OUR PROCESS

Our process starts with our people. People who knew Texas had a story to tell and were determined to give it a voice.

With little more than an idea, we set out to see what the heart of Texas had to offer. Adapting the ways of whisky-making to our home to create something original, in an entirely new landscape. From collaborating with an uncompromising climate to discovering how to let local flavor flourish, we dedicated ourselves to embracing our surroundings.

Over 15 years later, our journey into the unknown turned into an award-winning line of deep and bright whisky crafted with the rhythms of Texas.

Scroll down to learn how we make our award-winning whiskies.

Our process starts with our people. People who knew Texas had a story to tell and were determined to give it a voice.

With little more than an idea, we set out to see what the heart of Texas had to offer. Adapting the ways of whisky-making to our home to create something original, in an entirely new landscape. From collaborating with an uncompromising climate to discovering how to let local flavor flourish, we dedicated ourselves to embracing our surroundings.

Over 15 years later, our journey into the unknown turned into an award-winning line of deep and bright whisky crafted with the rhythms of Texas.

Scroll down to learn how we make our award-winning whiskies.

INGREDIENT SOURCING

OVERVIEW

Just like chefs who depend on sourcing the very best ingredients for their dishes, us whisky-makers rely on the best raw materials for our whiskies. We pride ourselves on sourcing distinct and expressive grains; leaning local when possible and even helping introduce new Texan grains to ensure our whiskies are an authentic expression of this state.

INGREDIENT SOURCING

GOLDEN PROMISE

When we began our mission of making American Single Malt Whisky in Texas, there wasn’t any malting-grade barley growing in the state. So we turned to the original masters of single malt in Scotland to source Golden Promise, the most flavorful barley in the world, and brought it back to Texas to see how it would fare.

For many years, Scottish Golden Promise had been a highly valued ingredient in Scotch whisky for its honeyed, warm and toasty character. This started to shift in the 1980s when producers in the category began to favor other varietals that produced more alcohol but were less flavorful.

Since 2010, when we first began our journey into the whisky-making world, we've used Golden Promise to add warmth to and bring out notes of stone fruit in our spirit, because of the microflora it picks up across many vehicles and vessels during its long transit to us from our supplier, Simpsons Malt.

handful of barley grain spilling out between hands onto plate

INGREDIENT SOURCING

TEXAS BARLEY

In addition to Scottish Golden Promise Malted Barley, we use Texas malted barley-a feat that became possible only within the past decade.

Texas is a notoriously difficult place to grow distilling-grade crops. Between our uncompromising climate and its unpredictable, volatile weather shifts, finding the right varieties that would thrive in our climate was a challenge that few wanted to take on.

That is until 2014, when a Texas university partnered with local farmers and maltsters to create the state's first brewing-grade barley. Just two years later, the first harvest of Texas malted barley was ready to be delivered to our distillery to become Texas single malt.

Since then, dozens of breweries, distilleries, farmers and maltsters have benefited from its introduction-including us. Today, our barley is malted by TexMalt and Maverick before being used to craft our award-winning Lineage Texas Single Malt.

INGREDIENT SOURCING

BLUE CORN

We source the highest-quality local ingredients to capture the distinctive flavors and nuances of our unique region. Our Texas-grown and roasted blue corn is nuttier, earthier, more oily and complex than classic yellow corn. Using blue corn brings a freshness and a new sophistication to the corn whisky tradition for which classic American distilling is known for.

We use blue corn that is 100% Texas-grown and roasted. The variety we use is a hybridized version of the heirloom Hopi Blue derived from the Hopi Tribe in New Mexico. Our hybrid strain is self-pollinating which helps us achieve the consistently delicious flavor that shines through in our Baby Blue Straight Corn Whisky and Brimstone Smoked Whisky.

Our blue corn is grown by Sunny State Farm, then roasted and cleaned by MBS Seed before being sent to our distillery.

INGREDIENT SOURCING

RYE

When we started our journey into the American whisky style of rye whisky, we were determined to use a variety of rye developed close to home. This led us to explore the potential of Elbon rye. Originally developed as a cover and forage crop for Texas farmers and ranchers in the 1950s, we had no idea how this unique rye would pan out as a whisky. Luckily for us, as a distillate, Elbon is soft and expressive, loaded with grassy notes of parsley, carrot frond and mint, along with citrus notes of bergamot, lemon verbena and ground coriander, all of which results in nuanced layers of flavor that add depth to our whisky.

Rye has a rich tradition in American whisky. Because it is famed for its bold flavor, we wanted to stay true to these staples, while adding our own twist to our Texas Rye Bottled in Bond. We source our Texas-grown rye from our friends at MBS Seed.

