It's a secret Dept: Balcones' barrels

[Capn Jimbo]

You won't find this at the website...


Like most of us, we are interested in specifics, not hype, about a brand new "Texas style", very young, barely legal whiskey. We especially like learning about barrels. Though I can't speak for everyone, there's evidence enough to distrust small barrels, say 10 to 15 gallons for any significant aging.

Although the website is well produced, it's not particularly informative. Information about the cooperage is simply not shared, except for the fact that it's yard aged American oak. From the videos I viewed, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and estimated their volume at no more than 7 gallons. In truth, I wanted to say 6 to 7, but hey - I'm a nice guy.

Turns out they are 5.3 gallons, #3 char and used for about 10 months or less. Any longer than that and you'd be picking splinters out of your teeth. Where'd I find out? In another thread I guessed that the young owner/distiller owed much to homedistiller.org and boy was this right.

Turns out that the home boyz just love Chip's used wood to take the edge off their home distilled product. One even posted an email from Balcones re these barrels...

"If the desired result is closer to a lighter wood profile (tequila, scotch) then they would do fine. The char levels on small barrels can be pretty inconsistent, but usually around a 3 char probably.

Our used barrels would take a while to create a bourbon-like result. Depends on how long they were used the first time. Some of the ones we used closer to a year plus might never give you enough wood to make bourbon. It's not just the char, most of the color actually comes from the toast/heat affected zone that lies behind the char. You could by toasted cubes or make your own, which I have done many times for wood-aging homebrew.

One of the things I think is most overlooked isn't the toast/char levels but the age of the wood used to build the barrel. The longer the time the wood was yard aged before being made into a barrel, the less tannic, young flavors it will contribute to the contents. I recommend asking about wood aging times from the coopers on your list. I can't say who makes ours, but we have the custom made for us and pay a good bit to get longer yard aging times for our wood.

Not super familiar with some of the suppliers on your list and don't wanna disparage anyone's products. I'd ask about the wood aging and make a decision based off of the best answer."

For those who'd like to buy a used Balcones micro-barrel for a mere $159 (plus ship):
http://www.homebrewing.com/equipment/whiskey-barrel.php

Other posts indicate that some brewshops sell used Balcones ex-blue barrels for about $80.


In sum...

What we have here: it seems Balcones whiskies are very, very young and only aged minimally - not in small barrels, but what some might call a micro-barrel (in the 2 to 5 gallon) range. Indeed I'm reticent to even call them aged as much as finished; yet the color of the product indicates the very aggressive result.

[bearmark]

Except for their Straight Bourbon, which implies a 2 year minimum age, none of their offerings carry an age statement. I'm apparently missing something here. What exactly are you calling them out for? I understand the guys who make fast aging claims and I agree with calling them out on their claims, but I don't think that Balcones is one of those. What claim from Chip Tate/Balcones are you reacting to?

[Capn Jimbo]

It's actually about transparency...


Bear, absolutely right about the regulations, but it's really about transparency. Most artisan distillers tend to go into great detail about their raw materials, fermentation, stills, and especially aging, and do so with great pride. OTOH when a small distiller seems to make a point of avoiding specifics, it just makes me curious. as does a slick and hype dominant website.

It's not that Balcones made false claims; thus there's nothing to call them out about. And that's the point: there's nothing much shared insofar as the barrels or aging. Naturally, I wanted to know, and found out...

Balcones appears to use 5.3 gallon barrels for about 10 months, give or take. This is simply passing along something that I'm pretty sure most of us are interested in, but that they have chosen not to reveal. We now know that new charred micro-barrels - with an extremely aggressive high wood-to-spirit ration - are largely responsible for the end result of what are really very young spirits. The aggressiveness of this approach accounts for the surprisingly dark color of the spirit, and perhap the extractives reported some reviews.

That's neither good nor bad.

If anything, Balcones suffers from more than a bit of well-presented marketing hype, really to a fault I think. Believe me, I am not alone as evident in this observation regarding their Baby Blue, Brimstone and Single Malt:

Whisky for Everyone:

"It is exciting to finally try some of the Balcones range after hearing and reading so many rave reviews about the whiskies coming out of the distillery. However, it seems that these reviews and hype have created a problem that has manifested itself in a slight feeling of disappointment after tasting them.

