Revised October 8, 2022
By Richard Thomas
Ranking: B
Balcones Large Child Bonded Whiskey
(Credit score: Balcones)
Balcones made it’s repute with their very first whiskey, Child Blue. This was partly as a result of though they weren’t the primary operational whiskey distillery in Texas (that was Garrison Brothers), they had been the primary one to launch a product. The opposite purpose is their revolutionary strategy in making that product; Child Blue was made out of a mash of 100% Hopi blue corn. Drawing on grains outdoors the standard distiller’s yellow corn or purple winter wheat is a widespread apply these days, however in 2009 it was very uncommon and utilizing blue corn unparalleled.
The distillery continued to work with its seminal blue corn mash throughout its growth right into a mid-sized distillery, outfitted with Forsyths-made copper pot stills. True Blue was a 100 proof model of Child Blue; Brimstone took the blue corn whiskey and smoked it. Now comes the most recent Balcones blue corn whiskey, Large Child.
Large Child is a bonded whiskey, which is a large departure from its progenitor. Child Blue was aged in “child” 5 gallon barrels, and consequently for a matter of simply a number of months. The Bottled in Bond legislation requires a minimal getting older interval of 4 years, and Large Child is, in truth, aged for 5 years. Such a interval in 5-gallon barrels would produce a noxiously over-oaked whiskey, whether or not these barrels had been new or used.
As an alternative, Large Child follows with latest Balcones releases by getting older in used tequila barrels. Precisely what supply of these tequila barrels the distillery makes use of isn’t identified, however the selections accessible to tequila-makers is as diversified as to the Scotch business: Patron Additional Anejo alone makes use of two forms of French oak, Hungarian oak, used American whiskey barrels and new white oak barrels. So, the precise wooden of the barrel and its measurement might range enormously, with the one identified fixed being that it was used to make aged tequila. That mentioned, these are all massive barrels, equal to or better in measurement than the 53-gallon, American Customary Barrel.
The Whiskey
A pour of Large Child has a coppery look to it, not not like the way in which rye whiskeys often look.
I made a decision to conduct a bit of experiment with this explicit tasting. I bought out all of the bottles of tequila in my home (there are a couple of), and had them open facet by facet with my pour of Large Child. I in contrast nosings, and didn’t choose up even a touch of tequila on the nostril. Mix that with my reminiscence of what agave syrup smells like, and I didn’t assume the tequila barrel getting older performs that prominently within the scent of this whiskey.
However then I got here again and tried once more a couple of days later, and the tequila was there, hand-in-hand with the corn husk be aware I picked up initially (see beneath). What that underlines is simply how variable one’s senses could be. I don’t know what was blocking the tequila scent the primary time round–and I do attempt to management for that when doing an analysis–however one thing was.
All that mentioned, what I did choose up was a toffee and butterscotch sweetened present, accented by corn husk. The place the tequila did start to sing was on the palate. There the core present grew to become caramel and agave syrup, the corn side turning to a fire-roasted ear of candy corn, one that you just simply can’t get the bits of husk ash off of. The end went down ashy, earthy and spicy.
The Value
A bottle of this fetches $60.
