Makers Moe: The Simpsons, Makers Mark and Balcones Straight Texan Bourbon Whiskies

I've always been a huge fan of cartoons and from my uncle who learnt his English by reading Donald Duck comics first in Norwegian and then again in English, through to my older brothers who always had copies of The Beano lying around, it's been a consistent family trait.

Starting with the aforementioned Dundee-based comic (which has been the subject of a post before) I graduated to the excellent Tintin series of works, but that's where my interest waned in favour of books with less illustrations and more words.

However, I've still maintained a love for graphic art and, of course the odd relaxing cartoon on the telly from time-to-time.

One of my guilty pleasures in life is to set the Sky+ box to series link for The Simpsons and, once the working day is over, to sit back with a nice dram and an episode or two of this now iconic American show. So, imagine my surprise when I heard that in the latest season (season 24) one episode, called Whiskey Business, was to feature the down-at-heel local bar owner, Moe Sizlack landing venture capital investment to sell his own bourbon, Maker's Moe.

Amid the growing craft distillation movement in the US, we shouldn’t forget those staple bourbons which populate our backbars and supermarket shelves, so this gives us a nice chance to have another look at Maker's Mark whisky.

Maker's Mark – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky – 45% abv – 70cl £22.95 here

Nose: a bourbon which doesn’t shout but gets its point across well with few words. Vanilla pods and oak spices are backed with some subtle honey and red apple, all wrapped in parma ham.

Palate: soft brown sugars are mixed again with vanilla pods and some red cherries. There is a hint of ginger and a mixed dried fruits. Oaky drieness kicks in, but this is, overall, soft and subtle on the palate.

Finish: Some spices, but not over powering. Softness again.

Overall: A really great whisky for mixing or pouring, this is a classic example of a great American bourbon which has established itself as a go-to brand for all the right reasons.

It's no secret that craft distilling is in a boom-time in the US and it has reached such a height that even The Simpsons is featuring it. Quite the accolade for those already set-up and distilling.

Of those making interesting spirits, Chip Tate at Blacones in Texas has to be right at the top of the tree. From his crazy creations such as Rumble (a distillation of figs, honey and sugar) through to his Baby Blue and the 2012 Best In Glass award-winning Texan Single Malt, Chip has now delved into the world of bourbon, making something which we would describe simply as ‘extraordinary’. We tried a sample at this year’s Whisky Live...

Blacones – Straight Bourbon Whisky – Single Cask – 64.2% abv - 100 bottles approx. worldwide

Nose: A classic “yee-haa” of a bourbon nose with rich toffee apple, light wood varnish (Pledge?), rich vanilla pods, some freshly laid garden wood chippings and that wonderful delicate drying note provided by the corn.

Palate: As is becoming traditional with Chip’s offerings, this is stout, strong and robust, with elements of charred meats, heavy oak and red cherries, yet there is a complexity on the back of the palate where spices dance around hand-in-hand with those vanilla pods from the nose, with hearty red berries and cinnamon spices providing a velvety backdrop.

Finish: Cigar box and leather with those red berries finishing off and a drying tone of menthol to end the experience.

Overall: Another great whisky from Chip Tate. I hope, unlike Moe Sizlack, that Chip maintains his independence and can play around with ideas and flavours at will. It’s a great bedrock on which to build a business.

How unusual be reviewing two American offerings and not have to put an ‘e’ in my whisky. However, when you pour yourself a dram of the Balcones Straight Bourbon, you’ll certainly be putting the ‘you’ into flavour...

A Rumble In Penge

The Ridley nursery barely had room for a cot

Surprisingly, my first week of self-imposed paternity leave has been incredibly easy going (famous last words)  Little Lois Ridley, now seven days old has been sleeping and feeding well (with the occasional grizzle) and in-between naps, I have found the time to not only re-catalogue my whiskies, but to also compose a soothing baby sound track in the style of the great early 60's electro pioneer and wizard musician, Raymond Scott.  

Analogue soundscapes await baby Lois.  

