Rating: 11/23 I like to make a list of spirits to try and then order a pour when I get a chance sometime down the road so that I have only the faintest recollection of what anybody said about them - both in terms of profile and quality - when I finally do get to try them. You know, to limit bias. This doesn't always work perfectly since some of the bigger names and releases are harder to forget and I'm quite confident that when I finally taste Dickel Tobasco, I am not going to go into it wondering whether people generally thought it was good or thought it was bad. In this case, I have this faint recollection of some consensus that Dickel bourbon is generally bad (or at least mediocre) aside from some of the higher-end expressions like the BiB and barrel select, but that this is considered to be at least a bit better than most of their bourbons. Let's see. N: Immediate light floral scents with rye spice jumping out. I'm hopeful that this is going to be a bargain version of WhistlePig PiggyBack, but I'm suspecting that it will be more like a young Templeton. I really appreciate the herbal spices that come out as I dig my nose in there and swirl it around, but it's still light with a dry floral minerality like Templeton has. It definitely lacks the richness and complexity of Whistlepig PiggyBack. I guess I'll just have to drink it to know what it tastes like for sure though. P: The palate is disappointingly light and floral. There is definite rye spice, but also a big floral sweetness. Some bits of herbal subtelty do come out, but if you just told me that this was Templeton 4, I would probably believe you. Templeton is more floral with a richer sweetness, but it's also less spicy, so that's one thing that the Dickel has going for it. I don't hate it, but I'm certainly not a fan. I do appreciate how the spice really stands out and it could hold up well as a substitute in a cocktail that calls for a floral gin or vodka, but it really lacks the presence of the WhistlePig and even manages to be less rich than the Templeton. What it does have going for it are the decreased sweetness relative to the Templeton and the more assertive and interesting spiciness. The flavors land a bit better in this than they do in Wild Turkey Rye, but it certainly isn't as rich and full, so it won't be as generally useful in mixed drinks. I have to say that I prefer this, but that kind of means it has to be a sipper rather than a mixer, which this really isn't totally up to doing. F: More floral notes come out and the prickliness of the spice fades. Some of the herbal character is still present, but not a ton. It's clean. In the end, I'd say that this is pretty much on the level of Templeton 4. This is a cleaner dram with a more pronounced character, which I think I prefer slightly, but honestly I don't see a reason to stock either of them of my shelf. I'll go with the same rating I gave Templeton for now: 11. It could be a better buy than Wild Turkey Rye, but it's still not good VFM.