George Dickel 11 Year Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky (Fall 2008)

Rating: 16/23 I liked the first release of this (this is the second) and also Resilient (old Dickel juice), so I'm excited to try this one. N: This has that full Dickel nose with fusty mustiness, peanut shells, and vitamins. It's more full than my sample of the first release is, but that may well be because that bottle has been sitting open on my shelf for 2 years or so now. Resilient 15 has a more interesting nose with a with of candied orange peel and spices as well as a competitive woody fullness. P: Dusty woodiness with some orange leads into a funkier profile that reminds me a bit of Wild Turkey. Some spiciness comes out. with cinnamon and pepper being the most prominent. There's some deep bitterness that might be licorice. There's some sort of sweetness that I'm struggling to place and that vitamin flavor comes out too. Resilience 15 is substantially more complex and balanced. This is puchier and spicier than the first Dickel Bottled In Bond release, but It's again not as balanced. F: Licorice for sure. That dusty woodiness is still here too, but it is reduced substantially. A little green banana in the long finish. - Conclusion - This is a good dram that shows clear age, but it lacks the finesse of its cousin Resilience 15. It's much more competitive with the first Dickel Bottled In Bond release. I'm having trouble deciding which of the two of those is better, but if I had to just pick one, I'd go with the first release because of its better balance. There's a solid chance that that is just the oxygen in the bottle showing though. On the other side, this is clearly more mature and is better than Elijah Craig Small Batch and Early Times Bottled In Bond. I can imagine this being a high 15 because the Elijah Craig and Early Times have interesting, funky flavors that this doesn't. A 17 seems like the high end though because I have the Resilient at an 18 and it's clearly better. An 18 is a faint faint chance. I'll give this a 16.

Another day, another Dickel. Truth be told, I’ve long had a weak spot for their product - it has the right balance of things I look for in an American corn-based whiskey. I even visited the distillery in 2017, back when going places and doing things was still fairly common. This is a solid, very quintessential Cascade Hollow drop of whisky. Maple candy, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, baked apple, pecans, and toffee on the nose - nice and warm and inviting. The palate has a delightfully buttery quality - 50% is a nice sweet spot here for excellent body without too much heat. Similarly to the 15 year single barrel, this has a sweet-spicy-sweet progression of flavors - maple and buttery toffee up front, with the spice and pepper becoming more dominant in the mid-palate, and a nice maple baked apple finish. This is a drinker more than a thinker, so to speak, but I don’t personally view that as a problem.

If the ongoing "debate" about the desirability of the vitaminal "flavor" of George A. Dickel can be bypassed, one will once again find it difficult to deny that Nicole Austin and her team have made some of the most drinkable, quality whiskies of the past half decade. Awards, hype and hate aside, the Fall 2008 (Aged 11 Years) iteration of Dickel's bonded whisky actually holds a candle to its 2005 (Aged 13 Years) predecessor. Although the rich fullness of the 2005 might not be present, letting this whisky sit in the glass for an extended rest will bring flavors that smack of "Cap'n Crunch" and candied pecans to an appreciative tongue. A moderately lengthy finish lingers long enough to remind a drinker of just why Tennessee whisky is a special thing to be appreciated and treasured by those who aren't bourbon "purists."

Exploring more bourbon/American whiskey as I wait for the undoing of the scotch tariff to (hopefully) bring prices back down some. The successor to Whisky Advocate's 2019 whiskey of the year, which I haven't tried. Nose is malty, cherry, cinnamon hard candy. Palate is fruity, cherry syrup, vanilla, and more cinnamon. Alternating peanut and cherry on the finish, with a little barrel char. I like it for the price. Would be interesting to run up against similarly aged and priced Eagle Rare and Russell's Reserve 10. Unfortunately, ER can't easily be found here. I suspect I would prefer both ER and RR by a tad, but I don't mind this at all.

Wow! Pleasant surprise. Nose has strong whiffs of cherries, with a little maple syrups. It packs some heat too, which hits the palate right quick - this seems to drink hotter than its 100 proof suggests. Adjust to it and you'll find a complex, delicious mix of flavors: cordial cherries, butterscotch, caramel, cinnamon, tobacco, oak, chocolate. Thick and viscous texture too. Finish is long and satisfying, with sweet caramel toffee and brown sugar hanging out for a while. Dickel is crushing these BiB releases - they're an amazing value for fine older whiskey. Market seems to have caught on, so grab one ASAP if you see it at MSRP!

First time reviewing a bottle opened around a week ago. Enjoying neat. Nose - typical GD nose with some peanuts however this time they are sugar and honey coated! Mix that with a hint of cinnamon and light fruity flavorings. Taste - typical gd nose but not your typical gd taste. This one has some unique flavorings of a nice apple cinnamon pie with pecans, oak and ends a bit tart and dry. Fruity and full bourbon. Hard not to like some fresh tastes from GD. Overall - loved their first BIB that was full of peanuts. This is a breath of fresh air with your not so typical flavors. Great bourbon with a stellar nose