Texas Pot Still Bourbon
The medal-winning Balcones Pot Still Bourbon from the highly-rated Texas distillery of Balcones is well-known in the USA but only recently available in the UK.
Whenever I see the words ‘pot still’ it makes me think of Irish poteen, which is basically moonshine made from whatever ingredients are local and cheap, like potatoes. While touring Ireland I once bought a bottle from someone selling poteen at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I don’t think I ever finished it… and I’ve tried some rough drinks in my time!
Texas Pot Still Bourbon
Balcones’ Texas Pot Still Bourbon is an entirely different beast, of course, apart from it being a bourbon and definitely not moonshine! It’s won several awards, as have Balcones’ other spirits. Just check out the Awards page on their website, which is really impressive.
Balcones Distillery
Balcones was founded in an old welding shop in Waco, Texas, in 2008, and its first whiskey in 2009 was called Baby Blue. This is made from Texas blue corn and was the first whiskey to be made in Texas since Prohibition. It’s still one of their Classic range of whiskies, to which this Texas Pot Still Bourbon has been added. It’s now one of the biggest distilleries in the Lone Star state, and its Texas Single Malt is distilled from locally-grown Scottish Golden Promise malted barley.
Making Texas Pot Still Bourbon
This Pot Still Bourbon is a blend of four grains: roasted Texas blue corn, Texas wheat, Texas rye, and malted barley. The exact proportions don’t seem to be given but it’s bourbon so at least 51% corn. The grain mix is distilled twice and then aged for at least two years in new charred oak barrels.
Tasting Texas Pot Still Bourbon
The bottle is chunky, short and solid, and matches Balcones’ other spirits. The distinctive red label shows that the bourbon is bottled at 46% ABV (92 proof). Colourwise it’s a deep and dark, almost ruby-red colour. It looks tasty before you’ve even tried it!
Smelling the bourbon is a total delight. It’s got the freshness of apples, the sweetness of honey and vanilla, a hint of straw, and a toasted caramel aroma too. There’s some butter and cinnamon spice in there as well. There’s certainly a lot going on.
Tasting it, the delight and complexity both remain, and you get all of the above and more. The vanilla and honey are joined by a creaminess on the sweet side, and a rich chocolate and caramel taste. If you like to sip a sweetish bourbon, this is definitely one for you.
It isn’t just sweet, though. There’s that cinnamon spice, some orange citrus, and a bit of nuttiness in there as well. The spiciness comes out again on the finish, for a totally satisfying drink. It’s going to be good in cocktails, I know, but I’ll save my cheaper whiskies for those as this is definitely going in the sipping section on the drinks shelf.
Buying Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon
You can learn more about this Pot Still Bourbon on the Balcones website. Texas Pot Still Bourbon is available in the UK from Master of Malt, Whisky Exchange, The Drinkshop, and in a selection of independent specialist wines and spirits merchants. The Recommended Retail Price in the UK is £42.
In the USA it’s also available online from Caskers.
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