A brief whiskey review - George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond 2005 13 year old versus 2008 11 year old. Let me start by saying this right up front; I love George Dickel whiskey. Especially this expression. I'd not had any Dickel before trying the first gen BiB and I was an instant fan. There's a reason this took whiskey-of-the-year and for under $40 its a steal. But what happens when one expression is done and another is released? Let's find out... Both are tasted neat, and with a few drops of steam-distilled water, from a glencairn. Plenty of time was allowed for the whiskey to rest before tasting. They are indistinguishable in color and viscosity, showing slight sheeting and thin legs. On the nose the 13 y.o. is a caramel candy bomb with notes of minerality. The 11 hits me as maybe being just a touch more intensely aromatic, but that could be because the is the first pour from a fresh bottle. They are close. Very close. On the palate the 13 delivers on its sweet promise with caramel and cherry notes, barrel char, bitter oak, demarara sugar, and a finish that hints of ginger and clove. It's a classic sweet bourbon taken to a silky, smooth finish by the Lincoln County process of filtering. Lovely. My first impression of the 11 year is that it is slightly more caramel, slightly less cherrry, a bit more oaky, and just a touch drier. I don't think I could tell the difference if I weren't tasting them side-by-side. This may be the better choice for an Old Fashioned or Manhattan cocktail. They are close in character as befits the label. With 3 drops of water (drops) the 11 year old is creamier, a bit less peppery on the finish. In both cases the caramel is pushed forward by the water. These are very, very close. My wife, whose taste buds are not to be dismissed and who often calls my attention to the smallest of details, says the 11 is the better of the two. According to her "it's not close". For me, a blind tasting would be challenging. These are excellent examples of the distiller's art. Nicole Austin, the master distiller at GD Diageo, is a real artist and her touch has pushed these into my regular rotation along with Wild Turkey Rare Breek, Knob Creek, and Old Grand Dad 114. The 13 is gone, but wise money might bunker 1 or 2 for future tastings. The 11 is here and readily available under $40. Definitely a buy recommendation from me! My scale for reviewing starts at 1-star (unacceptable under any circumstances) and proceeds to 5-star (a perfect example of the expression). Most "mass market" whiskies should be on the bell curve at or near 2.5. Good is 3. Anything above a 4 is part of my "curated" collection. Both of these releases sit at a solid 3.75 for me, and lean towards a 4.0 (Rare Breed territory). All I can say is that I don't intend to run out...