Our 100% rye mashbill used in our Texas Rye Bottled in Bond is composed of:

91% Raw Texas Elbon Rye
5% Cara Rye
2% Chocolate Rye
2% Roasted Rye

MILLING & MASHING

OVERVIEW

At this stage, we prep the raw ingredients for fermentation. To us, it’s important to split our production process into two distinct lines: one that honors our single grain whiskies and one for our single malts.

MILLING & MASHING

DEDICATED PRODUCTION

We have a dedicated process for malted barley and another for corn and rye, which begins with the way we mill and process the different grain types. This honors the specific qualities of the raw ingredients and gives us space to fine-tune our corn and rye expressions while devoting attention to our American Single Malts.

man overseeing the milling process in the background

MILLING & MASHING

SINGLE MALT PRODUCTION

We use a dedicated roller mill to make our American Single Malt Whisky, which is exclusively designed for malted barley-never shredding or crushing, instead lightly cracking the malted barley so it's fit for brewing in our mash tun.

Our mash tun, inherited from Speyburn Distillery in Speyside, Scotland, is over 50 years old and has special features, including a copper dome and handmade brass rivets. Inside this mash tun, enzymes convert the starches into a sugary liquid ready to use for fermentation.

a series of pipes of the cereal cooker for the whisky process

MILLING & MASHING

AMERICAN WHISKY PRODUCTION

In American whisky tradition, unmalted grains such as corn, rye and wheat, tend to be milled on hammer mills resulting in a coarse floury meal before moving to the cereal cooker. This method is used across America, Ireland and Scotland when producing grain whiskies.

FERMENTATION

OVERVIEW

For us, fermentation isn't just about creating alcohol; it's our environment's chance to craft entirely new notes and aromas for our whiskies. To this end, we've taken a fresh approach to traditional styles, developing a process that opens the way for an array of flavors.

a grassy meadow with green trees, blue skys and red flowers

FERMENTATION

LONG AND OPEN FERMENTATION

We opt for a long and open fermentation that spans seven days. This process takes place in vessels that are “open” to the Texas environment, allowing the microflora living in the local Waco air to influence our flavor. So when we say we make whisky you can find only in Texas, we mean exactly that—nowhere else in the world has the same fingerprint as our local microflora.

We take special precautions to preserve the microbiotic community that fills our distillery. Forgoing the pasteurization and sterilization of our grain and equipment allows the region-specific microflora living on these surfaces to breathe their own unique flavor into our spirits.

At the later stages of our fermentations, these microflora instigate a secondary acidic fermentation, dropping our pH and creating a cocktail of organic acids that will become the fruity flavors often associated with our whisky.

large steel vats with a backdrop of blue sky

FERMENTATION

YEAST PITCHING

Yeast is a crucial component of any fermentation process as it is responsible for converting sugary wort into alcohol and CO2. Historically, the strains we've used in our single malt whiskies are a malt whisky yeast and an ale yeast, resulting in fruit-forward flavors and a rich malt character. We use only a malt whisky yeast in our corn and rye whiskies, which helps honor the core character of our Texas-grown grains.

Taking a page from a range of brewing and distilling studies, we made the decision to combine dry malt whisky yeast and dry brewer's ale yeast in a dual yeast pitch for our single malts.

We use dry (also known as “starved”) yeast to increase yeast "stress," which leads to rich flavor precursors in our fermentations. We then dual-pitch yeast strains to encourage competition. This also increases yeast stress, ultimately encouraging the development of heavy alcohols and more flavor precursors.

a bottle of Balcones Lineage on a rock in the foreground with tall green grass and trees behind it

FERMENTATION

FRUIT PRECURSORS

Our process intentionally encourages the microbiotic ensemble to form fruit-forward notes that are a signature of our expressions. Through letting go of the need for complete control in our process, we can work in partnership with the natural world and allow its voice to be heard in our whisky. By coaxing the yeast and bacteria to work with one another, we create the foundation for our whisky's fruity flavor.

Our extended fermentation allows our pitched yeast, our wild house culture and the lactobacillus that hitched a ride on the grain to produce organic acids. These acids eventually bond with the heavy alcohols produced by the ale yeast, creating esters-the fruity and floral aromas you'll find across the Balcones range.

DISTILLATION

OVERVIEW

Making whisky in Texas requires us to bring a unique perspective to every aspect of production, including distillation. From the helical shape of our lyne arms to our double copper-pot batch distillation, we've curated our ways of working to allow us to be active partners with what our stills are producing.

large copper pot still with pipes and gauges

DISTILLATION

COPPER POT STILLS

Our stillhouse is home to four stills: two wash stills and two spirit stills. These copper pot stills allow the more sumptuous components of the distillate to be captured in the new make spirit, giving our whisky a delightful weight on the tongue, and a distinct density and full-bodied mouthfeel on the palate.

