Balcones Baby Blue vs Balcones True Blue: Head to Head!

Discover the differences between Balcones Baby Blue vs Balcones True Blue in this in-depth comparison and decide which whiskey is better for You!

Balcones Baby Blue

Nose	Popcorn, caramel, cotton candy
Palate	Sweet corn, caramel, charred oak
Finish	Oak spice, burnt corn
Alcohol content	92 proof (46% ABV)
How to drink	Add water

On the nose, I get a heavy popcorn hint, followed by caramel and cotton candy.

On the palate, Baby Blue has a creamy mouthfeel and tastes sweet at first, is rich in sweet corn and caramel but there is also a harsh bitter note coming from the burnt oak.

Finish has a solid length and is astringent with just a tad of caramel of sweetness.

There is very little warmth to it but this is not an easy drinker. The bitter note overpowers other flavors demanding a persistent aficionado to enjoy it.

This whiskey is made entirely using Hopi Blue Corn making an interesting experiment but the result is not that good, to be honest.

Another interesting fact about this whiskey is that it was aged for a mere 6 months in 5 gallon barrels.

When you age a spirit in such a small barrel you make the liquid enter in too much contact with the wood and this is what made it so bitter.

There are a few facts worth knowing about Balcones Baby Blue:

• Bottled at 92 proof.

• Baby Blue was aged for around 6 months in 5 gallon barrels.

• Baby Blue is a non chill-filtered whiskey. Many distillers and die-hard aficionados don’t like chill-filtering because according to them some molecules which contribute to the flavor and mouthfeel are also filtered out in the process.

• Balcones is distilled in the state of Texas.

Balcones True Blue

Nose	Fruity notes, popcorn, oak char
Palate	Burnt corn, cinnamon, brown sugar, oak
Finish	Ripe fruit oak
Alcohol content	100 proof (50% ABV)
How to drink	Add water
Similar to	Texas Single Malt

The nose is fruity, with a popcorn hint and oak char.

On the palate, True Blue is quite creamy, delivering caramel and brown sugar sweetness up-front, nicely balanced against a cinnamon note. There is a bit of oak astringency but not as heavy as in Baby Blue.

The finish has a decent length, pleasantly warm, with a bit of oak char, caramel and pepper.

Smooth and soft for a 100 proof making an easy drinker and better balanced than the Baby Blue as the wood bitterness is just a note and not the main flavor.

This whiskey is also made entirely using blue corn from New Mexico but was aged for around 2 years which removed some of Baby Blue’s rough edges making it entirely easier to sip.

There are a few facts worth knowing about Balcones True Blue:

• Bottled at 100 proof.

• Aged for a around 2 years in 5 gallon barrels, when the norm in the industry is around 30.

• True Blue is also a non chill-filtered dram.

• Won the “World’s Best Corn Whisky” category award at the World Whiskies Awards in 2018 (it was a short field).

• Balcones was founded in 2008 by Chip Tate but he was fired from his own company in a story worth of Netflix.

Balcones Baby Blue vs Balcones True Blue: Price comparison

Prices are approximate and stated in USD:

Whiskey	Price
Balcones Baby Blue	$44
Balcones True Blue	$55

Balcones Baby Blue vs Balcones True Blue: Which is Better?

True Blue is an easier drinker

• True Blue is an upgrade over Baby Blue which is just too young, undeveloped and harsh.

• A higher proof and a proper aging gave a boost in every way making True Blue and interesting and unique whiskey as you are unlikely to find many whiskeys of its kind.

• Good for change to taste something not coming from the Buffalo Trace Distillery or the Jim Beam Distillery!