Tastes

From Batch OL1117, bottled at 60.3% ABV bottled on 11/17. Tasted neat from a Glencairn and allowed to sit for about 10 minutes after the pour. This whisky pours a crystaline amber with notable sheeting and slow legs . It looks almost like a dark honey. Nothing about the appearance of this would indicate it is such a high proof product. On the nose there is immediate honey, molasses, fruitcake with maybe a hint of nutmeg. The aromas rising from the glass are wonderful. They are rich, sweet and subtle. This is a whisky that rewards patience and continued exploration. On the palate there is absolutely no indication of the proof. This is as clean, smooth and rich as any whisky I've had. The finish is where the proof shows itself, with a glow of heat building after the swallow and coming on in waves over a slow fade to a sweet, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish is really quite amazing - slow, long and luxurious. The taste is primarily sweet with impressions of fruit. The sherry is notable and well integrated. There isn't as much complexity on the tongue as the nose promised, with a slight hint of oak, some vague and ghostly smokiness, creamy honey and butterscotch all pointing to a rich sherry heritage. I like this scotch, but oddly I'm not satisfied with it. I'd love to see just a bit more complexity in the flavor profile, maybe a little separation of the notes in this whisky symphony. The influence of the sherry might be just a tad too much. Perfect for dessert or as an alternative to a rich XO cognac. My ratings are from 1 (I'll be drinking something else, please), 2 (acceptable as a mixer or based on price/performance ratio), 3 (an good average whisky, glad to have in on my bar), 4 (exceptional whisky and the lower boundary goal for my my curated collection) and, 5 (truly extraordinary in every way).

Tasted neat in a Glencairne. The whiskey was allowed to sit for 10 minutes before review. This pours a polished walnut color, clear and rich. When swirled, viscous sheeting collapses into slowly diminishing legs. There seems to be an oiliness to this. Smoke is evident on the nose immediately. There's a bit of the Band-Aid odor that I recognize typically from Laphroig. It is definitely an Islay thing. This is followed by vanilla and barrel notes and some soft ginger and baking spices. On the palate this whiskey features prominent iodine and saline notes, followed by wood, barrel char, vanilla and sweet cream. It is clearly a bourbon and peated scotch blend, and that is what makes it interesting. There's a lot going on in this glass. For some, it may be too much. This is a polarizing whiskey. You will either love it or hate it on first taste. I find it to be fascinating. It is a juxtaposition of two discreet styles that I never expected to meet in such a lovely and harmonious way.

I enjoyed a bit of this last night, neat in a Glencairn. It followed an EHT Small Batch and comparing the two was quite interesting. Since I didn't find anything new, here are my notes from my comparo between the Dickel BiB and JD Old No. 7 published on the Bourbon Sippers Slurred Speech blog - https://bourbonsippers.com/george-dickel-bottled-in-bond/ This whiskey pours a rich, rose-brass coloration. On the nose, I get caramelized sugar, oak, and barrel char. It’s got some interesting things going on. On the tongue, the proof of the Dickel is readily apparent. There is a nice bite and an engaging strength. The mouthfeel is creamy, almost oily. The oak barrel notes are forward without overpowering the flavor; no small thing for a whisky this old. I find it to be beautifully balanced. The flavor palate includes cherry cola, bananas, dark rum, cinnamon, and white pepper. There are notable banana and rum notes, reminiscent of a Bananas Foster dessert. The finish is nicely tapered sweet, and warming. I'm on my 4th bottle of this, so its safe to say I like it a lot. I'm happy I have a couple in the cupboard as this is getting somewhat hard to find. Thanks to Kenny's Liquors in Tampa for holding true to the price! What I'm not really happy about are the local liquor stores here in Tampa that thought jacking up the price from an already over MSRP $39.99 to $69,99 right after it was announced that this expression was 2019 Whiskey of the year., was a good idea. It's a bullshit move and I hope you'll join me in refraning from shopping at stores that pull these kinds of unnecessary pricing shenanigans.

Tasted neat in a glencairne. Caramel and cola on the nose. Sweet notes preceed a distinct barrel note of charred oak. Pepper, ginger and spice up front. Heat! A sweet mid pallette offers up some cherry cola notes. Long, peppery, capsaicin finish. Touch of lemon on the fade. Delightful, even if it's somewhat Technicolor. There are a few things going on here, and they work!

Store pick from Kenny's Liquors (Tampa). Light, floral nose with notes of creamed corn and a sweet note I can't quite identify. It's delicate. Theres a lot going on, but none of it is in your face. There is a bit of barrel char that wraps sweet notes into a chorus of flavor. On the tongue, the profile is similarly delicate with slight white pepper at the beginning, followed by ginger, sasparilla, and creamed corn. There's a hint of honey that leads into a long, silky and warm vanilla finish. The finish on this bottle is sublime. Capsacin and black pepper play off honey and vanilla, finally leaving a sweet, oily mouthfeel and deep heat. Single barrels... every now and then you get a masterpiece. This is one of them.

From a small taster at the distillery. This is a 2-year old, 51 % rye, 4 grain mash that features wheat, malted barley & corn. This is light and sweet on the taste buds with an orchard fruit emphasis and a nice touch of spice and wood. I like it enough to want a better taste. I'm curious how this stacks up to Rittenhouse, Old Overholt or Wild Turkey...

Not sure if this is the exact bottle. I'm sipping a sample sent to me by Jake Gregory from the Slurred Speach blog over at Bourbon Sippers. His notes indicate 122 proof, OBSV, "Borrowed Brass" . I'm tasting this neat in a Glencairn after about 15 minutes rest. Just a beautiful polished mahogany coloring. Viscous sheeting and slow legs promise a rich mouthfeel. The nose is rich and subtle, with surprisingly little alcohol considering the proof. Ripe peach and carmelized sugar are my first impressions. Rich caramel and notes of black pepper and Red Hots candy jump out on the taste buds. There is a lot of barrel in the mid pallete. Oak and char, dry vanilla and cherries make up the body of the flavor profile. The finish is long, beautifully tapering to notes of menthol, a little pine resin and finally a slow, lingering capsacin-like warmth in the back of the throat and through the chest. There is just the slightest funkiness late in the taste curve that I can't quite identify. It might be one of those nights... but theres just the slightest bit of imbalance that keeps this from hitting a perfect 5 on my scale. The world has a lot of outstanding 4's, a lot less 4.5's and damned few over that. This is right there - truly superb. Wish I could get another!