We are happy to announce that, in addition to our weekly tours, Balcones is now open for bottle and merchandise sales directly from the distillery!  Our new store hours are 2-7pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and 1-7pm on Saturdays*. At our gift you shop will be able to purchase select bottles of our core whiskies, tasting glasses, apparel, and more.

Also, this week only, we have a limited supply of the commemorative editions of Baby Blue Cask Strength and Texas Single Malt Cask Strength, bottled exclusively for our Downtown Debut last week. Only 1,000 of these special releases were bottled and most were sold at the event, with less than a hundred of each remaining. These will be available starting today and will be first come, first serve. Once they’re gone, they’re gone! Get here early to secure yours. No concessions will be made for out of stock products.

Bottle sales are restricted by law to two (2) per person every 30 days. If you were one of our lucky guests for the Downtown Debut and purchased your two bottle maximum, then you will not be eligible to purchase more bottles until at least December 12, 2016. You must be 21 or older to purchase any spirits.

If you can’t make it to our distillery to purchase a bottle, they are always available at retailers across Texas. Make sure to ask for it by name!

Tours are now available to book on our website, please reserve your spot online by navigating to www.balconesdistilling.com/visit.  As always, make sure to follow us on Facebook to get the latest news and updates about our tours, events, and whisky sales!

*Balcones Distilling will be closed to the public during the week of Thanksgiving. The visitor’s center will open again on Thursday, December 1.

After years of planning, dreaming, and building, we are finally ready to welcome our loyal fans to the recently revived Texas Fireproof Storage building, the new home of Balcones Distilling. Converting the nearly 100-year-old structure into a craft whisky distillery proved to be an immense undertaking, one that we approached with considerable care to not only preserve the character of the building, but to continue producing whiskies of great character. Nearly two years after starting construction, we’re thrilled to share what we’ve built with the rest of the world.

This past weekend we welcomed over 500 people for a sneak peek of the new distillery for a day of community, celebration, and, of course, whisky. Tickets sold out almost immediately, so if you missed out on that opportunity, reservations are now available for guided tours on select dates!

All tour booking will be handled online through our website. Tours will take place at 5:15pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with one additional tour on Saturday at 2pm. At this time we are not accepting walk-ins, so please book your tour soon as they will fill up fast! A fee of $10 is required when you schedule your visit, and includes a guided tour of our facilities with one of our whisky experts, finishing with a complimentary sampling at the end. Select bottles from our core range of whiskies and spirits will be available for purchase, as well as all-new merchandise.

Come behold the beautiful copper pot stills from Scotland, see our grain silos and fermenters, and taste award-winning whiskies in a fun and also educational experience that walks you through the whisky making process from grain to glass.

Due to planned expansion happening early in 2017, our tour program will come to a conclusion at the end of January, and then resume later in the year once construction is complete. Book now to guarantee your spot, and stay tuned for a special bottle sale also happening at our retail store very soon. Details will be announced tomorrow!

Tours are restricted to those 19 and up, and only those 21 or older may sample any of our spirits. Whisky sales are restricted to two (2) 750ml bottles per person, every 30 days. If you joined us for our Downtown Debut and purchased your maximum bottles, you must wait until after December 12, 2017 to legally purchase bottles again. For more information, and to book your visit to Balcones, please click the link below! We can’t wait to see you.

Book your tour: http://www.balconesdistilling.com/visit

Astonishingly, tickets to Balcones’ Downtown Debut sold out in under 90 minutes at our distillery presale earlier this week. We made sure that Waco got the first opportunity to attend by releasing over half of our tickets to the public at the distillery on Monday. But, we have also held back a limited number of tickets to sell online today. At 2pm this afternoon, our Eventbrite page will go live for ticket sales at the link below.

