...where distraction is the main attraction.

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Balcones Baby Blue corn whiskey, Batch BB 09-11


I reviewed the center and right whiskies, the Wellers, yesterday. Today I would like to talk about the whiskey on the left, Balcones Baby Blue corn whiskey, batch BB 09-11.

Today's intro ends here because I'll have more to say below. I can't really top the second paragraph of my previous Balcones post anyway

Distillery: Balcones
Region: Waco, Tejas
Type: Corn Whiskey
Batch: BB 09-11
Mashbill: 100% Hopi blue corn
Maturation: refill 5-gallon barrels
Age: ???
Bottled: 17 December 2009
Alcohol by volume: 46%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose is mostly cheesy sweaty sock eau de vie with a side of glue, confectioner's sugar and dry boxed pasta.

The palate is very sweet, starting off with candy corn, vanilla and Canadian Club. There's some chemical bitterness and furry white dog in the background.

Finish - White dog-chased Nilla Wafers and that chemical bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

*Gives self the pep talk, "I won't turn this into a shitpost. I won't turn this into a shitpost. I won't turn this into a shitpost."*

Balcones distillery was founded in 2008, and this product was bottled in 2009, so it's no surprise that it reeks of a Revenue Release. The founder, Chip Tate, was a Blogger Buddy™ during his six years at the distillery's helm, so it's possible that many early bloggers gave Balcones products a pass in the early years. But this corn thing is the Craftiest of Craft Whiskies, the sort of thing many of us were complaining about more than a decade ago. Perhaps its sales helped keep the stills running back in the day, but it's a grim specimen to release to establish a brand. At its best it can be used as a Canadian Club substitute because the palate is salvageable on the rocks, a lot of rocks.

Availability - There are newer batches now, this one is gone
Pricing - Too much
Rating - 63