Zachary-Robbins
George Dickel 9 Year Hand Selected Barrel
Tennessee Whiskey — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed
July 11, 2020 (edited March 12, 2021)
Blind tasting - 1.0 oz neat in a Glencairn
George Dickel 11Y Bottled-in-Bond (Fall 2008)
(50%, open 1.5 weeks, $35.95 in NC)
George Dickel 9Y Hand Selected Barrel - bottle no. 114
bottled in 2018 for Cole Swindell & Carolina Country Music Festival
(51.5%, open 1 month, $51.99 in SC)
Color:
Identical amber brown hue
Nose:
A - Strong spice up front with nutmeg and cinnamon, medium ethanol with big whiff, light oak sweetness compared to whiskey B, grainy corn dust note
7.5/10
B - Smells older than whiskey A, more bold oak influence with hefty dose of sweet baking spices, lighter ethanol notes, corn dust note is muted
7.5/10
Palate:
A - Bright corn and hint of citrus, tannic, stronger oak and ethanol compared to whiskey B, spices more muted compared to whiskey B
6.5/10
B - Sweet oak spice, medium tannic oak, bready dessert a la bread pudding
8/10
Finish
A - Medium finish, ethanol and tannins less prominent than on tongue, sweet spicy oak builds, kind of opposite to whiskey B
7.5/10
B - Medium to long finish, ethanol and oak tannin build towards the end, baking spices and sweetness more muted than on tongue
7/10
Drinkability:
A - 8/10
B - 8.5/10
Total score:
A = 29.5/40
B = 31/40
A = George Dickel 11Y Bottled-in-Bond (Fall 2008)
B = George Dickel 9Y Hand Selected Barrel
I picked up a Hand Selected Barrel for the first time on a trip to SC, a bottle I've never seen in NC. There were at least 6 of these bottles from 2018 covered in dust, clearly people don't know what they're missing. I instantly loved this 9Y barrel and thought it was significantly better than the BiB 13Y released in 2019. When shopping with my brother last week they just opened a case of the new BiB 11Y so I grabbed it. The 11Y was a clear upgrade from the 13Y. I think with both the 9Y and 11Y, the younger whiskey improves the overall flavor. The edges are more rounded, while the 13Y was a bit too oaky and tannic but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Both my brother and I did this blind, and we both liked the 9Y Hand Selected Barrel slightly more. Although it was extremely difficult to tell the difference. Honestly, the only thing I liked more with the 9Y were the sweeter notes on the nose and palate. In conclusion, these are both excellent Tennessee whiskeys and I think George Dickel knocked it out of the park with their 2nd annual BiB release. Additionally, it is commonly $10-15 cheaper than the Hand Selected Barrel, so you are definitely getting a great deal. Highly recommend both bottles.
51.99
USD
per
Bottle
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@ContemplativeFox Either work. I will say that the BiB isn't holding up as well after a month open. The flavors all seem to have been turned down a couple notches.
Interesting A/B comparison! It's a challenge to find those BiB Dickels, but this is usually available somewhere. Maybe I'll grab some of this instead.
@BDanner Ah lol, those Barrells are expensive
@Zachary-Robbins Funny you should mention Barrell. I had my first bottle of Barrell in my hand while I was perusing the rest of the Whisky aisle when I came across the New Release for Dickel BIB (11yr). I put the Barrell back and bought 2 Dickel BIB's instead.
@BDanner Have you had any Barrell whiskey? They source from Dickel a lot for their blends.
@Zachary-Robbins Dickel’s quality just keeps going up. So much good sourced stuff from them, and I recently bought a bottle of their base No. 8 that made me wonder why I buy any other 80 proof for mixing and day drinking. It seems to be getting better.
@Zachary-Robbins I concur!
@BDanner I would love one or two more widely available lines from both Dickel and Daniel's, give me some weird experimentation!
The older age stated BIB’s may be reducing availability of the Barrel Select.
@Zachary-Robbins I think so. It’s not something I buy often (I hadn’t even noticed that it wasn’t on shelves), but I consider it a true “Small Batch” with each batch being around 9’ish years old and coming from only 10 barrels. Considering pricing on other whiskies with that pedigree, it’s definitely worth the $40 price tag if you can find it.
@BDanner Lucky, I haven't seen the hand selected barrel at my stores yet, and haven't seen the barrel select since early 2019. Is the barrel select worth getting for the price? I saw it at $37 in SC but passed it over for the hand selected.
I have a 9Yr Barrel Selected for New Hanover County that is excellent as well.