They are certainly all very interesting, well made and show plenty of potential, but something seems slightly lacking in a similar way to most young new Scotch whiskies. Maybe for us they could simply never have lived up to the hype that has been created around them?"

http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com/2 ... hisky.html

Unlike something like Lavagulin 16, or Mount Gay Extra Old there are tremendous differences of opinion about the Balcones NAS whiskies. These differences are extreme to the extent that accordingly they become extremely intriguing. In the other thread, I've begun to explore this contradiction, but I believe this is due to the novelty and uniqueness of the products, but not necessarily the quality - with the former inhibiting evaluation of the latter.

If there's a myth I'd hope to bust it (think Cleveland Whiskey), especially since drinker prejudice runs both for highly hyped and expensive spirits but likewise against low priced spirits. What I believe is happening in terms of Balcones early success is a combination of hype and of the novelty of new and very unusual, but extremely young spirits, promoted with a great story, and reasonably made.



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http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/s ... 018a2d941d

[Capn Jimbo]

Let's consider good marketing...


As a ex-marketing guy I can tell you there's a difference. The best marketing is based on the reality of both the product and of the subset of people most likely to understand and buy it. Look, it's fine to tell the under-the-bridge kid in overalls makes good story. Or to relate the building of his own stills. But that's the icing. For the cake good marketing has to recognize a few things:

1. The products are unique and quite novel, and expensive.

2. Thus the market will be upper middle class buyers who see themselves as afficianados, and for whom the purchase is a combination of novelty and ego.

3. The novelty of the products demands more than the usual detail about its actual production, from raw materials (done), fermentation (evasive), distilling (minimal) and especially wood and aging (avoided almost completely), discussed here.


What would I do (as if)?

Recognizing the importance of detail and the sensitivities of the rather informed target audience, the last thing I'd do would be to avoid details on the wood and aging. Even uninformed buyers show great interest in aging - indeed aging and price go hand in glove.

Thus the avoidance of aging information is noted, the elephant in the room. I'd argue that absence of discussion is surely intentional. Chip surely is aware of the small barrel issue both pro (ADI) and con. Balcones even promotes their ADI awards. He believes in small barrels, indeed micro-barrels, else he wouldn't use them.

We can assume he's equally aware of the controversy re the failure of small barrel aging, ergo he meticulously avoids the subject. That won't work. Anyone who watches his videos cannot help but repeatedly see his mini-racks of micro-barrels. They even see him easily lifting and carrying a cute little full barrel. Thus his silence re these perfectly obvious, small in the extreme barrels, well, that silence is deafening.

As his marketing guy, I'd urge him to openly, calmly and confidently face the issue. I'd address it thusly:

"My products are based on creativity, quality and care - and aging is no exception. Some distillers would have you believe that a spirit can be fast-aged by using small barrels in the 10 to 15 gallon range. What we do is completely different. We use not small barrels, but a micro-barrel - it's just 5 gallons. These are made of top quality, yard-aged wood and are given a #3 moderate char. To use such small barrels is much more expensive, but we think its worth it.

Our goal is not to fast-age, but rather to simply smooth and finish our young whiskies just long enough to achieve a youthful perfection. Our experiments have shown that this focused finishing in these micro-barrels are worth the expense. Our goal - again - is not to age but to retain, smooth and highlight the complexities that we worked so hard to build into the ferment and kept through our copper pot double distillation, and then to add just the right amount of good wood color and flavorful extractives.

These include (name wood flavors and effects).

These special barrels, used in our special way, are absolutely essential to our goal of producing the finest, smoothest and most complex and creative young whiskies on the market. I think you'll agree that we've achieved our goal, thanks to the finishing touch of our micro-barrels."

Disagree, but this is great writing (if I must say so myself, lol). Even a blind squirrel, y'know. "Finishing touch.."? - is perfect! It's even a great headline: "Our Micro-Barrels: the Finishing Touch".

Good marketing does not avoid issues, it faces them head on. The issue exists and won't go away. The above presentation also counters the criticisms of youth and extractives of the negative reviews. It helps justify the high costs for young whiskey. It faces the issue head on, and turns it into a unique positive. OTOH "We don't talk about that..."is not a marketing plan and loses the battle. Tate needs to check his ego long enough to realize that the peeps are not gonna accept his silence of the lambs, er barrels as convincing.

Time to drop your shorts, tie a couple of those barrels onto yer scrotum, and swing em...




*******
BTW - in the past I'd charge $5K for that piece of work, but I'm retired now. If they're reading (and they are), feel free to use it boyz, if only out of my love for small distillers, lol... but you'll owe me a couple bottles of my choice.

