Balcones Single Barrel #21826 Oloroso Sherry Finish Cask Strength Single Malt American Whisky (700ml) - Australian Exclusive

Note: These have anything from superficial label damage to torn labels.

Besides Clear Creek Distillery in Oregon and Stranahan’s in Colorado, the brightest star in the Northern single malt firmament is Balcones. Deeply rooted in Texas climate and charisma, their single malts are bold, full of personality and rich in wood extracted spices. The very best become candidates for Balcone's 'Single Barrel Private Selection Program'. These offer the most complexity, intense palate weight and precocious balance (ABV and barrel type will vary depending on what edition you get). Usually cherry-picked for private sale, we have received cask #21826, an Oloroso finished whisky. The yield was miniscule, even by Texas standards - less than 100 bottles. Despite the cask having being used several times, the sherry influence is significant. It should appeal both to Scotch and Bourbon drinkers alike and is guaranteed to be one of the more short lived releases for 2021.

Keep in mind, this was matured in the very hot and dry Waco weather, so what you get both looks and tastes remarkably mature and complex for its age. The initial nosing finds lots of alcohol, wood and cocoa. It continues to richen and develop over five minutes in the glass adding liquorice bullets, roasted nuts, vanilla malt, dark chocolate and dried apricots to the olfactory range. Others will find still more. Swamped with an intense, dry, nutty Oloroso character and bottled at a formidable proof, this is surprisingly easily approached once passed the initial attack. And to balance the sherry and mid palate astringency, there's a perfect amount of honeyed malt and mocha sweetness at the finish. It just goes on and on, sprinkling the tongue with cinnamon and pepper along the way. While we use the term 'Sherry bomb' sparingly, what we have here is something more again. One of the most incendiary whisky sensations of the year.61.5% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.