Balcones Brimstone Corn Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Balcones Brimstone Corn Whiskey
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Brimstone builds on Balcones’s inaugural effort, Baby Blue. One of the earliest hits of the craft whiskey scene, Baby Blue’s major innovation was being a corn whiskey made entirely from Hopi blue corn. Taking the same distillate, the distillery then smokes it with Texas scrub oak. The usual process for smoking whiskeys is to smoke the grain prior to mashing, fermentation and distillation, not after, so the process and choice of wood for smoking were both added innovations laid atop the use of blue corn.

The Whiskey
Bottled at 53% ABV (106 proof), Brimstone is murky and rich, but not the big smoker that one might have expected it to be. Instead, I think the smoking made the whiskey oilier and endowed it with an even more substantial body.

In the glass, Brimstone sticks to its name by presenting a middling, reddened amber appearance. Coating the inside of the glass leaves behind a curtain of thick, chunky legs.

Taking a sniff starts that rich and turbid experience I mentioned. Molasses, toffee and a mix of cake spices (cinnamon, ginger, all-spice and clove) all jostle with each other for attention and stick to the nostrils. The flavor takes a turn away from sweetness and towards tartness. It’s fruitier, but also more corn husky and vegetal, while staying just as spicy. The smoking appears directly for the first time on the palate, with just a hint of ash lying on the backside. The finish flows off that ashy note, growing in size before fading to lasting spiciness.

As much as I liked the nose and the finish of this whisky, I thought the actual flavor ran a bit astray. It’s not bad, but I’ve never been a fan of huskiness showing up in aged corn whiskeys, and it clashes with the tartness.  So, I don’t consider Brimstone as having improved on Baby Blue, but instead think of it as having taken it in a new and still tasty direction.

The Price
Expect to pay between $60 and $65 at retailers.