American PHOTO: JASON KINDIG Made SPIRITS A SINGULAR Texas SUCCESS STORY Balcones Distilling Is Blazing Trails for American Single Malt BY LORI MOFFATT

Balcones Distillery Manager Tommy Mote and Head Distiller Jared Himstedt.

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TP1119_096-125_KNv5.indd 120 10/31/19 3:50 PM PHOTO: JASON KINDIG fter a recent tour of Balcones Distilling in Waco, Texas, I Astopped for lunch across the street at Milo, a casual chef-driven restaurant that makes generous use of Balcones’ vast portfolio in its cocktail program. I struck up a conversation with a stranger-turned-friend at the barstool beside me, and soon we decided to share a pour of one of Balcones’ limited-release single malt whiskies—a gorgeous expression called Hechiceros, which finishes in Port barrels and evokes apricots, bread pudding, and juicy cherries. Other Balcones Single Malts are finished in Sherry and rum casks, and some are made with barley that was smoked over peat in Scotland—but they all speak to the distilling team’s zeal for leadership in this emerging category. Still, none of these compelling elixirs Balcones’ gleaming would exist were it not for the success copper pot stills of Balcones’ flagship product: Texas were made by Single Malt. (Because Balcones pays fourth-generation homage to Scottish tradition, “whisky” craftsmen in is the brand’s preferred spelling.) Scotland. Shortly after its release, it prevailed over such iconic Scottish distilleries as That’s about to change. in a hammer mill and fermented on Balvenie and The Macallan in London’s Single malt whisky, whether it’s grain in a cereal cooker, single malt 2012 Best in Glass competition—a distilled in Scotland, Japan, or Texas, whiskies use a roller mill (which yields remarkable upset that some have com- must be made in a single distillery from fine, uniform grist) and a mash tun to pared to 1976’s legendary “Judgement a mash bill containing only malted separate the grain from liquid before of Paris,” when a California Cabernet barley. With one exception—a limited fermentation. Balcones’ burnished and Chardonnay beat European wines release containing barley grown in copper pot stills were made in Scotland in a prestigious blind tasting. the Texas High Plains—Balcones uses by fourth-generation craftsmen at Balcones has been positioning itself an heirloom Scottish barley known Forsyths; the team even refurbished a as a forerunner in the burgeoning as Golden Promise for all of its single decommissioned 60-year-old mash tun American single malt whisky move- malt expressions. As often as every two from the 1897 Speyburn Distillery. “It ment ever since, garnering (among weeks, Balcones receives a delivery of just feels right to have a tie to the other still other honors) not only a double 18 metric tons of it that’s transferred via side of the pond and also to decades of gold medal but the Best Craft Distiller compressed air to a looming silo beside whisky making,” observes Himstedt. Whiskey award at the 2018 San the distillery. “Golden Promise was the It’s tradition you can literally taste. Francisco World Spirits Competition barley of choice for Scotch production “The yeast, the grain, and the stills for its flagship product. What’s more, for a long time, but in recent decades we use are extremely traditional [for] Head Distiller Jared Himstedt is it has been passed over for grains with single malt, yet our barrel program among the founders of the American higher yields,” says Distillery Manager has more in common with bourbon Single Malt Whisky Commission, Tommy Mote. It lends a luxurious and rye production,” Mote says. which serves to establish and promote silkiness to the Texas Single Malt “Almost all Scotch is aged in ex- the category. “A federal definition expression, as well as stunning flavors bourbon barrels, [whereas] we use could allow us to import and label in of honey and orchard fruit; the long virgin oak from America, France, and countries where we currently can’t,” finish evokes wood and toasted malt Hungary. For the consumer, there are says Himstedt by way of explaining with every sip. a lot of familiar flavor profiles in an the commission’s objectives. “But But the use of Old World barley is American single malt.” more importantly, if distillers work not the only way that Balcones honors “As a maker, I feel like we’ve just together, there is a lot more momentum Scottish tradition in the heartland begun,” Himstedt says. “It’s rare to be in getting training for bar staff, better of Texas. “Malt whisky is equipment able to watch a new category of whisky placement at the liquor store, [and] focused, so we have one production develop. We’re excited and curious to see education for consumers. Right now, line for our American whisky tradition where we can take it. There are a million you see whiskey-focused bars that have and another for our Scottish whisky directions we still want to explore, to Scotch, Irish whiskey, Japanese whisky, tradition,” says Mote. Whereas learn what single malt looks like and and all that. But they don’t have an bourbon and rye are typically made what’s possible to make in the United American single malt on the menu.” with corn, rye, and wheat crushed States, especially central Texas.”

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