Balcones 5 Year Old 2016 SMWS Single 1st Fill Tequila Barrique CW2.1 A Prairie Dream Texas Corn Whiskey (2022) 70cl
1 of 171 bottles produced from a single 1st fill Tequila Barrique
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded in Edinburgh in 1983 by Phillip 'Pip' Hills who, while travelling around Scotland in the 1970s, fell in love with whiskies drawn straight from the cask. After he expanded his syndicate the Society was purchased by Glenmorangie PLC in 2004. In 2015, the Society was sold back to private investors. In June 2021, the private owners floated the holding company The Artisanal Spirits Company plc on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.
It has a unique code system where the first number refers to the distillery and the second refers to the cask from which the bottle comes. SMWS also offers the largest range of distilleries of any independent bottler. These curiously named drams really do have something for every whisky lover!
TASTING NOTES
Aromas of strawberry and lime cider, olive oil, lime curd and rooibos tea were followed by the sweet scent of caramelised bananas as well as roasted peaches, nectarines and plums. On the palate spicy, sweet and creamy like a soursop juice (pineapple, berries and citrus) and salted caramel, while in the finish a Bloody Mary cocktail. After we added water a warming glow of sitting around a campfire in the prairie as we shared spiced blackcurrant juice as well as hazelnut praline truffles, while in the never-ending finish there was dark chocolate, tobacco and Asian spices making this truly a dream of an undulating prairie which signifies joyous happening.
About Balcones
Balcones is an American craft distillery founded by Chip Tate, who felt the urge do something new. Instead of just trying out a different recipe of pasta sauce or something boring like that, he decided that he wanted to start a Texas whisky tradition. Much more exciting.
The Balcones distillery is housed within an old welding shop under a bridge in Waco, Texas. While that might sound like the setting for a horror movie, it’s actually the birthplace of delicious and legendary craft whisky! A vast majority of the equipment used by Balcones to make the whisky was built by Chip and other Balcones members using sheet metal, welding tools and hammers. The end result was a fully functional distillery made by hand, exactly how they wanted it.
Following that extreme display of ingenuity and awesomeness came even more ingenuity and awesomeness as they started distilling their whisky. They produced the the Texas Single Malt, and the first ever Blue Corn whisky, the True Blue, both of which have been showered in accolades and awards. As they continue to add new whiskies and get medals draped around their necks, we’d say that Chip has achieved his goal. Balcones makes Texas whisky, not just whisky made in Texas.
In 2008, Balcones was nothing more than an idea driven by a passion to create something original and authentic, right here in the Heart of Texas. It all started in an old welding shop under a bridge in Waco. For the next year, we replaced the roofing, knocked out walls, laid brick, cut pipes, installed copper pot stills from Portugal, and shoehorned a whisky distillery inside that quaint building. Proud of what we had accomplished on our own, we began distilling in 2009.
Generally, whiskies are aged for many years or even decades. However, the unique climate of Texas changes that paradigm completely. Everyone knows it’s hot in Texas, but that’s only half the story. Rapid temperature swings are a part of our region’s weather characteristic, and these quick shifts force barrels to “breathe” at a much faster rate than in traditional whisky-making regions. This not only causes oaky flavors to mingle with the liquid inside but also accelerates the complex processes that transform raw spirit into a fully-matured product. It’s one of several ways that Balcones embraces a unique terroir.
68.6% ABV
70cl
