George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend (2021 Release)

Nose- super fragrant nose. There is a hint of fresh mint sprig, some peanut brittle, and then some more floral notes like lavender. I also get a bit of sweetness like creamed corn mixed with vanilla pods. The nose keeps giving up different notes with every minute it rests, and then every time I agitate the glass I get something different still. Palate- One word- BALANCE! Perhaps the most balanced Rye I have ever had. This is the "Miyagi Do" of Rye for me. If Mr. Miyagi were blending a Rye Whiskey, this would have been the one. Where there is a sweet fruit like apple, there is a lemon zest tartness, where there is an earthy peanut shell, there is bouquet of fresh meadow flowers. When I get a small hit of caraway seed, I also get crisp ginger. This is so well balanced. There is this even building on ethanol burn that the novice might even call this whiskey "smooth." In fact it is not "smooth" at all because it is so full of finish and has plenty of taste! It is just that the tastes are so well balanced that they fade into each other. To me smooth equates to tasteless and flat on the finish.....this is not that by any means. Don't call it smooth, polished maybe, flowing yes, balanced for sure. Finish- The finish is gift. It just keeps giving. I would say the most prominent ending notes are apple and a bit of clover honey. The warming is sensationally good from head to toe. Overall- This is a great blend of some excellent Rye barrels. Who might have thought that Dickel would have had Rye stock to blend with a craft pot still that is a throwback to pre-prohibition methods (3 chamber rye process). I hate the cost here. Over $100/ bottle for a blended yet bonded Rye from a craft distiller and a mass producer of Tennessee "love it or hate it" stuff???? It's a stretch to work yourself up to buy, a huge leap of faith, but it works. Having taken the jump in to buy a bottle I do not regret it. I have certainly done worse at greater investment. This one is a keeper.

N: Fresh dill and other green herbs. Cherry cough syrup. Lots of other medicinal notes. Chocolate starts to appear with time and some swirls. Then caramel and rye bread notes. Cereal grains, citrus, maybe a tangerine. It's a slow nose, seemingly developing and revealing more the longer it's in the glass. P: Rye grain with cherry syrup coating the sides of the tongue. Very medicinal, very earthy. Maybe a spritz of pine needles. Something nutty, almost like an unsweetened marzipan. Definitely has some oak tannins and bitterness in the mid palate. Finish is more oak, bitterness, and medium heat. Little bit of the green herbs and citrus, white tea, and something like a dried sourdough bread or cracker. This has a lot going on, but most of it is really not in my wheelhouse. The green herbs and the bitterness overpower the things I like in this. It's almost like an IPA translated to rye whiskey. I say almost, because I think I would like that. This, however, I am not so much a fan of. Swap the green herbs for pine and cut the bitterness a little with some malt sweetness and this gets there (for me). But that's not what this is, and generally I favor malty, rich, sweet, Christmas spiced ryes. Objectively, I have to say this is plenty complicated and gives plenty to think about. That's always a good thing. But I don't think it's complex and interesting enough to justify its hype or its price. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

This is my third bottle, and I’ll note there was significant variation across them. First came from the Dickel distillery (and has Nicole’s autograph) and the last two came from a Chattanooga liquor store who said the distributor got a great deal and they’re passing it on at $54 a bottle. Makes me wonder if they did a 2023 release and it flopped? Anyway-the review. Nose is cracked black pepper, baking spice, dark cherries and dark chocolate like if you made a black forest cake but without any sugar, and then a vaguely faint and unpleasant undertone of earthiness, almost like compost. Palate is obviously rye, but with a big twist. That spicy, minty dryness opens hot and strong but then there’s a weird sweet pine flavor, like if you added a spoonful of honey to an ounce of dry gin. The chocolate and cherries from the nose are completely lacking, as is (fortunately) the earthiness. A quick transition to close, were there’s just a hint of dry, dark chocolate before more baking spices leave a tingly numbness on the gums. Medium-light bodied, thin tendril legs after a swirl but no lace to speak of, and drinks hotter than its 50%. Watered to ~45% absolutely kills the nose and brings a little cherry to the palate, but the small palate improvement isn’t worth the nose tradeoff. I seem to remember liking my first bottle, and regret now that it was not the source of this review.

The nose starts with a mix of light astringency, florals, raw pizza dough and mild rye spice then slightly soured fruits of apples, lemons and grapefruit followed by spearmint candy, butterscotch and earthy forest floors with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a fruity, floral and creamy mix before a moderate bitter and sour spice that fades to fresh wintergreen leaves then slightly soured fruits of apples, lemons and grapefruit followed by freshly baked pumpernickel bread, whipped honey butter and pine needle covered earthy forest floor with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with slightly soured citrus, charred pine cones and earthy forest floors. When I first tasted this, it was blind with @ctbeck11 and I thought this was a high rye bourbon due to the rye flavors being light and in the background of those sour fruits. Now that I'm not blind tasting, the rye seems slightly more noticeable, but it's still a very fruit forward rye with those rye elements in the background that come out every now and then to remind you it's a different style of rye. Overall, I think this is enjoyable, but a bit too youthful and could use some more time to age to polish out those sour fruits along with a higher proof to improve the mouthfeel. A huge thank you to @ctbeck11 for the generous pour.

Remember back in middle school, your science teacher would take the class out on a field trip to collect specimens to view under a microscope? You’d walk by a pond, fill a test tube, and bring it back to see what’s in there that’s invisible to the naked eye. Under the 1000x view of the microscope, you’d find a whole world in there. Amoebas. Paramecium. Tons of other Protozoa. Every where you look, it’s something different. And changing every time you even look in the same place. This is like that microscopic world. One of the few whiskeys I’ve had that changes at every aroma. I’m getting herbs and green apples on the nose. I put it down, come back to it a few seconds later, and now I’m getting leather , tabacco and oak. The palette isn’t quite the ride as the nose, unfortunately. It’s apples and caraway seeds. Really a well done collaboration. Two ryes, made two different ways. And the first rye made by Dickel as well. Unfortunately we don’t know what percent is Dickel or Leopold, but honestly, not sure it matters. Thanks immensely to @ctbeck11 for a generous pour. Around my neck of the woods, this is $100…and at that price, it’s a definite buy. This is one of those that you don’t want to rush into tasting, but just nose the kaleidoscope of aromas. That itself is worth the price of admission.

The nose immediately reminds you of rye without being overpowering. You are greeted by a floral rye spice that is mixed wonderfully with green apple as charred oak balances the sweetness. There is a hint of creaminess under it with touches of vanilla, butterscotch and molasses. There is also the faintest bit of brine to give it all some sharpness as it opens, with it does so quickly. The palate is somewhat dry but still chewy as it coats the mouth in a burst of spice that blends rye, cinnamon, pepper and clove. The mouth is enveloped with charred oak as the sweeter and creamier notes swirl around the mouth. There is a certain earthiness to it that hits the corners or the mouth that when combined with everything else, leaves you with a complex and very delightful whiskey. Each note is open to be analyzed and enjoyed, each presenting themselves in just the perfect amount. The blending of this whiskey is masterful and done in a way you feel the Dickel and Leopold whiskies were inherently meant for each other. The finish is medium long and oh so chewy. The creaminess and earthiness come together to form quite the complex flavor that leans more towards savory. Everything fades together on a somewhat sharp drop off, but the mouth still tingles from the spiciness. Very unique whiskey and a definite must have.