Texan as possible.

Balcones Brimstone (image from The Whisky Exchange)

Sniff:
A diesel fire to begin with, with barbecued bell peppers/paprikas/capsicums. Barbecue sauce, bacon and lots of pork anyway. Behind all those ridiculously delicious scents there is a gentleness that I didn’t expect (not after both the Blue varieties). Burnt oak and chipotle too.

Sip:
On the palate more pork and charcoal. Again barbecue sauce, cayenne pepper. It has a certain heat and sharpness to it that is very appealing and makes me think of the southern states. Sweet wood smoke, pepper and red cinnamon.

Swallow:
Again, a sharpness to begin with that subsides rather quickly. It reveals the diesel fire again, barbecued bacon and other seared pork (pork butt for example). Charcoal, sweet wood, roasted peppers and sweet dried tomatoes.

While this all sounds very strange to taste in a drink, anyone with a tiny bit of knowledge about American barbecue (like me) should at least try this whisky. It raced to the top of my wish list right away and until I get me a bottle, it will stay there!

This is available from The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt just under € 80. Very much worth it!

Thanks to Phil Blake for the sample!