Balcones Single Barrel Texas Straight Rye Whiskey.
Balcones Single Barrel Texas Straight Rye Whiskey. Balcones has long been one of those distilleries that pulls me back in with every release, and this single barrel hazmat rye was no exception. When this pick from HiProof landed on my doorstep, the excitement was immediate, partly because I trust their picks, and partly because I’m a sucker for Texas whiskey and its bold edge. The moment I saw the deep, blood-red hue in the bottle, I had a feeling this one was going to leave an impression. This release is a Texas straight rye whiskey aged exclusively in European oak casks. It clocks in at 73.2% ABV, making it one of the highest-proof bottles currently on my shelf. As a straight rye, we know it’s at least two years old, but based on the profile I’d guess it leans somewhere closer to three to four. What sets this apart is that full-term European oak maturation, which should leave a very different imprint than the American oak typically associated wi...