You’ve likely heard the cliche “Everything is bigger in Texas” before. Well, that might be true when it comes to cowboy hats, T-bone steaks, and oil fields, but there are some exceptions to this platitude. The Lone Star State is also home to people who are focused on detail and small-batch production instead of volume and a “bigger is better” mentality. Take Balcones Distilling in the small city of Waco, for example, which started out as a craft distillery but is now owned by Diageo, and has been making corn whisky (they use the Scottish spelling without the “e”), rye, and American Single Malt Whisky since 2011. Whether it’s sourcing grains for different mash bills, deciding which type of yeast to use for fermentation, distilling small batches of whisky in pot stills imported from Scotland, or aging that whisky in custom charred and toasted barrels, Balcones has always been a distillery that believes that the details and process are as important as the end result. That’s why it has become one of the most innovative distilleries in the state of Texas over the past 15 years.
It’s not just that everything is bigger in Texas, either. Texas is literally bigger than nearly every other state, second in size only to Alaska in terms of square mileage. There are now about 200 distilleries there, but when Balcones began there were less than 10. In 2008, the founders decided to convert an old welding shop into a distillery and started making whisky a year later. That building served as the distillery’s production center until 2015, when operations moved into a converted warehouse.
Born from a curiosity to see what Texas could bring to the world of whisky, Balcones adapted the ways of whisky-making to their home state, collaborating with an uncompromising climate and embracing their surroundings instead of fighting against them. They prioritize leaning local whenever possible, especially when it comes to sourcing grains for their whisky. Local ingredients shine in their Lineage Texas Single Malt Whisky, which uses Texas malted barley, as well as Baby Blue Straight Corn Whisky, which uses 100 percent Texas-grown and roasted blue corn.
A key step in the whisky-making process is fermentation, when yeast is added to the mash to convert sugar into alcohol before distillation. The type of yeast that is used has a big impact on flavor, something that Balcones has always taken to heart. Instead of using one type of yeast for all of its whiskies, the distillery has tailored this step to specific expressions in terms of time and temperature. This produces esters, or flavor compounds, that imbue the spirit with deep fruity and floral notes. Distillation takes place at Balcones in double batch copper pot stills from Forsyths of Scotland instead of the column stills that are typically used in America to make bourbon. The process is run slow and low, similar to how Texas’s famous barbecue is cooked, which means the new make spirit is rich and has a pronounced mouthfeel even before barrel aging.
The team at Balcones uses a variety of different casks to age its whisky, giving the blenders a liquid palette to choose from when marrying barrels together for the distillery’s different expressions. The volatile climate in Waco is its own essential ingredient in the whisky and part of what makes their liquid so unique. That is why Balcones has purposely chosen not to temperature-control the warehouses where barrels are matured. Due to the rapid shifts in temperature and humidity, much more than in Kentucky or Tennessee, Balcones’s spirit drives deeper into the pores of oak in rapid intervals, which creates a unique spirit that can only be produced in Texas. That means that the interaction between whisky and wood, a sort of cyclical respiration process, occurs much faster — some might even call this an element of terroir that is specific to the region.
The core Balcones lineup is made up of four distinct whiskies:
Baby Blue Straight Corn Whisky
This was the first Texas whisky on the market since Prohibition. With notes of sun tea and green peppercorn, this whisky is a pure expression of distinct ingredients and flavors that showcase the unlimited potential of Texas whisky.
Texas 1 Single Malt Whisky
This whisky started with a traditional single malt approach but with a more virgin oak-forward profile to bring a new perspective to what is now known as American Single Malt Whisky.
Lineage Texas Single Malt Whisky
This whisky is made from Texas-grown and malted barley aged in new and used oak barrels alongside Scottish Golden Promise malted barley. It is the distillation of centuries-old traditions and Balcones’s modern take on American single malt whisky.
Texas Rye Bottled in Bond
This 4-year-old, 100-proof rye whisky is made from a 100 percent rye mash bill (91 percent of that is raw Elbon rye sourced from northwest Texas). The whisky is given a long seven-day fermentation to maximize flavor, and it’s aged in 225-liter casks for at least four years as required to meet the bottled-in-bond designation.
The Balcones team is always experimenting and has put out various special releases over the years, like the high-proof, sherry-cask-finished Brujeria single malt and single barrel expressions aged in Hungarian or French oak. These releases highlight the spirit of inventiveness, creativity, and sense of place that this Texas distillery has encapsulated since filling its first barrel. And 15 years later, Balcones is still pushing the boundaries of whisky while remaining true to its Texas roots.
This article is sponsored by Balcones.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. DISTILLED & BOTTLED AT BALCONES DISTILLING, WACO, TX.