We have a few things for you to know before purchasing tickets with us on Thursday, so we ask that you read the following before signing up:

• Downtown Debut will be held at the Balcones Distillery on November 12, from 2 -5 pm.
• All remaining tickets will be available today on Eventbrite only.
• Tickets are $10 per person, not including Eventbrite fees.
• You must be 21 or older to purchase; the event is strictly 21+.
• Each person may purchase up to 2 tickets.
• Names for each ticket are required, and cannot be changed after purchase. Tickets are non-transferrable or refundable. Valid 21+ ID matching the name on the ticket will be required for entry to the event.
• Tickets are extremely limited and will sell out fast.
• Bottle sales at the event are limited to two (2) per person by law.
• Closed-toe shoes are required to enter the event.

You may purchase your tickets at 2pm today by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/balcones-downtown-debut-tickets-28459107958

Given the response we experienced earlier this week, we anticipate that online sales will sell out immediately. We know that you are all eager to see the new Balcones, and regret that we can’t accommodate everyone just yet, but we’re happy to inform you that regular tours will begin in November, by reservation. Please watch our website and blog for details on upcoming tours at our new distillery.

 

Just yesterday afternoon we were met with a large and enthusiastic crowd of community members, who lined up over an hour in advance of our opening time to purchase tickets to our Downtown Debut. The response was surprising and amazing, and in just 90 short minutes we sold out of all 250 tickets we saved for local presale. It is our hope that this early offering at the distillery gave our Waco family the first and best opportunity to join us for our very special event next month.

The distillery will not open again for ticket sales, however we saved a limited number of tickets to sell online starting on Thursday, October 20th. At 2pm that day our Eventbrite page will go live for ticket sales. Visit us on Facebook or at www.balconesdistilling.com on Thursday morning for the Eventbrite link ahead of the sale. We sold over half of our event tickets yesterday; online tickets will be even more limited and we expect them to sell out very quickly.

We have a few things for you to know before purchasing tickets with us on Thursday, so we ask that you read the following before signing up:

• Downtown Debut will be held at the Balcones Distillery on November 12, from 2 -5 pm.
• All remaining tickets will be available on Eventbrite only.
• Tickets are $10 per person, not including Eventbrite fees.
• You must be 21 or older to purchase; the event is strictly 21+.
• Each person may purchase up to 2 tickets.
• Names for each ticket are required, and cannot be changed after purchase. Tickets are non-transferrable or refundable. Valid 21+ ID matching the name on the ticket will be required for entry to the event.
• Tickets are extremely limited and will sell out fast.
• Bottle sales at the event are limited to two (2) per person by law.

Once again, we are thrilled to finally showcase the result of years of planning, building, tweaking and perfecting our new Balcones. On the day of the event, you will not only be able to visit the distillery and take a self-guided tour, but we have live music, food trucks, cigars (smoking in designated areas only), and Austin’s popular Quickdraw photo booth to enjoy until the event closes at 5. Before you leave, get a complimentary taste of two new special edition whiskies we are releasing to commemorate the event. Both of these special edition whiskies will be available exclusively for attendees to purchase, limit one of each per person. Neat pours of ‘1’ Texas Single Malt and Baby Blue will also be available for purchase onsite for $10, limit two per person.

Stay tuned for final details about purchasing tickets, which we will release on Thursday morning. We can’t thank you enough for being such an outstanding and supportive community over the years. This is only the beginning for a bright new chapter in our history, one that we are grateful to share with you for many, many years ahead.

Update 10/17: Presale tickets at the distillery are officially sold out! Watch this space for details on how to buy tickets online this Thursday!

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Tickets for our first ever public event at the new Balcones Distillery will go on sale this afternoon! We will open for ticket sales only at the distillery for three hours, from 3 to 6pm. If tickets are still available, we will be open tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday from 3 to 6 pm as well. For the rest of our Texas following, we have held back a limited number of tickets to offer online, starting at 2pm on Thursday, October 20.

