Waco’s Balcones Distilling lately celebrated its fifteenth anniversary, and to mark the event it, what else, launched a brand new whiskey. Cataleja is a brand new, restricted version single malt that head distiller Jared Himstedt says is “one of the crucial advanced and distinctive whiskies we’ve made.” Right here’s how Cataleja, Spanish for spyglass, is produced.
Made with 100% Golden Promise Malted Barley, this single malt started its maturation journey in barrels beforehand used to age Kentucky bourbon, and after three years of the Texas local weather’s concentrating results, was transferred into decommissioned Sherry Solera casks that had been meticulously hand-selected from numerous Spanish bodegas (wine cellars): Moscatel, Amontillado Dulce, Oloroso, and Palo Cortado. As a result of the primary fill showcased the splendidly excessive affect of the 80+ yr previous casks, the whisky was transferred again into impartial barrels after which adopted with two further rounds of refill single malts via the decommissioned casks, as they continued to supply sherry affect alongside the fragile malt character.
I’ve to agree with Himstedt: It’s essentially the most advanced Balcones whiskey I’ve ever tried, and arguably its greatest.
The nostril is bombastic with fortified wine notes, a heady mixture of sherry and moscatel that jogged my memory instantly of my time in Spain. It’s laborious to detect a lot else on the nostril apart from the extreme wine traits, however that’s no slight — the wholesale sherry bomb works wonders towards the burly Texas whiskey, every ingredient in some way tempering the opposite. It’s sharp and pungent — but participating via and thru, demanding fixed consideration.
The palate totally delivers on this fragrant promise, pouring on sultry notes of oxidized wine — significantly Amontillado sherry — plus steeped orange peels, sultanas, and plenty of juicy fig character. The whiskey’s sharpness grows on the palate — abetted by a 59% abv that in some way by no means feels overbearing — once more saved in examine by numerous notes of Southern candy tea, saddle leather-based, pipe tobacco, and a fistful of spices starting from cardamom to allspice to saffron.
Enchanting and enigmatic, that is a kind of uncommon whiskeys that takes you on one thing of a journey from begin to end, displaying you a special approach at each flip. It additionally wholly challenges expectations of Texas whiskey — in the very best method. To that finish, it’d by the most effective pure Texas whiskey I’ve tasted up to now. And I’ve had rather a lot.
118 proof.
A / $125 / balconesdistilling.com
Balcones Cataleja
$125