Digging out my ancient Korg MS10 analogue synth, a Watkins Copicat tape echo and other antique sonic gizmos, I have been trying to tap into a soundscape that transfixes a baby, stimulating their ears, yet soothing them at the same time.











Scott released several masterpiece long players (which you can still get hold of) including a suite of recordings in 1964 designed to help parents bring their new babies into the world. 'Soothing Sounds For Baby' was released in collaboration with the Gesell Institute of Human Development and you can check the various recordings out here:  and here.

So far, my own project has had some success, albeit making the composer fall asleep several times at the keyboard, which I take to mean the principles also apply to big babies, like my good self.

If you happen to be passing Caskstrength Towers any time soon and hear some outer-worldly sounds, rumbles and sophoric drones emanating from the nursery, you'll know i'm at work, or have just hit the keyboard randomly in a heavy slumber.

Speaking of rumblings, several kinds have reached us at Caskstrength this week.  Firstly the news that Bruichladdich looks to be up for sale and that Cognac giants Remy Martin are in advanced discussions with the distillery owners.  Whether this means more cognac finishes is anyone's guess, but it demonstrates the significant position the Islay distillery are in after ten years of hard work building up their somewhat formidable reputation.

Secondly a brand new 'Rumble' has just hit our desks.  Balcones distillery, the Texas-based craft operation lovingly run by Chip Tate are becoming well known for their experiments in flavour, casting the net wide when it comes to new ways to produce innovative spirit.  This version of Rumble follows on from the one we were first bowled over by at Whisky Live London back in March.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this genre defying spirit, have a glance at our review here.  Rumble falls between the categories entirely -  in fact, as Chip likes to call it - the 'Spirit of Texas' is not a whisky (as it contains no cereal and is made predominantly from sugar) but is not technically a rum either, as its other key ingredients are wildflower honey and Mission figs. So it's somewhere in-between mead, brandy, rum and whisky -  the latter comparison coming from the already formidable woody complexity it has gained, despite its tender age.

This new batch of Rumble will hopefully be available in the UK shortly through a well-known retailer and well worth seeking out if you fancy a step in the direction of the deep south... it's not quite The Dukes Of Hazzard but it sure do taste purdy...

Balcones -  Rumble -  Cask Reserve -  Batch RCR12-1 - 58.1%      

Nose: Beguiling stuff. At first some sweet brown sugar, followed by chopped hazelnuts, vanilla pipe tobacco, dried coconut, milky coffee and chocolate covered dairy fudge.  It could so easily be a well aged whisky, but just has something different up its sleeve. Make no mistake, this is hot and needs a little dash of water to calm it down, but when you do, furniture polish, dried figs, rich Oloroso sherry, brittle caramel and something slightly mossy hit the nose to great effect.  

Palate: Very sweet at first- think over-muscovado sugared espresso and you're close.  With time on the palate, the coffee notes increase, alongside some brandy/Armagnac dryness, more vanilla and an anise/clove backdrop.  Again, the addition of water really broadens the palate, but make no mistake, this is powerful stuff. 

Finish:  The sweetness gives way to lingering coffee, with woody spices and dark honey.

Overall:  I really don't know where to place Rumble.  It performs so well as neither a rum, whisky or brandy, yet has the desirable qualities of all of these in abundance.  It is a beast of a drink and will catch a few people out on the palate, but it has opened up a wealth of possibilities in the cocktail world and as a sensational sipper.  Chip, hats off again for your latest rumblings.... 

Craft Distillers Part 2 - Balcones

Continuing on from where we left off with the wonderful Hudson craft whiskey, our next virtual visit takes us to Texas and the equally wonderful Balcones. We were fortunate enough to meet up with Balcones founder and chief wizard, Chip Tate at this year's Whisky Live London. Chip was in fine form and in possession of some highly unusual new bottlings, as well as perhaps the most impressive beard in the western hemisphere.

