Balcones Brimstone Texas Scrub Oak Smoked, Batch: BRM17??, Date: 11.21.17, 53% abv.

Brimstone is one of the more interesting products out of Balcones. They basically take the New Mexico Hopi blue corn distillate and smoke it with Texas scrub oak. The interesting part is the Balcones Brimstone smoking process. The actual process is a little mysterious as it's not fully publicized, but the industry thinks Balcones pumps the smoke through the distillate on the way to being "barrelled". This technique supposedly gives it an intense smokey flavor as well as an intense smokey aroma. From what I could gather, drinkers either like it or hate it.

Nose: BBQ sauce (not A1), tires.

Palate: dry, wax, smoke, very light sweet BBQ. Pretty one dimensional, but very full flavored.

Finish: moderate, strong, mesquite BBQ, lime, light wood.

The nose and finish were amazingly all BBQ, but the main flavors on the palate were a little lacking in the sense that it was so different and lighter from the nose and finish. Maybe I have a scarred tongue. It's pretty strange and pretty good. Definitely unique and worthy of multiple tries. Amazing BBQ actually. Interestingly, that night @elaine_ting and I tried all three: Balcones Baby Blue, Joseph Magnus, and Balcones Brimstone, and we both agreed all three were very strange. Had this at 7 Grand, Los Angeles, USA.

Grade: B-

Thewhiskeywash, Margarett Waterbury , 90/100
Whisky advocate, Lew Bryson, 85 points

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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