[Uisge]

I figure I'd jump in here with this bon mot from the other Texas distiller, Dan Garrison (of Garrison Brothers) as quoted in this article from earlier this month in Forbes, to wit;“White whiskey? That’s bullshit.” Garrison stares back incredulous, Stetson perfectly in place. “Why would anyone buy a white whiskey? Why would anyone buy a vodka?”

OK, apparently Garrison preceded Balcones in having their product get to market, and I haven't had any of either Garrison Brothers or Balcones products, so I'll plead ignorance to that and to the size of the barrels Balcones uses.

I will point out that Garrison Brothers apparently uses a bespoke barrel, according to this blog post from the Houston Press, published a day after the Forbes article earlier this month.

From said blog, "Garrison Brothers has to use smaller and thicker barrels, ordering custom 15-gallon barrels that are two to three times the thickness of typical bourbon barrels, which are also generally in the 50-60 gallon range. (Standard barrels would burst from the pressure caused by the extreme summer heat.) "

Maybe that applies to Balcones too?

And my apologies for the lurking recently, I just can't get into the pipe stuff, no offense meant.

[Capn Jimbo]

Nice to see you, U-man, and thanks for the link...


No worries, but I hope you'll like a beer section we're thinking about (as long as its Guiness, lol).

Both Garrison Bros. and Balcones deserve kudo's for breaking into a very tough market with craft whiskies. Garrison claims to be the first and oldest whiskey distiller in Texas, while Balcones lays claim to establishing a brand new "Texas style". Both began as micro-distillers, and both got the attention of easy reviewers like Jim Murray and San Francisco. Now your cite of Garrison stating "“White whiskey? That’s bullshit.”, was made in Forbes just two weeks ago - yet my visit to his website found an experimental release called "Texas Opus" which Garrison describes as "...the sweetest-tasting white dog you can possibly imagine. Pure ambrosia. ".

Go figure. Although Garrison and Tate's Balcones were micro-distillers that's where the similarities seem to stop. We'll get to the wood/barrels momentarily but let's begin with concept.

Garrison's goal was to produce fine and relatively traditional products, namely straight bourbon (aged two years), America's whiskey. This takes real cajones, as you're playing with the big boys, and other producers of fine, fine product. Any new bourbon, and especially Garrison's very expensive ones are going to be compared to some fine, fine bourbons. Our friend Bear can attest to this. OTOH Balcones decided their entry was going to be novel, very young and without standards of comparison - the first two were based on a mash bill of fig/honey/sugar and of heritage blue corn. His advantage - as completely novel and rather experimental he had the advantage of evading comparison to well, anything.


The products...

Even though Garrison had a tougher row to hoe with some real competition, his straight bourbon received notable positive reviews, including a rare "96" from Jim Murray (Micro of the Year) and a San Francisco Double Gold, but in general was less reviewed. Cowdery likes his operation. Balcones - better marketed - received more attention and very positive reviews from Murray, Pacult and dear Ralfy - but - mediocre reviews by Serge and by Whisky Magazine's staff, including Dave Broom. This was clear difference of opinion and an important one. Apparently novelty whiskeys are well, novel - enough that without any reference points, the reviews have nothing to compare other than the unique profiles - and - the personal tastes of the reviewers. On the net Balcones seems to have a following of those who likewise love experimenting, love to be first and who can afford to do so.


The websites...

A brief word about their websites. Garrison's is much more down home and accessible - perfect for a micro-distiller, which he remains. Balcone's though - from a marketing standpoint - is slick, self-promoting and full of hype, perhaps more appropriate to the large operation being built. I prefer the former presentation. A comparison of video's is instructive:

http://garrisonbros.com/how-we-do-it
http://balconesdistilling.com/our-story (see video "Balcones at the Brandy Library, Parts 1 & 2")

Garrison is humble, to the point with understandable detail, while Balcone's is full of Fermentation and Distilling 101, self-promotion, contradictions and lack of real specifics. Garrison strikes me as an authentic Texan (even grows his own wheat), while Tate seems more the city slicker located under a Waco city bridge). I find the former style much more appropriate for a micro distiller. As far as the stills - Garrison bought an antique still used to produce Wild Turkey using a classic worm in tub, while experimenter Tate built his own tall necked still from sheet copper with a modern helical coil/tube condenser.


Finally - about the wood...

