Review #620 - Balcones Bottled in Bond Texas Rye
The current rye whisky offering from Balcones Distilling - this is their bottled-in-bond Texas rye. It utilizes a 100% rye mashbill, a combination of Texas Elbon rye, German Cara rye, and chocolate and roasted rye. After mashing and fermentation, Balcones distills this spirit using pot stills instead of the column still and doubler combination that is more common in American whisky.
Then this rye undergoes maturation in new charred oak barrels; we know that this aging process is at least 4 years long, as this bottle carries the 'bottled-in-bond' designation. Those requirements also mean that this is bottled at a strength of 50% ABV (100 proof), just like the previous version of Balcones' rye whisky. This rye whisky was first released in 2023.
Balcones Bottled in Bond Texas Rye
USA - Rye
Price: USD 48 (2025)
Age Statement: 4 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Funky and herbal, with notes of barrel char, a hint of ethanol, and some dill. Subtle vanilla adds a sweetness, but this leans more to the dry and earthy side of things; it smells a bit young, and we get accent notes of more funky grain and orange seeds.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; this is quite rye-forward and spicy, with notes of pine, dill, savory black pepper, some tarragon. There's barrel influence as well, bringing wood smoke; chocolate notes build with time, almost a malty chocolate. Decent balance overall.
Finish: Mint and bitter dark baking chocolate, some black pepper lingers, but this starts to mellow out. Hints of menthol, vanilla, and soft wood smoke linger; it's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This is a bit more refined than the previous, younger rye from Balcones - less of the alcohol notes, more rye character. We still get some of those baking chocolate notes like the previous edition, but this whisky was more balanced and well-rounded - for that, we score it a little bit higher. This rye does still have some of that classic Texas funk, though - still a unique profile, but more of a middle ground toward traditional rye.
Value is decent, or at least above average - this costs $40 to $50 in our area, and at that price, it's a nice pickup, especially if you want to try something with a unique twist on the rye category.
Our Average Rating: 6.4 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.97
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Balcones reviews:
Review #619 - Balcones 100 Proof Texas Rye