The story of Balcones comes as close to the meaning of 'artisinal distillery' as you can possibly get. Chip begin his distilling exploits back in 2008, after deciding to develop his passion for brewing a step further. But not content with simply learning the craft, Chip decided to hand build all manner of the actual distilling equipment used at Balcones.

Chip is in possession of an unrivalled enthusiasm, especially when it comes to trying out new recipes and innovations. One of the distillery's first major break throughs was working with atole, or blue corn, a cereal, notoriously difficult to produce a decent mash with, due to its density. This 'thick porridge' as Chip calls it is also superbly flavoursome and the recent batches of Balcones Baby Blue corn whisky have redefined the category for many, who found the style of whisky too one dimensional (which, I must confess includes us)

Balcones Baby Blue – Blue Corn Whisky – 46%

Nose: Sweet nutty notes, milk chocolate covered peanuts, burnt caramel and a hint of coffee beans.

Palate: Rich in the mouth, with very sweet - then spicy liquorice notes, milky coffee and salted caramel.

Finish: Lingering sweetness with a touch of poached pear on the death.

Overall: Still unmistakably a corn whisk(e)y, but oozing character, flavour and - emotion. If you have tried corn whisk(e)y before and not really 'got it', give this a whirl and be prepare to have your opinion changed.

Chip was also over to showcase two other particularly unusual whiskies, one of which rather controversially is probably not even a whisky at all, but will give most new craft whiskies a proper run for their money.

Rumble, has been developed by Chip from a localised recipe of Texas wildflower honey, turbinado sugar and mission figs - so you could probably say it is nearer a distilled mead/rum and an Arak than an actual whisky! But pour yourself a glass and wait to be stunned - the complexity of fruit notes, sweet vanilla tones and oak is hard to fathom.

Balcones - Rumble - Cask Reserve bottling - 59%

Nose: A melange of dried fruits: apricot, dates, prunes and rum soaked raisins, mix effortlessly with fresh vanilla pods, muscovado sugar, and some floral, honeyed notes.

Palate: Powerful and dominant to begin with. Needs some water to calm down the fire. Then the fun begins. Almost sherried Speyside in its first approach to the palate- woody spice, masses of dried fruit and then a layer of delicious sweet vanilla. Put this side-by-side with a bunch of aged sherry cask whiskies and it will undoubtedly hold its own... and more. Superb.

Finish: Lingering spice (clove and cinnamon) and more dried fruit.

Overall: A total revelation. Hopefully this will be coming to the UK soon and the rest of Europe. If you happen to be reading this in the US... lucky bastards.

The final dram Chip poured for us is perhaps his most innovative. As smoky whiskies go, the US isn't that well known for producing anything to trouble the likes of Islay and Brimstone certainly doesn't go after that crown. What it does do is redefine how we perhaps think about how to make a whisky smoky. Trade secrets aside, Brimstone is actually a whisky smoked not from the malting stage, but actually in the final stages of its life, using a process of infusion and a pile of Texas scrub oak. The result is unlike any smoky whisky we've ever tried that's for sure - brooding, powerful and unashamedly nuts!

Balcones - Brimstone - 53%

Nose: From the first uncorking of the bottle, your room, clothes, hair and probably eyeballs will be enveloped by smoke - not just any ordinary smoke, but the sort that you find at a barbecue. Braised hickory steaks, charcoal smoke, charred barrels and pepper corns dry frying in a hot pan. Alongside, some sweet corn whisky notes, vanilla and a hint of oaky spice.

Palate: The smoke continues and dominates the whole of the mouth. Don't think medicinal peat smoke, think freshly sawn pine logs, thrown into a roaring fire. Big, bold and terrifyingly SMOKY! The corn notes bring up the rear, but give enough mouthfeel and sweetness to take this away from being one dimensional.

Finish: Have a guess...

Overall: Probably the smokiest spirit in the world. Bang.

Like Tuthilltown and Corsair, Balcones represents the beating heart of the US craft distilling movement and with over 300 working micro distilleries in America and Canada, the future of innovative distillation is in capable (if slightly wacky) hands indeed.