Garrison's task was more challenging. A straight bourbon must be aged for at least two years in new charred oak - which he accomplishes with custom made, thick walled 15 gallon new charred barrels. At two years (and longer for bourbon he has set aside for 5, 7 and 10 year old bourbon), this is real aging. He is experimenting with 20 and 30 gallon barrels. In comparison Balcones whiskies are very young and appear to be simply finished in very small micro-barrels of 5.3 gallons, #3 char for about 10 months. They seem not to be re-used, but are sold to beer shops, who resell them to craft and home brewers. The wood to spirit ratio is exponentially higher in these; thus these micro-barrels are extremely aggressive. What he'd like to call aging is no more than a modest finishing. Some of the reviews already speak of excessive wood extractives, so any more time would be risky.


The big difference...

Now for the big difference. No one can deny these two micro-distilleries' success, but the goals of each are opposed. It seems clear that Garrison owns and has control of his micro-distillery. His products have a ready market and sell for premium prices, particularly for a 30 month bourbon. He appears to be satisfied with slow and controlled growth. In contrast, Tate presents as though he just invented the next Facebook. Much like Garrison, he started small with a $100,000 loan and established his homebuilt distillery in an abandoned welding shop. Success was significant and fast, with slick and effective marketing leading to world attention. This led him to finding new and large investor partners to build a large distillery in a65,000 sq ft warehouse, with 12 new and larger stills, with a relatively huge capacity of 100,000 cases/year or a possible $80M in retail sales. For novelty whiskies that formerly sold to a niche market? A good question.


Flat Ass Bottom Line

I believe Garrison is in the right place. He has not let his success go to his head, and is producing a fine traditional and top rated product he controls - straight bourbon - to a much, much larger market. If anyone could expand faster, it's Garrison, but he isn't. Compare to Balcone's whose novelty young crooked whiskies - successful within a narrow niche of new adopters - face incredible risks in scaling so fast to a broad market, who may just not dig fig/honey/sugar whiskies to the same extent. Not to mention the growing pains and problems of managing a much larger operation confounded by large investors who may not be as patient as he.

In sum, this has been a fascinating situation. I believe new micro-distillers can learn a lot from these two, both pro and con. Garrison has shown the value of a solid, small distillery whose focus is on top quality, traditional methods and meticulous attention to detail. He makes a case for slow growth and keeping control. Balcones paints the opportunity for novelty and experimentation marketed narrowly to a niche audience for unique and hard-to-find products. Soon he will demonstrate this wisdom or the foolishness of losing control and supersonic scaling. If I were to enter this field, I'd follow Balcone's model of novelty with Garrison's commitment to slow growth, quality and control.

Your thoughts?



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http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/ ... -kentucky/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/ ... -in-texas/

[bearmark]

I've not only perused both sites, but I've tasted whiskies from both producers and met the owners, master distillers and brand ambassadors from both. Interestingly enough, my impression is the exact opposite of what you describe above.

Garrison Brothers

I attended a vertical tasting of Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon that was led by Charlie Garrison and his master distiller, Donnis Todd. Charlie was pretty clear that, although the vision came from Dan, the expertise is not with the brothers. They hired a distiller to realize their vision and provided guidance per their vision for a unique Texas bourbon with high quality ingredients. Todd didn't do much talking, but Charlie said Todd tends to push the aging as far beyond 2 years as he can and typically bottles after about 30 months.

Charlie was quite the talker and came across as a genuine nice guy of the good ol' boy variety. It was fun listening to him and his excitement about the product was very evident. He talked mostly about the quality of the organic sweet corn, the aging in the Texas heat while in their barn and the fact that they age 2 years in order to qualify as a straight bourbon.

They have a nice facility (we were provided with a visual tour on the big screen) in Hye, TX and offer tours for $10 (we were provided free tickets for attending the tasting). They invite their fan base to join them whenever they bottle each batch (drinks are included) at the distillery. Finally, they offer a $2000 club membership (only 300 participants per year) that offers the experience of distilling and barreling your own barrel of bourbon that you'll have the chance to buy when ready. You also get the 10 gallon barrel, plaque, etc. with a refund of $1000 when everything is done.

As far as the product, we tasted 3 of their semi-annual batches and they were solid, but not great. The Spring 2013 batch was noticeably worse than the Fall releases from 2012 and 2013. The real barrier was the price of $75-85 (that's Texas, I expect that it's higher elsewhere... if you can find it). Their Cowboy Bourbon is much higher at $160-180, but I've heard that it's much better. I don't ever plan on buying any of either.

Balcones

I attended a tasting of their entire lineup, led by Chip Tate (master distiller and founder). Winston Edwards, their brand ambassador, was also in attendance.

