George Dickel Bottled-In-Bond 13 Year Old Tennessee Whiskey (750ml)
"...another big winner from Dickel." - drinkhacker.com
Another entry into the Bottled in Bond category, this time from Nicole Austin, the new General Manager and Distiller of Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. She started at George Dickel in 2018. “We wanted George Dickel Bottled in Bond to be rooted in authenticity, quality and truth, reflective of the values we feel are most important when making Tennessee’s finest whisky,” she explains. “The aged whisky stocks we have access to here at Cascade Hollow are absolutely beautiful, and it’s important to me that we create whisky that’s sure to be a great value for the quality you’re getting.”
Sporting a mashbill of 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% malted barley, Dickel’s edition was distilled during the Spring season of 2007 and matured on site for thirteen years before being bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV). This parcel was reportedly released in the States way back in late 2019. Given it's taken so long to be offered in Australia, we'd expect the next shipment will be the 2008 distillation.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Bottled in Bond concept, it refers to the Act of 1897 requiring that the whiskey be a product of the grain of a single season, made by one distiller at a single distillery, and aged in a federal government-bonded warehouse. The act came as a response to the widespread adulteration in American whiskey around the late 19th century. It was an attempt by the federal government to act as a guarantor of the spirit's authenticity.
Other reviews... Old Dickel can sometimes be iffy, so I’m keeping my skeptic’s hat on for the time being. Let’s dig in. The nose features everything you’d want in a bonded bourbon — dark caramel, baking spice galore, and well-integrated barrel char that gives everything a slightly toasty, gently savory note. Everything in that lineup follows through directly on the palate, the barrel char giving way just a bit to let notes of eucalyptus emerge, as well as a richly nutty character, hints of orange peel, and just a touch of cinnamon roll sweetness. There’s a bit of fireplace ash on the finish, but this doesn’t really detract from the experience at all, serving instead to impregnate it with a certain richness and austerity that beg for continued sipping and savoring. So: Call me a skeptic no more! This is great stuff, at an amazing price for a whiskey of this age. - drinkhacker.com