In copper pot batch distillation, the liquid wash coming from the fermenters is distilled on the wash stills, producing a low-ABV distillate called a low wine. The second still, known as the spirit still, accepts the low wines. During the spirit distillation, our heart cuts are collected to be barreled, while our heads and tails cuts are blended to become feints. These feints and low wines are then added into subsequent spirit distillations.

DISTILLATION

UNIQUE SHAPE

Back in 2015, when we began building our current home, we partnered with the premier still manufacturer Forsyths, located in Scotland, to engineer equipment completely customized to our process and climate. This includes the two distinct helical lyne arms of our spirit stills, where spirit still one has ten turns and spirit still two has four turns. The differences in the circumference and number of turns yield different results depending on what mashbill is being distilled. The longer lyne arm on spirit still one results in a brighter spirit, whereas the shorter lyne arm on spirit still two creates a heavier liquid.

In our new distillery, Forsyths suggested that we replicate the original lyne arm geometry by coiling the copper into a helical lyne arm on our new larger stills. Not only did this retain the unique character of our distillate, but it also resulted in some of the tallest copper pot stills in the world.

man on catwalk opening the hatch to one of the stills

DISTILLATION

ON- & OFF-GRAIN DISTILLATION

Our American Single Malt Whiskies are distilled off-grain, meaning the solids have been left behind in the mashing process. In contrast, our Single Grain Whiskies are fermented and distilled on-grain, meaning the solids remain in the liquid during cereal cooking and during the wash distillation. We use pot distillation for both styles of whisky, a process that requires specialized equipment paired with a deep understanding of distillation.

The equipment we choose plays a large part in retaining as much of our expression’s core flavor as possible. In the modern era, grain whiskies are almost exclusively run on column stills. Our wash stills are outfitted with an "external reboiler" located outside the still. The contents of the still are pumped into this external device for heating. This allows us to pot distill our Single Grain Whiskies on-grain.

top down view of the coiled pipes over the stills

DISTILLATION

LOW & SLOW DISTILLATION

We distill each batch of our new make spirit slowly at a low steam level. Not only does this allow ample time for the alcohol-rich vapors to interact with the high amount of copper in our spirit still's helical lyne arms, but it also improves visibility of the heads and tails cuts and allows time for the intense and rich hearts to develop.

Waco's daily temperature changes mean there's a fluctuation in where we cut our spirits. These variants in production pose challenges in our process. Using temperature and ABV as a starting point, our experienced distillers then work out the cut points by smell and taste.

Even the slightest shift in temperature or barometric pressure can influence the character of our distillate. That's why we prioritize being present in every step of the process. We guide the distillate, through frequent sensory analysis, making cuts, listening to the equipment and adapting our approach to each day’s unique character. This process allows us to craft fruitier and brighter spirits, by nimbly accentuating desirable compounds and preserving nuanced flavors and aromas.

MATURATION

OVERVIEW

We believe whisky is best when made in partnership with its environment. That's why, from the size and variety of barrels we use to the drastic temperature swings they’re exposed to during aging, every part of our maturation process is intentionally designed to partner with our climate. By fully embracing the extremes of our natural environment, we create whisky only Texas can make.

MATURATION

TEXAS WEATHER

Rather than resisting the volatile Texas weather, we fully embrace it. This philosophy informs our decision not to temperature control our warehouses, allowing our blazing hot summers and harsh winters to put their own unique fingerprint on our whiskies, producing a distinct character you can't find anywhere else.

We carried out a study in partnership with Independent Stave Company, which revealed that maturing the same base spirit in the exact same casks in Texas, Kentucky, Washington and Scotland results in flavors that are completely unique to Texas.

Rapid swings from hot to cold are characteristic of our region's weather. When the Texas sun beats down, the wood expands as its pores open, allowing whisky to permeate deep within the barrel. When the cold creeps in, our oak barrels tense up, wringing out tannins and spice hidden deep in the wood. These quick shifts allow our whisky to go into the pores of the oak and force our barrels to “breathe” much faster and deeper than those in other whisky-producing regions.

Leaning into these extremes allows us to stay true to the essence of Texas, unlocking flavors and aromas we couldn't otherwise achieve, resulting in rich spirits only Waco can create.

MATURATION

CASK & BARREL SELECTION

We travel far and wide to hand-select and acquire the right barrels to help facilitate maturing in a dynamic climate. Each one is selected based on several key factors including oak species, length of yard aging, stave count, stave width, toast and char levels, how fine or coarse the oak grain is, how "used" the cask is and what spirit was previously in the cask.

As a guide, we'll aim to get our grain whisky's entry proof between 105 and 120, and our single malt whisky's entry proof between 110 and 118. Then it's about pairing that with the right cask.