To ensure a quick and orderly registration, please read the following information before heading over:

• Event registration is only available at the distillery from 3pm to 6pm on Monday, October 17. The line to buy tickets will close at 6pm. Any unsold tickets will be available at the same time on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additional tickets are being held for online sales starting on Thursday. Visit balconesdistilling.com or visit us on Facebook for more information to see if this event has sold out.
• Our address is 225 S. 11^th Street parking is available on Mary St.
• Tickets are $10 per person (tax included); we accept all major credits and cash. Sorry, no checks.
• You must be 21 or older with valid ID to purchase; the event is strictly 21+.
• Each person may purchase up to 2 tickets.
• Names for each ticket are required, and cannot be changed after purchase. Tickets are non-transferrable or refundable. Valid 21+ ID matching the name on the ticket will be required for entry to the event.
• Ticket sales only, no bottles or merchandise will be available for purchase.

We have a solid day of Balcones fun lined up for you and can’t wait to see everyone! All registered attendees will not only get a sneak peek at our new distillery, but special commemorative whiskies will be available to taste and purchase exclusively at the event. We will have live music from Lomelda and J. Wagner, and food from Milo Biscuit Company, Alba’s Pupusas and Heritage Creamery. Drams of Baby Blue and ‘1’ Texas Single Malt will also be available for purchase, $10 each, limit two drinks per person.  Guests can also enjoy Austin’s popular Quick Draw Photobooth and purchase  cigars from Don’s Humidor. There will be a designated smoking area (please, no smoking in the distillery).

Online ticket sales will go live at 2pm this Thursday. For more information and availability, please visit www.balconesdistilling.com on the day of. Less than half of the total available tickets will be sold online, so if you can’t make it to the distillery to get yours, make sure to get yours quick after they go on sale!

We have even more exciting news to share with you as well: regular distillery tours will begin the week of November 14^th! Stay tuned to our Facebook, blog or website to get details and sign up information, coming soon.

It’s been a long time in the planning, and we can’t wait to share what we’ve built with you. We promise it won’t disappoint, and look forward to showcasing our amazing new distillery with you over a couple drams of delicious Texas whisky.

It is with great excitement that we are officially announcing our “Downtown Debut” at the new Balcones Distillery, right here in Waco, TX! Come get a sneak peek of the facility before our tour program goes online at the end of November.

In addition to a self-guided tour of Balcones, attendees will also receive a complimentary sampling of new special edition whiskies, bottled to commemorate the opening of our distillery. And, as a reward to our incredibly patient friends and fans, these special editions will be available to purchase at the end of your tour. Finish off your experience with live music from Lomelda and J. Wagner, food from Milo Biscuit Company, Alba’s Pupusas and Heritage Creamery, and pours of Baby Blue and ‘1’ Texas Single Malt for $10 each. The event will feature Austin’s popular Quick Draw Photobooth and cigars will be available from Don’s Humidor.

As a special thank you for the local community, a limited number of presale tickets will go on sale in Waco on Monday, October 17 starting at 3 pm*. Presale tickets are only available for purchase in person at the distillery. The distillery will be open for ticket sales only from 3 – 6 pm October 17, 18 and 19. General ticket sales will go online at 2pm on October 20. Visit BalconesDistilling.com or our Facebook page on the day of for more information.

Regular tours will begin soon, too, so if you can’t make this event there will be opportunities to see the new Balcones before the end of the year. Please follow us on Facebook or join our email list to be updated on public tours.

This day has been a long time coming and we’re beyond thrilled to finally share what we’ve built with you. It is a pivotal time not just for our company, but for our community as well. We’re proud to make whiskies that are world class, but our Waco roots run deep.

 

*Tickets available to those over 21 only. No one under legal drinking age will be admitted to the event.

We are happy to announce that new editions of some of our most sought-after whiskies and spirits will be available this fall. Because they are only bottled in extremely limited quantities, we have decided to keep them all right here at home in our great state of Texas. Starting in October, the 2016 batches of True Blue Cask Strength, True Blue 100, and Texas Blue Corn Bourbon will hit retailers and bars in Waco, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Later this year, toward the holidays, we will also release Rumble Cask Reserve.

