Balcones: Next stop, world domination?

[timd]

Wade likes to be the turd in the punchbowl

I love Wade, but I LOL'd. He's that kid with a stick looking for a beehive (or a bear) to poke...

[p_elliott]

I'm going to have to side with Wade and Chuck on this one. I think the story of Chuck doing one of these award things and HW winning distillery of the years award against his protest is the best example. Chuck care to tell that story again? even though I told the punch line.

[SMOWK]

I agree with both sides. The competitions are worthless to most of us here, but that's not the point of the competition. As an enthusiast, you would be stupid to follow these awards and ratings religiously. And as a producer, you would be stupid not to participate.

[HighHorse]

Wade likes to be the turd in the punchbowl but he's right about awards. It's nothing against Balcones, you know how good your stuff is, that's not the issue.

I hear what you're saying ... but it is the issue on this thread about Balcones. Is this really the thread to dump on an awards program that some folks don't agree with? Or, is it just a platform of convenience? I'd love to see the awards program in a different thread so it can be kicked around without besmirching the good name of Balcones.

[wadewood]

I hear what you're saying ... but it is the issue on this thread about Balcones. Is this really the thread to dump on an awards program that some folks don't agree with? Or, is it just a platform of convenience? I'd love to see the awards program in a different thread so it can be kicked around without besmirching the good name of Balcones.

Well the Balcones rep posted about the awards in this thread, so I think it makes it fair game and on topic, but I would have no problem if a mod decided to split off into separate thread.

[Balcones Winston]

Well the Balcones rep posted about the awards in this thread, so I think it makes it fair game and on topic

Maybe it's a "relevant" topic but it is not the discussion at hand. We take pride in our accomplishments, I merely wanted to share that with those I consider friends and acquaintances on here. It was not my intention to spark a debate about the validity of award shows, that was your initiative.

At Balcones, we are fortunate to have been the recipient of many prestigious awards from institutions all over the world. If you don't like it, that's your right and I respect it, but let's keep this thread positive and constructive.

[LostBottle]

Are we still in the "Special Olympics" now?

After reading the last couple of pages, it sure sounds like it....Salt Lake City bid bribery style.

[White Dog]

The thread should be constructive, but positive? Is this the Kiss Balcones Ass Thread? Maybe Wade's spot on observation deserves another thread, but Winston brought up those silly award, Wade didn't.

[LostBottle]

Are we still in the "Special Olympics" now?

After reading the last couple pages, it sure sounds like it...Salt Lake City bid bribery style.

In all seriousness though, Rumble Cask Reserve is pretty tasty, I wish it was actually available.

Edited October 22, 2013 by LostBottle

[timd]

The thread should be constructive, but positive? Is this the Kiss Balcones Ass Thread? Maybe Wade's spot on observation deserves another thread, but Winston brought up those silly award, Wade didn't.

I don't think that's what Winston is saying (i.e. "kiss our ass"). I know him well enough to know that's NOT what he wants. All the Balcones folks have thick skins and enjoy constructive, if challenging, criticism.

The issue is that it looks to me like this tirade is focused on Balcones for entering & marketing these awards - when almost every other distiller does the same.

If awards competitions are such a drain on our collective well being, then by golly somebody who cares that much should start a new thread focused on just that: how awards and medals are killing the liquor industry. But this doesn't feel constructive, at least not to me... it seems like a beating that isn't warranted targeted at Balcones specifically.

More concretely, if you think specifically BALCONES should be above this, and not be part of these competitions, then why? Explain how it hurts their reputation and negatively impacts their marketing. This site's audience is less than 1% of the whiskey buying world, we are in the know and "get" that these competitions aren't nearly as "pure" or "objective" as we would like them to be. But they are a valuable part of the marketing strategy for liquor brands (and many other industries do it too). If there wasn't a value from a sales perspective among average consumers, these brands wouldn't pay to participate nor spend the money to attend.

But what I'd really like someone to explain to me is how winning best in show of 250 other spirits is a bad thing for the brand or not worthy of crowing about? The concept of competitions as they are now may be anathema to some people, but it still seems like legit bragging rights in this specific circumstances (IMHO).

Peace.

[smokinjoe]

This thread has pretty much been a running promotional piece for Balcones since day one. But, SB is a medium where the content cannot always be controlled to one's liking. You gotta take the good with the bad, man. There is no reason that this subject shouldn't be open to scrutiny, once it was promoted by the Balcones rep.

[wadewood]

For the record (and again because I have posted this before) Balcones makes some great products that I really enjoy such as their Single Malt, the Rumble (especially the Cask Reserve Version) and the True Blue.

I think when a distiller's rep (or really anybody) posts about the awards some spirit won in an open forum, then it's also open to discussion on the validity of said award. The same if they post about some blog review or whiskey magazine review, then questioning the bias of blogger or reviewer is fair game. I'm not breaking any sb.com rule. If this is positive or constructive is in the eyes of the reader and Winston/Balcones does not get decide what gets posted here.

