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Review #: 464
Description: Balcones Rum: Specs Single Barrel
Spirit: Rum
Background: This is a single barrel of rum distilled by Balcones in Texas and selected by Specs. It was aged for 26 months in new French Oak casks (53 gallons, because you need to clarify that with Texan distilleries). Bottled at cask strength, let’s try it.
Distillery – Balcones
Bottler – Balcones
Brand – Balcones
Selection – Specs
ABV – 64.3%
Age – 2 Years
Nose – Raw bread dough, cooked peaches, dark cherry, leather, wet campfire, tannic and some medicinal sterileness to it
Taste – Dry cherry, lots of oak, vanilla, cigar tobacco, maple syrup
Finish – Very bourbon-y, chocolate, waffle cone,tobacco, oak, torched cherry, a bit dry and tacky left in the mouth
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? If this was under like $60, probably
Thoughts: This is pretty weird, because it feels like it shouldn’t work. The nose every sniff has this strong yeasty/sourdough like smell but I love that as a baker. It’s punchy without being too hot, and lots of oak influence right on the cusp on being too much. It has depth and it has complexity though backed by a great mouthfeel that make it rather enjoyable. I’m not sure this would really work with a cocktail though.