With diligent focus on every detail, including taking the extra step of toasting and charring the barrel heads, our new oak barrels cost two to three times the industry average. The remainder consists of used Kentucky bourbon barrels, used Tequila and Mezcal barrels, Texas and California wine casks as well as used barrels from our own in-house collection. This broadens the palette and helps us achieve more nuanced profiles, ensuring that wherever the natural elements push our whisky, there's flavor to be found.

three barrels of varying sizes in the middle of a large room with more barrels against the walls

MATURATION

BARREL SIZE

The rapid temperature swings and deep-breathing barrels can cause a significant amount of distillate to be lost to evaporation. Because of this, we favor a barrel that is larger than the industry standard for our virgin oak fills, ranging from 240 liters to 500 liters, as it reduces the amount of distillate lost to evaporation. This helps us to craft a more balanced and elegant whisky over a longer period of time.

We use a variety of barrel sizes and types, allowing our whisky to achieve a more complex and nuanced profile. Each cask is carefully selected to explore different dimensions of maturation and its unlimited possibilities.

200L (53 Gal)

Our 200-liter casks are composed of a selection of used Kentucky bourbon and used tequila casks. While these casks result in a 10 percent loss per year, they create a light oak impact on our whiskies, allowing us to achieve more mellow, older age statements.

225 - 240L (59.4 - 63.4 Gal)

Larger than the industry standard, our 225-liter and 240-liter casks allow us to fit more proof gallons into one cask. In these larger casks, we can cut vapor loss to around 8 percent and are given more flexibility with custom toast, char and yard-aging processes.

500 - 700L (132 - 184.9 Gal)

These extra-large format casks only result in only five percent loss each year and allow us to truly showcase the subtle nuances of our raw ingredients, fruity fermentations and expressive distillations. We make sure not to mask the grain characteristics and flavors under notes of oak, wood, sugar and tannin that are sometimes formed with traditionally sized barrels, especially in the Texas climate.

BLENDING

OVERVIEW

Blending is the point at which the character of our whisky reaches its final form. Blending is meticulous and hard to predict, but there is nothing more rewarding than when you strike the right balance, opening up a world of flavor. We blend casks from our warehouses with care to achieve whiskies that encourage you to slow down and savor the moment.

man looking at a bunch of jars of spirits on a workbench

BLENDING

THE ART OF SELECTION

Selecting mature casks and combining them to create balanced and expressive spirits is a constantly evolving art. Our blenders meticulously smell and taste every barrel of Balcones to ensure the quality and flavor meets our standards. We have a responsibility to listen and respond to the mature whisky before us. This isn't just another step in the process for us; it’s a profound vocation, where the casks demand something of us, and it's our responsibility to be present and form a cohesive whole from what we hear.

After the initial sensory pass to grade individual barrel samples, we bring these barrels together in benchtop mock blends-barrel by barrel-adding to the mock blend until we feel it's ready to be passed off to our warehouse team for disgorgement from barrels. After disgorgement, the true base blend sitting in our casking tanks will then be refined with additional spike barrels to coax it to the desired flavor profile.

four people collaborating around a table of labeled bottles and jars while sipping from glasses

BLENDING

COLLABORATION

Through brainstorms, meticulous notes and lively discussion, the collaborative spirit that guides us comes to life in the blending room.

One of our blenders, Emma Crandall, describes blending alongside the team as a group of artists painting together on one shared canvas. The blending room is a sacred space for peace, tranquility and pure presence in the moment.

To preserve this energy, we begin each session by grounding ourselves in the present moment as we prepare for the work ahead. This helps us to clear our senses of distractions, leaving space to bring our best and full selves to the blending table so we can pour positive energy into every one of our whiskies.

a bunch of labeled jars on a table with sticky notes on the table around them

BLENDING

BATCH ANALYSIS

The blending staff is also responsible for tasting batches of new make (unaged spirit) off our stills. Through batch analysis, we determine the quality and character of the liquid followed by what casks it should go into and what entry proof would be best in light of its unique character. We then closely monitor our spirit's unique character as it rises and falls with the seasons, and we custom tailor the barrel and entry proof pairing accordingly.

labeled jars around a bottle of Balcones Lineage

BLENDING

SEASONAL BLENDING

Texas is notorious for its volatile seasons with dramatic temperature swings and weather that can change on a dime. These uncompromising weather shifts pose significant challenges for our blending team, but also lead our whisky to develop its most desirable flavors.

The scorching summer enhances the flavor of our whisky, causing the distillate to reach deep within the pores of the oak, extracting rich flavors that are immensely rewarding to the palate.

The hardier Texas winter comes with different challenges than those of the extreme Texas summer. During this season, tannins and spice compounds from deep within are wrung out of the oak pores causing large quantities to seep into the maturing whisky. We typically wait for the tannins to oxidize and soften over the course of a few months, then continue our blending in the spring.