Whiskey Del Bac Dorado Mesquite Smoked Single Malt

To be fair, they basically just started making whisky and for the short time they do it, they are doing okay. That being said, Del Bac is a perfect example to show that making good Scotch needs decades of experience and they just don't have that yet. Also, there is a huge difference between aging and maturing. With their small barrels, they can mature their whisky in less than a year but by no means is it well aged. As with baking bread, time is an ingredient that cannot be substituted. Del Bac is just not ready for prime time, at least not for serious whisky lovers. It can hold its water against a $20 blend from your super market but falls fast and far behind anything else. I will give this a try again in a decade, when they have more experience and moved to bigger barrels and longer aging.

Very dry. Strong smoke.

Quite smoky. Not smooth, has a real bite. Excellent for a change of pace.

A sample as part of the "whiskey transfer program" from dthom. I'm leery here as I don't like peaty whiskey (sorry peat heads!) and this was sold to me as "smokey without the peat". I always taste peat as burned plastic so I can't get past it. Nose: Very smokey and sweet. Like BBQ that is cooking in someone's backyard. Some wood and dark sugars. Flavor: Dark sugars and sweet BBQ rub. It tastes like the rub I use on my ribs. The smoke is so overpowering I can't get anything else. Finish: No clue. My palate was so overwhelmed with Mesquite smoke flavors that I couldn't tell anything else. Not balanced at all. Sorry guys...I hate this. This whiskey isn't a touch of smoke but all smoke. Any good flavor that I thought I was catching was quickly overwhelmed by Mesquite.

Definitely mesquite smoked, but less smoke than an islay, and a nice fruity base with a noticeable barrel back end.

American single malt craft distilleries can be a hit and miss. Some are decent. Most are bad. But all are pretty much bad VFM. Even the good ones are pretty bad VFM ( Westland Garryana, case and point). This one here is an exception. It’s sent courtesy from my southwestern buddy @dubz480. Aroma is amazing. Morning after campfire. Ashes and burnt wood, with that distinct smoke smell. Taste is mesquite BBQ smoke ribs. In liquid form. This is what Balcones wished it tasted like. This is probably my new favorite American single malt. Move over Westland, Wyoming, Stranhan’s, Balcones, and countless others. There’s a new American single malt king . @dubz480 thanks! I’m buying a bottle