Balcones

Balcones was born when Chip Tate woke one day and decided to do something new. Rather than launch a new pasta sauce or man bag, Tate decided that he would aim much higher. He would start his own Texas whiskey tradition.

And so the American craft distillery of Balcones was born.

The distillery itself is housed within an old welding shop under a bridge in Waco, Texas. Whilst that might sound like an odd setting for distillery, it has so far proven to be the perfect place for producing this classy whiskey. Original from the outset, a vast majority of the equipment used on site has been built by Chip himself and other Balcones members using sheet metal, welding tools and hammers. A distillery made by hand. You can’t get more craft than that!

Following Chip’s courage and ingenuity in putting together the distillery, came the whiskey itself. Balcones successfully produced the first ever Texan whisky, the Texas Single Malt, and the first ever Blue Corn whisky, the True Blue, both of which have been met with an army of fans and have since, received a breathtaking 140 accolades and international awards, including 2015 Grand Global American Whiskey in the New York International Spirits Competition; 2015 Texas Distillery of the Year in Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky; and 2014 Craft Whiskey Distillery of the Year at the New York International Spirits Competition.

As Chip continues to bring his – now famous – ten unique whiskies and spirits to the public and win more awards along the way, he is safe in the knowledge that he’s achieved his goal: Making truly Texan whiskies.