Chip talked about their raw material sourcing and the quality of each, as well as their yard aged wood (2 years, if I recall correctly) for barrel construction. He was articulate, interesting and knowledgeable, but never came across as a marketing type. He openly answered questions and was happy to address any topic that he could without giving away any trade secrets (e.g. how he smokes the distillate for Brimstone). He did say that they use both small format (as small as 5 gallon) and large format (50-60 gallon) barrels for aging and that these are a variety of first, second and third fill barrels. As I recall, he referred to shorter maturation times, but not faster aging.

It's clear that Chip is the brains behind this outfit and he comes across as anything but inexperienced. He's very knowledgeable and can boil the complex stuff down to layman terms very well. He's personable and not a geek that never sees the light of day. He doesn't come across as proud and doesn't speak in a condescending manner, but you get the impression that he could hold his own with the best of his craft in a way that honors the legendary masters. I never mistook him for a marketeer... only a passionate and unapologetic craftsman.

I've visited their existing facility and it's nothing to write home about. It's well kept, but it's basically an old run-down building under a bridge in an abandoned area of town. Their "new" facility is actually another old building close-by and still nothing to write home about; however, it is bigger. They have no special club or barrel program or bottling event. They have held a few sales events at the distillery for special releases after it became legal in Texas last year (maybe late 2012).

I've tasted all of their products and several of their special releases and haven't been disappointed by any. In my opinion, Rumble is their worst product and it's at least average (some batches are better). My favorite is their Texas Single Malt, which tastes like a good, young Speyside to me. Their products run in the $40-70 range with the cask strength offerings pushing the higher side. Their special releases have been $90-110, if you were lucky enough to find them (I have their Brimstone Resurrection and Single Malt finished in Brimstone Resurrection Cask). I've purchased bottles of Rumble, True Blue and Single Malt and plan on purchasing a bottle of Rumble Cask Reserve when available again (I passed on the last bottle, so that a Canadian friend of mine could bring it home with him... he probably has the only bottle in The Great White North!).

My Take

From my perspective, Balcones seems more like an artisan operation with a passion and knowledge that I believe will lead to great things. Chip's ability and vision are the cornerstone of the operation and, where you've observed his unproven approaches to problems, I see an innovative approach with an eye for quality. I've worried about their operation growing too fast, but after listening to Chip and Winston describe their plans, I'm cautiously optimistic that they can scale their operation without losing the product quality that their known for. One thing's for sure... their dead without Chip at the helm of production. Using a movie industry analogy, he's the director that's shooting for an Oscar.

Garrison Bros. on the other hand, seems like they're pursuing a family dream more than a passionate endeavor of craftsmanship. It's clear that Dan and Charlie want a great product, but they're powerless to create it and must enlist the skills of others to do so. To their credit, they've done a good job of recruitment and demonstrated a lot of tenacity and passion in pursuing their dream; however, it's clear that their background is in marketing and they're great at it. Charlie could become your best friend in a matter of minutes. In the movie industry, these guys are producers that are looking for the talent and the script that will win them an Oscar.

As I've said, my money is on Balcones at this point. I'm waiting to see how they make the transition and hoping for them to succeed. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying their products and happy to have them nearby. I wish Dan and Charlie Garrison the best and will keep an eye out for something great and more reasonably priced from them, but for now they're just for the hyped-up locals who have a lot of money.

[bearmark]

I encourage everyone to read, Small barrels vs. large barrels: some perspective on Whisky Advocate, and especially the comment section where both Chuck Cowdery and Chip Tate weigh in on barrel sizes and aging. Here are a couple of notable quotes:

When I starting to write about small barrels and their limitations, it was because more than a few micro-distillers were running around bashing the big distillers and saying that they could make bourbon that was twice as good in half the time. They couldn’t and it wasn’t. That’s a story.

....

I have never been critical of the use of small barrels. Some of my favorite distillers use small barrels. I am critical of some of the claims being made about small barrels. That’s it.

Balcones Distillery in Texas (my distillery, yes) also uses small barrels IN CONJUNCTION with larger formats. [Dave Pickerell] is right. It works very well and we’ve won more than dozens of national and international awards with that stuff, so it must not be all that bad. That said, about half of our production is filled straight in to 60 gallon formats for aging, as an FYI.

....

To Chuck, I appreciate you clarifying your position on small barrels. I had, apparently, inaccurately understood the thesis of your pamphlet “Small Barrels Produce Lousy Whisky” as a general statement about small barrels. Looks like we agree after all.