It also needs to be pointed out that 5 of the 7 awards they won are for products not really available. The Best in show award went to a product they made 1 barrel, probably made under 175 bottles, and of that and I suspect 20% of that went to reviewers and award shows. There is no more of this product in near future to be released. Balcones Texas Rum? I've never seen that at retail. Texas Rum Special Release - I don't even see a COLA label approval for that, which calls into question what are they turning into judges. Crooked Bourbon? again no COLA label and never been at retail. Brimstone Ressurection - well at least there is a COLA approval, but I've never seen it. So are they gaming the awards be picking honey barrels to turn into judges? I think that's a legit question. If the big KY producers picked single honey barrels to turn into awards shows, I'm sure they would be winning many more awards and I'm also sure we would calling it out as BS. A craft distiller should be judged the same.

Edited October 23, 2013 by wadewood

[WhiskyRI]

Very interesting thread. I actually got to hold a bottle of Balcones Bourbon on a trip to NY a few weeks back, unfortunately my wallet wasn't big enough to take the bottle home - the retailer wanted $350 for the bottle. Not sure what the wholesale price was but was wistful that I wouldn't be able to try such a rare commodity. Glad to see the recognition from the industry and your peers. As to the whole awards industry, whisky is in a much better place than the wine industry. And as Winston pointed out Best in show goes to a tiny percentage of entrants. Looking forward to what develops with Balcones in the new distillery - I think what many critics of craft distillers forget is while the craft distillers in general make a lot of mistakes I think they have dramatically shorter learning curves (at least the ones that survive) so their products can rapidly change (and often improve) in just 6, 12 or even 18 months. If price and consistency was the most important thing to me I'd still be drinking Budweiser and jim beam (not that JB is bad product per se). As a consumer I like the variation and different flavor profiles - some of them aren't for me - but some of them are and they expand my palate. I don't love Brimstone but I do find it interesting and love sharing it with people. And @Winston thanks for engaging so fully on the board. Look forward to sharing a dram with you.

[TunnelTiger]

+1, well said Whisky

[Balcones Winston]

Very interesting thread. I actually got to hold a bottle of Balcones Bourbon on a trip to NY a few weeks back, unfortunately my wallet wasn't big enough to take the bottle home - the retailer wanted $350 for the bottle. Not sure what the wholesale price was but was wistful that I wouldn't be able to try such a rare commodity. Glad to see the recognition from the industry and your peers. As to the whole awards industry, whisky is in a much better place than the wine industry. And as Winston pointed out Best in show goes to a tiny percentage of entrants. Looking forward to what develops with Balcones in the new distillery - I think what many critics of craft distillers forget is while the craft distillers in general make a lot of mistakes I think they have dramatically shorter learning curves (at least the ones that survive) so their products can rapidly change (and often improve) in just 6, 12 or even 18 months. If price and consistency was the most important thing to me I'd still be drinking Budweiser and jim beam (not that JB is bad product per se). As a consumer I like the variation and different flavor profiles - some of them aren't for me - but some of them are and they expand my palate. I don't love Brimstone but I do find it interesting and love sharing it with people. And @Winston thanks for engaging so fully on the board. Look forward to sharing a dram with you.

[LostBottle]

$350 for Balcones is ridiculous. Are you seriously going to let Garrison Bros be more expensive? This needs remedied.

Edited October 23, 2013 by LostBottle

[cowdery]

The last time I judged ADI was in May of 2010. Rather than repeat that story here I'll just provide links to the two parts of it here and here.

Because of our past issues, I should say that I had no issue High West itself in this matter. They did everything correctly. My issue was, and is, with ADI.

I concluded that post with the following statement, which I still believe is true about ADI. "American Craft Distilling is a young movement. In being critical, I'm not trying to strangle the baby in its crib. On the contrary, I'm trying to convince the baby not to commit suicide."

Edited October 23, 2013 by cowdery

[MyOldKyDram]

Does LostBottle lead the forum in self deletions?

[LostBottle]

WhatndhsbbsbdhshshhsbN janns

[BAO]

I'll admit to being a noob Balcones fanboy. I dont want to pile on but the award is nice, but nothing to write home about. 7 other whiskeys out of the 130 awarded spirits, with only two others being straight bourbons. I'm sure there were a couple other straight bourbons that didn't get awards, but thats a totally unfair fight for the other types of spirits lumped into the category with straight bourbon.

Back to being a fanboy. WANT WANT WANT that Balcones Bourbon.

[White Dog]

I'll admit to being a noob Balcones fanboy. I dont want to pile on but the award is nice, but nothing to write home about. 7 other whiskeys out of the 130 awarded spirits, with only two others being straight bourbons. I'm sure there were a couple other straight bourbons that didn't get awards, but thats a totally unfair fight for the other types of spirits lumped into the category with straight bourbon.

Back to being a fanboy. WANT WANT WANT that Balcones Bourbon.

[ChainWhip]

So if everyone loves the Bourbon, why aren't they making more?? Winston?

[nivto]

That's my same question on the Rumble Cask Reserve

[Balcones Winston]

We have a core portfolio to support. Though we'd love to have more of our bourbon and RCR available, we simply don't have the capacity right now. You can be certain that we'll have many more goodies to share once the new distillery is built.

[chrisg]

When does the 5th Anniversary bottling come out?