Whiskey Del Bac Dorado Mesquite Smoked Single Malt

Nose: smoke, barbecued meat, apricots, caramel Taste: smoke dominates, not finding the sweetness Finish: not much beyond the smoke, not dry and not much burn After reading reviews: tobacco on the nose makes sense but I don’t find chocolate, nor can I get chili/spicy notes beyond the smoke on the taste

Now that I’ve acquired a proper bottle of this stuff it’s time to do a proper review. Boy do I love mesquite smoked single malt. I feel like nothing captures the spirit of the American West like this style of whiskey. I already have a bottle of the Colkegan from New Mexico and High West Campfire from Utah, and now with this bottle from Arizona, I’m closer to the smokey four corners collection (looking your way Colorado. Maybe Stranahans has something cooking up...). The nose here is just beautiful. Mouth watering even. The mesquite is more present here than on the Colkegan, I suspect because of a higher percentage of smoked barley. I get meaty, briskety note along with campfire, a little leather, and an almost creamy note. Taste brings just the right amount of smoke along with a coating, creamy mouthfeel. Letting it sit on my palate a while reminds me of the last cigar I smoked (which was admittedly a long time ago. One vice at a time...). The finish lingers and leaves a warm embery glow in your mouth enticing you to go back for more. I didn’t add water because it went down plenty easy at 45%. A little hard to find (one liquor store in all of Austin had it), but definitely worth the effort. Their brand rep at the tasting I attended said they’re starting to expand their distribution further so hopefully it shows up on y’alls shelves at some point in the near future. Cheers!

Wild west whiskey... oh yeah! Blazing sun, blazing guns, outlaws, and horse-trail camp-fire grub. These Del Bac guys have without a doubt captured part of Arizona in these here bottles of Dorado. The aromas of mesquite smoked meat and savory molasses baked beans jump out of the glass at you. Just like walking into the eatin’ joint up at Tortilla Flats after searching for the Lost Dutchman mine all day, or something like that. Also a hint of a hint of mint;) Quite nice. A bourbon-esque palate, but without the dill note I get in a lot of bourbons...but not bourbon, after all it is a single malt. I suspect the juice is laid down in charred virgin oak barrels by the profile of its rich taste and its deep red-brown-copper color. A sweet arrival of brown sugar and charred marshmallow with tobacco and dark chocolate and saddle leather balancing it out. Dorado leaves you with whispers of ashy smoke, like a dying campfire late in the desert evening. Well, many thanks to the fellas down in Tuscan at Hamilton Distillers. Mighty fine job there partner, a mighty fine job indeed.

N - fall spice, tobacco, slight vanilla T- a meaty bbq smoke, wood spice, dark chocolate and some cherry sweetness F - a bit astringent, dry leather and lingering smoke So glad my home state Arizona is coming out with a smokey single malt like this. Does really give you a desert campfire feel. Less salty and earthy than Scotland peat but still packs a smokey tobacco punch. If you can get ahold of it, it is certainly something unique to try.

Went to a Del Bac tasting tonight with their brand ambassador. Tried several of their expressions and I can say that each of their expressions has a unique flavor profile. The Dorado was by far my favorite. Layers of mesquite smoke, a round and creamy and caramely taste on the back end of the palate and an incredibly long and satisfying finish. Can’t wait for this one to come to Texas!

Nose is primarily smoke, with hints of oak and a little spice. Taste is similar, mostly smoke, although more of a dry, chile-inspired smoke than you would expect; hints of caramel. Smooth going down, finish is mostly chili peppers and more smoke on the tongue. Easy to sip, makes me want to sit by a bonfire.

Smoky and woody then sweet, smooth.

Neat. Nose is mesquite, vanilla, butterscotch, and a little ethanol Taste is honey/barley sweet, vanilla, tobacco, cinnamon, then a long mesquite/BBQ flavor with a saccharine campfire finish. I've never tasted anything like this before. It's absolutely delicious and brings back memories of camping and bonfires. Think of this as an American Islay. I think a Bourbon or Scotch fanatic could appreciate this