....

Small barrels don’t make big barrel whisky faster. That would be like saying that a rocket-hot grill can make BBQ, only faster. Few people would agree with that statement. Apples and oranges. Many of us craft distillers aren’t trying to do that anyway.

I am personally surprised and disappointed at the Buffalo Trace article on small barrel aging. It is a patently disingenuous or rediculously naive idea to leave whiskey in a 5,10, or 15 gallon barrel for 6 years , compare it to large format barrel aging, and then declare small format barrel aging a total failure. It seems so obviously a strawman proposal aimed at discrediting small barrel maturation, that I even debated whether to respond or not.

I guess you’d have to be a distiller who uses small barrels to see how inherently ridiculous the experiment is. Their conclusion is true, but that doesn’t mean they’re asking the right question.

....

It’s definitely cheaper NOT to use small barrels. It’s a cost vs. capital question. It’s cheaper to make whisky in big barrels exclusively over a longer maturation period, but you have to have the capital to fund production for that time period (annual cost of production x years to maturity). Small barrels cost more, but can allow a shorter overall maturation period, if properly used, and require less capital investment in the short term. Big distillers typically have capital to invest or ready access to capital as needed. Smaller [distillers], usually, do not.

[Capn Jimbo]

Great post Mark, as usual...


...and very informative. The value of your face-to-face experience cannot be underestimated. Fortunately both distiller websites include videos of both men which are very revealing (especially Tate who holds forth for at least half an hour). These were already cited, but here they are again so non-Texans can experience for themselves...

http://garrisonbros.com/how-we-do-it
http://balconesdistilling.com/our-story (see videos "Balcones at the Brandy Library, Parts 1 & 2")

Tate like Lost Spirits, is full of impressive blarney to the point that it demands analysis. Actually, this has already been done, but the post has been withheld from publication, awaiting the right time which might just be now.

I long ago read this very long and spirited exchange with Cowdery, which is really quite hard to encapsulate due to its length. A fun exchange between a newbie and a real authority. To really understand Cowdery's position (and the exchange) it's really useful to have read his e-book: "Small Barrels Produce Lousy Whisky" here or at Cowdery's website (under Other Books) here.

It's all of 99 cents and is quite long enough to be authoritative, but short enough to digest. You can read it with most major browsers using Amazon's Cloud Reader (no Kindle needed). Really must reading for anyone who wants to understand the subject, and makes the long exchange more meaningful. If anyone understands wood, it's Cowdery, whose most famous book is his paperback "Bourbon, Straight: The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey", 266 pages and a complete history and examination of bourbon. This tome is also must, MUST reading for bourbon lovers, but it's not cheap ($25 from Cowdery, discounted at Amazon). I could not recommend both more highly.
http://cowdery.home.ix.netcom.com/~mbky/bourst.htm


Except for the monkeys, a settled subject...

The use of small barrels is really pretty settled. The consensus of those who really know wood and aging (think Cowdery and Wisnewski) is that spirits can be divided into several clear divisions. There's new make, or what some call white dog. Then young aged spirits (think 2 to 3 years of traditional barrel aging) Next up are the sweet spot spirits - those that can truly be called aged. For rum that would be around 7 years, for whiskies perhaps 10 to 12 years. This is where most lovers of those spirits want to end up. The sweet spot defines what that spirit is all about. Spirits that are much younger or older are really quite different experiences.

While the young and sweet spot spirits may be considered part of a continuum, white dog is entirely a different experience. Monkeys may be surprised to know that very old spirits (like a 20 year old Pappy) are too. They are just as different and extreme as white dog, but in a different, possibly better way. Enjoying super old spirits is not for the faint of heart, or light of wallet. And now to the point:

Small barrels are very limited as to what they can do. The wood to volume ratio is so, so high that small barrels are aggressive and micro-barrels exponentially more so. When a few months in one of these results in a dark color that normally takes many years, well then you may begin to appreciate the brute force that these miini-barrels apply. This force is very focused and limited and sadly misses the many, many oxidative additive, subtractive and interactive chemical processes that require years. Only in these years can a spirit slowly accumulate the multitude of complex flavors and aromas evident in the sweet spot. Further, these small and micro barrels are so crudely aggressive that their use must be limited to months for smoothing and for early extractives, go another month or two and the spirit can easily become literally raw and woody. The goal: something to sell that isn't white dog.


