Balcones Distilling's Emma Crandall returns to explore more unique combinations with West China Tea's Sohan. We dive into Balcones' latest release, Pilgrimage, a distillery-exclusive Texas single malt with a fascinating story.
Pilgrimage is made by distilling unpeated Golden Promise Scottish barley immediately after a peated single malt run. The residual phenolic oils from the peated run impart a subtle smoky character to the unpeated spirit, showcasing the intricate connections between each stage of the whiskey-making process.To complement the Pilgrimage's incidental smoke notes, Sohan selects a 2021 Gushu Pu'er tea called "Smoke Bomb." This sheng (raw) Pu'er, sourced from ancient tea trees in the famous Ba Ma Patch on Nan'uo Mountain, acquires its smokiness from the traditional hand-processing method using wood-fired woks.As Emma and Sohan explore the whiskey and tea pairing, they uncover layers of chocolate, caramel, and fudge in the Pilgrimage, with a mossy element reminiscent of peat smoke. The addition of water brings out a sweeter, grapey note and a surprising rye-like character.The conversation then shifts to the concept of "ichi-go ichi-e," or "one time, one meeting," emphasizing the importance of embracing the unique, ephemeral nature of each whiskey bottle and tea session.Finally, we get a taste of Balcones' funky, hogo-rich rum, inspiring a lively discussion on the various ways people perceive and describe flavors, from traditional tasting notes to colors, shapes, and memories.Join us for an engaging exploration of the parallels between tea and whiskey, the art of blending, and the joy of savoring the moment. @TeaHouseGhost @balconesdistilling⸺ credits ⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
Richard Amiro - host http://richardamiro.com
So-Han Fan - guest https://www.youtube.com/@TeaHouseGhost - https://westchinatea.com/
Cory Cranfill - a really helpful guy https://youtube.com/@shedlogic - https://www.righttoolmedia.com
Emma Crandall - guest https://www.instagram.com/emmaacrandall/ https://www.instagram.com/balconesdistilling/⸺ socials ⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺Website: https://whiskeyprovisioner.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/WhiskeyProvisTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whiskeyprovisionerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiskeyProvisionerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiskey_provisioner
