Dogfish Head Straight Whiskey

I enjoy a 60-minute IPA from Dogfish Head every now and again. I’ve had a few of their other beers as well, and I have a generally-favorable opinion of the brewery. However, had this not been purchased for me as a gift, I don’t know that I’d ever be reviewing their straight whiskey. It’s not something that would’ve jumped off the shelf at me. Nevertheless, here I am. Nose: Gumdrops and dried apricot. Raisin, cherry, and grape. Dark chocolate and raspberry. Caramel and honey. Orange citrus and cocoa. Very, very sweet. Palate: Heavy on the dried apricot and cranberry, as well as cola. Some apple, pear, raisin, and grape. Toffee, honey, butterscotch, and caramel. Cashew and almond. Some menthol and smoked wood. Malty and grainy. Quite sweet, once again. Finish: Burst of dried cranberry and apricot. Raisin, cherry, cola, chocolate, and caramel. Toffee and nougat. Fig Newton. More of the menthol. Short to moderate finish. This is a perfectly fine whiskey. Nothing to write home about either. Outside of the bitterness of the finish, I don’t really have any complaints. The nose was actually quite intriguing. But the youth here is evident, and it’s as simple as that. This could be a solid product with a few extra years of aging and potentially experimenting as well. 2.5/5. A bottle of this runs for $31 at my local store. It was a gift to me, but after trying it, there are so many options I’d spring for first at the price point. I don’t mind this one bit, but I anticipate that my next experience with Dogfish Head will be a beer.

Nose- vanilla and tart berries, with baking spices coming out later Palate - a lot of malty cereal sweetness, with only a small hint of barrel character. Finish - very short and a bit flat. Overall, not bad as a sipper, but probably better in a cocktail. It's young and would probably benefit from a couple more years in the barrel. Update: didn't really enjoy this is a cocktail either, it's just too sweet and one note. I did have some oak cubes for "barrel-aging" beer laying around, so I tossed a dozen into the bottle. After a week, a huge difference. The extra wood exposure tamed the sweetness and let some really great vanilla and cinnamon notes come out. A big improvement, and I happily finished the bottle.

A young whiskey, but big on flavor. Can taste the alcohol content, but has flavor for such a young whiskey. I really enjoy sipping this whiskey.

Very sweet, floral, notes of apple and pear combined with baking spices and toffee -- like a spiced caramel sauce

Honey, straw, soft mouthfeel.

Good for cocktails...