Made from the same 100% blue corn mash as Texas’ first whisky, Baby Blue, True Blue 100 and True Blue Cask Strength express a different end of the spectrum for our blue corn whiskies. Full of rich and decadent notes, they are big and bold, and bottled at high proof without chill filtering to preserve as much of the experience from the barrel as possible. This year’s True Blue Cask Strength came in at a staggering 65.7% ABV, the highest it’s ever been. Enjoy it full strength, straight from the barrel, or with a splash of water. True Blue 100 is always bottled at 50% ABV, and comes from the same hand-selected casks as True Blue Cask Strength, but at a milder strength. This small bit of dilution tames the spirit and allows more subtle notes to be expressed in the nose and palate.

This year, both True Blue Cask Strength and True Blue 100 have been bottled as Straight Corn Whisky, which marks the first time we’ve ever released these very special whiskies with any indication of age. It is also our biggest release of True Blue Cask Strength ever.

 

True Blue Cask Strength Straight Corn Whisky (65.7% ABV)

Nose: cookie dough, juniper, thyme, walnut shells, cinnamon, burnt sugar, cigar box

Palate: marmalade, burnt toast, dried apricot, caramelized sugar, carrot cake

Finish: long and lingering, brown sugar, tannin and oak

Availability: Texas only

 

 

 

True Blue 100 Straight Corn Whisky (50% ABV)

Nose: melted butter, pralines, toffee, pear skin, orange zest, ginger, vanilla

Palate: treacle, black pepper, fresh cut lumber, grilled poblano, agave syrup

Finish: medium long with char, citrus, ginger, eucalyptus

Availability: Texas only

 

 

Texas Blue Corn Bourbon is still a relatively new addition to the Balcones family of whiskies made from blue corn, and this year is only its second release ever. Unlike corn whiskies, which must be aged in used charred barrels, Bourbon whisky may only be aged in new charred oak. The use of new oak imparts intense aromas and flavors of oak, burnt sugar, smoke and char. At its natural cask strength of 64.9%, and also not chill filtered, it is massive and full of flavor, just the way Texas whisky should be. This year’s release also saw an increase in age, allowing us to label it as Straight Bourbon Whisky.

 

Texas Blue Corn Bourbon Straight Bourbon Whisky (64.9% ABV)

Nose: blue cotton candy, smoke, Mexican cola, burnt toffee, leather, sandalwood, milk oolong

Palate: spice cake, coffee, apple crisp, hot cinnamon candies, tobacco, tea leaves

Finish: long with mouth watering acidity, light tannin, dark cocao, burnt sugar

Availability: Texas only

 

We’re also very excited to inform our friends and fans that we are putting the final touches on this year’s batch of Rumble Cask Reserve. Made from the same turbinado sugar, mission fig and Texas wildflower honey spirit as Rumble 94º, Rumble Cask Reserve is allowed to mature much longer in the barrel, and is bottled at cask strength. We’ll make sure to update everyone on the upcoming release after it has been bottled and shipped to our distributor. This will once again be a Texas only release.

These special releases are all made in very small quantities and will be tightly allocated. To get your hands on them, speak to your preferred retailer, or request your favorite bar to carry them. While we wish we could promise everyone a bottle, it’s just not possible at these volumes. Thankfully, we’re laying down a lot more whisky these days in our new distillery, so in time we will have plenty to share with you!

We look forward to sharing these fantastic releases with our devoted fans over the coming months. A small series of events are in the works and we really hope you’ll join us. Follow us on Facebook for any and all updates. You’ll also want to stay tuned for the grand opening event we’re planning in November, where we may hold back a few cases of these fantastic whiskies for tasting and purchase.

Since 2009 we have laboriously crafted our spirits by hand in a tiny, old welding shop under a bridge in downtown Waco. While the quaint facility is dear to us and will forever hold a special place in our hearts, it has always been our dream to go “big.” In 2011 we acquired the Texas Fireproof Storage Building, a historical landmark also in downtown Waco, built in 1923. Boasting 65,000 sq. ft. of space inside a structure of steel, concrete and brick, the facility has long served as our barrel aging warehouse, but was always envisioned as the key to Balcones’ future. As fate would have it, demand for our whiskies picked up at an unexpected and astonishing pace, drastically exceeding our production capabilities. A new distillery was no longer just a dream, it became a necessity.