Small barrel spirits are very different...

Thus small barrel products - like the extremely old - are really a category unto themselves, but not real examples of the genre. This is not to say they are not interesting and drinkable. They need to be appreciated for themselves, "as is". You have to be willing and can afford to be diasppointed. At best, the reviews are necessarily very mixed (unlike leading sweet spot spirits).

As an example, here's what Serge says about these SB spirits...

"... some of the weirdest whiskies around ... it’s pretty usless to try to score this one worse, or better. All codes, barriers and tasting semantics have already been broken anyway ...sure this is single malt whisky but I’d say rum, cognac or tequila are much closer to Scotch whisky than this very odd spirit. My problem is that I quite love it..."

Flat Ass Bottom Line

In sum, small barrel spirits are extremely idiosyncratic, experimental, highly subject to personal taste and are well apart from their genre. Based on volume, small barrels are also expensive but you have no choice: you don't have the time and without them all you have is white dog. In his usual quasi-authoritative fashion Tate conspires to defend being forced by economics to use his miniature 5 gallon micro-barrels, by taking both sides of the issue (barrel expense vs aging expense vs time pressures). This is rather ingenous, but seems his style. Garrison's material is more direct and accurate - wisely he is setting product aside for real aging in larger barrels (reputedly 30 gallons).

Small barrel spirits are more about necessity and valuable more for their uniqueness. Buying and enjoying one is just as experimental as their making. Evaluating them for their quality is really impossible for the same reason. They are necessarily expensive - overly so - and will appeal to those who like playing the slots, and having the money to do so.

[bearmark]

Like Cowdery and Tate, I think we're in agreement as to the understanding of the issue, but we seem to be "betting on different horses." Everyone can check back here in a few years to find out the results.

You mentioned Garrison Bros. plans to incorporate 30 gallon barrels, so I'll mention that Balcones has already started the move to large barrel maturation (~50% per Tate) and it'll be interesting to see how this affects their products as they transition to the larger facility.

I also forgot to mention that I've tasted Balcones' first bourbon (V Anniversary, Batch #1) and it was far better than Garrison Bros. offering for about $20 more; however, it was a limited run, special edition product (there was also a Batch #2 and a "Crooked Bourbon"... Tate's tongue-in-cheek way of saying that it was aged less than 2 years). It'll be interesting to see how the eventual Balcones Bourbon compares and at what price point it lands.

[Capn Jimbo]

A big mea culpa here, Bear...


Don't know how I missed it (perhaps its not there), but it's very reassuring to hear from you that Balcones is now using some larger barrels as you noted (as is Garrison). Shame on me, and thank you. In his e-book (linked above) Cowdery notes that many of the distillers who started with small wood soon realized its limitations and like Garrison and Tate are moving to larger wood as quickly as is affordable. Still, it's a shame the public has to learn this from you, rather than on his website.

His website is dominated by his 5.3 gallon micro-barrels, with not a traditional barrel in sight and his avoidance of the subject entirely there. The used barrels are openly sold, with his logos thereon and Homedistillers seem aware even of his usual time in barrel (about 10 months). Since the word is out, he does himself no favors by avoiding any mention of his wood protocol.

Less blarney, more facts would be nice.

It may be we are more on the same page than we thought. Although it may not sound like it, I too favor Balcones experimental approach. If he can manage to stay in business long enough to refine his knowledge and still young and developing skills, that'd be a good thing for whiskey drinkers.

If he is really setting aside 50% of his production in these large barrels, that's impressive, as doing so is very costly. Further concerns involve the rare skills of aging and blending, developed over decades, not years. If we think the current very young products are expensive, buckle your seat belts.

His is really a high wire act. His current sales are for an idiosyncratic, limited release series of novel whiskies which so far benefit from being hard-to-find. He could do very well just serving this niche group of experimental followers.

Yet he's clearly taken a giant leap into big production that pose a whole new series of business challenges and responsibilities that so far he's not had to worry about (as already detailed). Some small businesses are simply not appropriate for such rapid scaling to a much larger market, and his may well be one of them. A big, big risk.

Time will tell. Thanks again for the info...

[Capn Jimbo]

Just where are those "larger" barrels?

. . . . . . .
(A beehive of stored micro-barrels)

You know me - I love to research, look in closets and under throw rugs. Searching is really an art, or perhaps more like Tate's "composing at the intersection of art and science". Or more likely, not. I love research - its great fun - and if I learned anything from the Preacher and his Shillery, it's that the best place to look for truth or contradictions is the OP hisself.

