Balcones Cataleja is a release that celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Waco Texas-based distillery, founded in 2008 by its former President and Master Distiller, Chip Tate (who parted ways in 2014), and Balcones current Master Distiller, Jared Himstedt. In November 2022 Diageo announced the acquisition of Balcones Distillery as one of the leading producers of American Single Malt Whiskey in the United States.
I reached out to Balcones and was put in touch with their Director of Spirits, Gabriel RiCharde to answer questions I had about Cataleja. I learned that Gabe was not only on the blending team, but there may not have been a Cataleja if Gabe hadn’t gone to Spain on a non-business related trip. While there, Gabe was sent on a side mission to procure Sherry puncheons from local Spanish winemakers. The plan was to turn these massive 600 & 700-liter puncheons into neutral casks for aging Balcones whiskey. This would solve the problem of allowing maturation beyond the five or six-year limit using standard 53-gallon (200-liter) casks in the extremely hot Texas climate. Gabe was successful in purchasing a total of 13 very well-aged, decommissioned Sherry solera puncheons, made from American oak. The puncheons ranged from 60 to 100 years in age, with Amontillado Dulce and Moscatel Dorado as the youngest and Palo Cortado and Oloroso as the oldest. When Balcones finally began repurposing these puncheons, they found some very interesting and unexpected results. More experimentation led to using the four different sherry puncheons to create a completely new product, which became Cataleja.
The process of creating Cataleja (Spanish for “spyglass”) began with a 100% Golden Promise malted barley mash bill, aged for around 3 years in ex-bourbon casks from Kentucky. Small lots of the single malt were “married” and transferred into the four different types of sherry solera puncheons for a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd use finish, each time being transferred back into neutral used Kentucky barrels to marry and integrate the wine-finished character. Some of the resting whiskey stayed in the separate neutral casks for multiple years. Depending on the intensity of each puncheon and the flavors developing in the cask, the finishing lasted from 180 days up to 2.5 years. The 3rd use finishes spent the least amount of time in neutral oak or taken directly out of the puncheons to be used for the final blend. In total, Cataleja was created using 56.8% Moscatel Dorado, 22.7% Amontillado Dulce, 11.4% Oloroso, and 9.1% Palo Cortado sherry puncheons. Though Cataleja is non-age stated, I was told it’s between 4 to 6 years old. Let’s get to it!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Balcones Distilling.
Proof: 118.
Age: NAS (4 to 6 years).
Mash bill: 100 % Golden Promise Malted Barley.
MSRP: $125.
Appearance: Golden copper.
Nose
The first layer is an abundance of mixed berries and white grapes, dark chocolate, and smokey malt. Next comes dates and apricots with molasses, vanilla bean, and orange citrus. With more resting, herbal notes of green tea, and cloves appear with a moderate amount of allspice and oak. This is deliciously complex. The toffee and chocolate flavors become sweeter with more vanilla as the session continues. There is a slight underlying sulfur note that’s interesting and surprisingly not off-putting. This nose is fantastic.
Palate
A very creamy, thick mouthfeel coats the palate with mixed berry compote, smokey malt, chocolate, and toffee. Apricots, dates, cloves, and vanilla bean enter in mid-sip with a moderate amount of allspice which slowly gains momentum, focusing on the back palate. It’s impressive how well the bold, smoky, single malt base and rich sherry-influenced flavors are balanced. What’s equally impressive is how Cataleja manages to be this flavorful and still drink well below its proof.
Finish
Mixed berries, malt, and chocolate linger for a long time, along with delicate allspice and vanilla sticking to your cheeks. Subtle herbal notes of cloves come back around as the finished sherry-influenced flavors dissipate. After more time passes, you’re left with berries, oak, and slight tobacco as this sip slowly closes out with a very long finish.
Conclusion
If ever there was a whiskey that can be described as very bold, yet decadent, it’s Cataleja. You might think that so much sherry finishing would create an overwhelming berry-forward profile, but instead, it manages to work beautifully. It’ll be interesting to see what Balcones has in store for these sherry puncheons in future releases, which I was told are in the works. Cataleja is a special and incredibly delicious release that I highly recommend if you’re into other sherry or wine-finished American single malts.
Rating: 8.5/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
