Balcones Rumble
Texas Spirit, Official Bottle | 47% ABV
Score: 5/10
Average. In a good way.
TL;DR
Not whiskey, Balcones, definitely. But not whisky.
What’s in a name?
Along our whisky journeys we become partial to certain distilleries. When I first started, I couldn’t name more than two or three. I just didn’t have the knowledge.
Since then, I’ve sampled a significant amount of liquid from many distilleries and after years of sipping, reading and listening, my whisky vocabulary is extensive. I can now rattle off the names of what seems like an endless string of distilleries, whether I’ve sampled their bottles or I’m eager to do so. As a result, there are brands that have left their mark as preferred labels.
Whether it’s because we were able to get in early in that distillery’s development (Old Line Distillery for me), whether it’s because we sampled their whisky because of suggestions from trusted whisky enthusiasts (Loch Lomond), whether it’s from a chance encounter (Aberlour), or whether it’s from experience of enjoying a range of expressions that always seem to impress, we all have our favourite distilleries.
Recently, I was visiting friends who were hosting their annual summer bash. On the way across state, I stopped at a liquor store to pick up a bottle to take and the store looked as if it had a large selection. That said, in these parts that doesn’t always translate to a large selection of single malts. Happily, there was a good selection and it appeared the owners didn’t divide by type of whisky, but rather by nationality.
Two long shelves contained the whiskies and on the top shelf there were bottles from Scotland, Ireland, India and Canada. The lower shelf was all American. Despite the fact both shelves had noticeable gaps, the nationality was clearly noted.
The majority of American bottles on the bottom shelf were bourbons and ryes, but there was also a smattering of other whiskies randomly mixed in too. A Westland single malt was wedged between bourbons from Bardstown and Knob Creek. There was a Stranahan’s paired with a Michter’s on its left and a Four Roses on its right. I then spotted a Balcones I’d never seen before - and I was intrigued.
Balcones made its mark with me at the end of 2019. I’d heard the praises and accolades from Daniel and Rex from The Whiskey Tribe and I found a bottle at a restaurant in Virginia. It was Balcones’ Texas 1 Single Malt and I fell in love with its rich depths.
It was far from a Scottish-style single malt, but it was lovely. While I haven’t had a bottle in the past year, I’ve enjoyed several over the years and batch after batch they’ve never failed to impress. The same is true for the Peated Texas 1 Single Malt and their Lineage expression. And, even though I don’t always get along with bourbons, my whisky club shared a Balcones pot still bourbon and it passed muster. Balcones is a favourite distillery.
Then in early 2022, I tried the Balcones Brimstone - an oak-smoked whiskey where Balcones use smoke from Texas scrub oak rather than the traditional use of peat to infuse a distinct flavour. It’s a bold, unique smoked flavour bomb that I adored. Another hit. However, a more recent purchase of Brimstone wasn’t quite what I expected. The underlying flavour profile was there, but there was something different going on with notes of pine sap and soap. I chalked it up to an off batch and hope the bottle might open up over time.
But back to the shop and the bottle in front of me was Balcones Rumble - and its classification on the label was: “Texas wildflower honey, turbinado sugar & mission fig spirit.” It’s 47% ABV and non chill-filtered, so all good. But then I thought that if this wasn’t from Balcones, I would have walked past it as it’s unlikely I would have bought a spirit made from these ingredients. It made me think that I might be walking past bottles that might actually be worth my time. Just because I don’t recognise the label or distillery, I should pay more attention in future.
Review
Balcones Rumble. (Batch no. RMB21-1, dated 1/21/21), 47% ABV
US$47 widely available (£37) paid
Score: 5/10
Average. In a good way.
TL;DR
Not whiskey, Balcones, definitely. But not whisky.
Nose
Oolong tea steeped with honey. Wet pipe tobacco. A waft of pine tar and resin. Not quite ripe plums. Artificial vanilla flavouring, not unlike a reminder of vanilla icing. Evergreens. A slight waft of Silly Putty. Not bad but curiously not inviting as I had expected.
Palate
This is a curious but good flavour conundrum. It’s simultaneously floral and spicy yet carries that pine flavour from my Brimstone. I have the sense of dried apricots and figs along with that unripe plum note. The spice overlay somehow works with the pine vibe. There’s a sweetness that reminds me of spiced Caribbean rum which makes sense as we have distilled sugar (among other items). Coupled with the rum flavour is a rye spice.
The spice builds on the finish along with the pine-like flavour and then the spirit seems to dry up and evaporate – and notes of pink grapefruit come forward. It’s subtle which surprised me at first. After subsequent sips, that grapefruit essence continues to reappear.
I’ve come back to this bottle on a few occasions, each time trying to analyse a bit more. The flavours are certainly unique. It’s nothing like a single malt, blend, grain or bourbon. I’ve not tried a blend of rye and bourbon, but I think this may not be far off from what I imagine it to be like. There’s a definite rum influence though, and I imagine that’s where its name is derived from.
I continue to analyse the rye notes of spice and pine that swirl together with floral/tea notes and a sweet, light caramel note in my glass. It’s an interesting combination, but not something that moves the needle as I would have expected from a bottle from Balcones.
The Dregs
Perhaps it’s unfair to this bottle that it carries the name that it does as I have lofty expectations with Balcones. The savoury and sweet memories of the Texas 1 Single malts are etched in my mind. The Lineage certainly didn’t disappoint either and I loved my first Brimstone. Then, two bottles from Balcones with a pine-like flavour interwoven in the liquid. I’m not sure if this is a recent aspect of their flavour profile, but it’s something noticeable in two very different expressions. I’m curious to see if it’s replicated in other Balcones’ bottles.
As an aside, I examined my Brimstone and it was bottled in 2023, two years after my Rumble. That discounts a particular oddity that may have occurred in the bottling process at the same point in time.
I initially wondered if this note came about after Diageo purchased Balcones, but the acquisition happened less than a year ago – and even with the rapid maturation of Balcones distillate in the Texas climate, any interference in recipes or processes from Diageo would not have influenced bottles distilled prior to November 2022. As you see from the pictures, my Rumbe has a bottling code from 2021.
There’s no information on the bottle about age, nor is there any information about natural colour, or the types of barrels used. The back label simply says it’s “matured in premium oak casks”. What does that mean?
Going to Balcones’ website, there’s no further information. From the flavours, I don’t believe the barrels were virgin oak as I don’t taste oak tannins, nor do I think the char level was high. But then again, I shouldn’t have to guess. With prior bottles from Balcones I’ve had more information on my labels, and this step backward irks me.
Taking this bottle of Rumble independent of anything else leaves me at a curious place. I appreciate the creativity and originality of double distilling Texas wildflower honey, turbinado sugar, and mission figs. This is thinking outside the box and that impresses me. Balcones’ experimentation yields a unique spirit that has a resemblance to a spiced rum with a rye and bourbon overtone.
I’m not upset with this bottle but it’s not something I will reach for often. This could work as a substitute for rum in mixed drinks such as a Dark & Stormy or a Knickerbocker. Rumble was not what I was expecting but then the only expectation I had was this would be really good as it came from Balcones. I appreciate Balcones’ creativity but I will stick with my Texas 1 Single Malt.
Score: 5/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
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