I finally got to try the Balcones from Archives that sold out in about 12 minutes when it came online. I think the Texas distillery is doing some very interesting stuff, and has been doing that for quite a while.

As it turns out, it was part of a tasting of American Single Malt whiskies by Norbert/Whisky4All that I joined in June 2021. However, my wife was ill that day and I had to entertain the kids during the Sunday afternoon scheduled for it. “And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost“.

When packing for our holiday to Zeeland last week, I randomly packed a box of samples that I hadn’t opened for a year or so and some interesting stuff resurfaced. Among the samples were the seven wee bottles for the tasting and I decided to give them a go, in the sun, in the afternoon, on holiday. Sounds like a recipe for success to me!

Let’s see what I missed on several occasions. A side note: This one was tasted blind.

Sniff:
A very oak forward nose, with a slightly metallic scent behind it. Some dried fruit, not unlike dates and plums like you get from European oak.

Sip:
Quite a lot of chili heat, with alcohol bite too. Oak, iron filings, dates and almonds. Cedar, a bit of sulfur.

Swallow:
The finish shows a bit more youthfulness, but still packs a lot of flavor. Very European in style regarding the wood.

86/100