Balcones Single Barrel Wine Cask Finish Cask Strength Texas Rye Whisky (750ml) - Australian Exclusive

Knockout rye from America's champion of big whisky. One cask for Australia only.

There are exclusive bottlings that rely more on novelty labels and limited volumes than what's actually inside the bottle. Then there are those who put substance first and bring something truly special to the table. From a category that's notoriously hard to master, here's one for rye lovers looking to up the ante: Aged in new American oak then finished in an x-Californian Pinot Noir cask for fifty nine months. Most Balcones absorb a lot of wood in a short time and can be a little shy from a fresh bottle. This is no exception, but given enough breathing the profile develops with spectacular results. In fact, it's likely only a handful of distilleries would be able to pull off something as intense and singular: Appley rye meets vanilla on the nose, building hints of red fruits, cocoa, muddled mint, ginger ale and charry oak. Ample air contact sees an initial bittersweetness replaced by the oily richness of the grain. The first taste creeps up, the second almost blows you away. Rye follows more rye with a layering that gets thicker, longer and more peppery. The finish soars, but the grand finale is the aftertaste that literally lasts for minutes, leaving you with traces of dark rye, peppermint chocolate, wood spice and balancing astringency. If you are a fan of big, bold whisky flavours, alongside Thomas Handy's Sazerac ($$$$), Millstone's 100 and some of Canada's finest, this rare and extreme rye experience is worth seeking out. One cask for the Australian importer only. 64.4% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.