Trust me, neither I or you are immune from this, and the net has huge and long memory, even retained in the Wayback Machine.

With that in mind, I've searched high and low about the 50-60 gallon barrels our man Bearmark says that Tate claims are now being used to set aside a claimed 50% of his production. Can't find anything but an oblique reference by Tate himself. If true, that's huge! And if so he - and we - won't know until maybe 2021 whether it worked, if indeed this is being done.

A couple things jump out. First thing is that if he is indeed setting aside this huge amount of product (even when he can't fulfill current demand for his young stuff), then why doesn't his website - which is really quite verbose - say not a word about these large barrels, their type, their exact size, history, and preparation, fills, the protocol, the goals, and not least what's being allegedly aged? Really, why?

Next are his couple hours of videos which I watched closely. The camera follows him through his distillery and cooperage and all you seem to see are his 5.3 gallon micro-barrels everywhere. I searched for pics, searched other interviews and articles and finally came up with what appears to be his warehousing. Dominated by the micro's.

It's a mystery. My guess? I'd guess he does indeed have a few experimental biggies, and further that he possesses enough traditional used wood to temporarily hold his micro-dunked product temporarily (to stop the madness) before bottling. But that's just a guess.

Until he comes clean and finally talks about all his wood like his many craft brethren and as the market expects, we'll just have to wonder...

[Capn Jimbo]

I've been tough on Balcones wood for a reason...


...his silence. I've suggested that avoiding the subject goes way, way beyond the claim of "trade secret". Silence to most readers is akin to lying in that it infers some essential fact is being hidden or avoided; thus it's much, much better to just be out with it - openly and with pride. Most craft distillers LOVE to share their process, for example check this out from Downslope Distillers:

"I would like to share our aging process with the panel: We are producing a very good (silver medal winner) whiskey (65% Malt/35% Rye) – using the following method:

1. We age our whiskey at 100-105 proof in used red wine barrels (usually French or Hungarian Oak) for 6 months – we airate the barrels 8 hours per week using aquarium pumps/air stones.

2. After 6 months we transfer the spirit to small 20 liter American Oak charred barrels for 3 to 6 months – we taste it weekly until we feel it is ready

3. The whiskey is then transferred back into wine barrels which contain various amounts of 2 year old spirit ( a type of solera aging). We also airate these barrels weekly. We then bottle from 4 casks – marrying the best with the best."

And the way I would have marketed it (above) again is:

"My products are based on creativity, quality and care - and aging is no exception. Some distillers would have you believe that a spirit can be fast-aged by using small barrels in the 10 to 15 gallon range. What we do is completely different. We use not small barrels, but a micro-barrel - it's just 5 gallons. These are made of top quality, yard-aged wood and are given a #3 moderate char. To use such small barrels is much more expensive, but we think its worth it.

Our goal is not to fast-age, but rather to simply smooth and finish our young whiskies just long enough to achieve a youthful perfection. Our experiments have shown that this focused finishing in these micro-barrels are worth the expense. Our goal - again - is not aging per se, but to retain, smooth and highlight the complexities that we worked so hard to build into the ferment, and retained through our copper pot double distillation, and then? Micro-barrel finishing to add just the right amount of good wood color and flavorful extractives.

These include (name wood flavors and effects).

These special micro-barrels, used in our special way, are absolutely essential to our goal of producing the finest, smoothest and most complex and creative young whiskies on the market. I think you'll agree that we've achieved our goal, thanks to the finishing touch of our micro-barrels."

C'mon Chip from Waco, try talking about it. You need to.

[bearmark]

Here's another one, but it's huge.

[Capn Jimbo]

Whisky Women takes a tour...


http://thewhiskywoman.wordpress.com/201 ... n-waco-tx/

Worth a visit to an interesting whisky blog, thanks for the link. The link here features a few snapshots that show a handful of large barrels in the warehouse (among alleged "thousands" of the micro 5.3 gallon barrels),

But the issue - sadly - remains near silence about wood from Balcones, leaving us to gather shreds of speculative and second hand information and pics from other sources. Unfortunately these are insufficient to cannot confirm his verbal claim (reported by Bear) that he is now setting aside 50% of his product in large barrels. Or did he mean that 50% of his product spends a short time in used large wood as temporary storage, to transition to bottling ( but not really for serious aging)?

Bear, it appears your pic is your own, thus I wonder - how many large barrels did you actually observe? Where were they? Any indication of their intended use?