George Dickel Bottled in Bond 13 Year
When it comes to the topic of Diageo, the multinational adult beverage conglomerate, it’s standard fare for many whisky bloggers, reviewers, and fans—myself included—to criticize and complain about one thing or another. Bottling single malt whiskies at low ABVs, with heavy chill filtering, and loads of artificial color added. Silly marketing campaigns that prioritize what’s on the label ahead of what’s in the bottle. Big price increases for certain whiskies, especially anything that is rare and old. But of all the gripes I have with Diageo, perhaps my biggest is how they’ve treated one of the few American distilleries they own—George Dickel.
For years now Diageo has been selling off their stock of older George Dickel barrels to non-distilling producers (NDPs) to be bottled under a different guise. I have no issue with that in and of itself—the end result is that there’s been plenty of good Dickel juice available for purchase. I do however wish that Diageo would allow those NDPs to state that they are bottling Dickel whisky, so that consumers actually know with certainty what they’re drinking (hint: if a bottle says it’s distilled in Tennessee and it’s over 10 years old, it’s almost certainly Dickel).
Companies like Diageo (and many other whisky makers) are understandably protective of their branding. If an independent bottler were to put out an inferior whisky with the Dickel name on it, then it could in theory diminish the Dickel name in the eyes of consumers. The thing is, this is almost never the reality. The aged Dickel that has been put into releases from the likes of Barrell Bourbon and other NDPs would only serve to elevate the Dickel name, not diminish it. Especially with the way Diageo treats official Dickel releases.
My beef with Diageo when it comes to Dickel is that they don’t seem to think that the distillery makes good whisky. They sell off the aged stock to NDPs. They take the stock they do keep and turn it into a gimmick—for instance, the Dickel Tabasco Barrel Finish. Would Diageo ever take any of their prized Scottish distilleries, let’s say Lagavulin, and finish it in a hot sauce barrel? Well, who knows. Maybe they would if they could (I’m quite sure a hot sauce finish would be frowned upon by the Scotch Whisky Association). Regardless, Diageo has steadfastly refused to give us interesting Dickel expressions. At least they did until recently.
In what is one of the biggest whisky surprises of 2019, George Dickel announced their first ever Bottled in Bond (BiB) whisky earlier this year. And not only is it BiB, it’s also 13 years old? Seriously? Wow, Diageo must be looking for a huge payout for the last of their older Dickel stock. A 13 year old American whisky in 2019, surely they’re going to charge triple digits for a bottle. Wait, it’s only $35?! Are you kidding? Diageo, are you feeling alright?
Again I think Diageo is undervaluing Dickel, but in this case it actually benefits us consumers and whisky fans. I certainly can’t find anything to complain about with this bottle given the price, BiB status, and age statement. Well, OK maybe I can complain about something just a little… a curious bit of information on the bottle’s label seems to take pride in the chill filtration process used on this whisky. To quote the label:
George discovered that his whisky made in the cold winter months tasted smoother. Today we follow this tradition by chilling our whisky before filtering it through sugar-maple charcoal. We think our unique chilled filtration process makes a fine whisky, hope you agree.
So it sounds like Diageo is using a bunch of marketing jibber jabber to justify chill filtration. Last time I checked, most whisky fans don’t really want their whisky chill filtered (not that that stops Diageo from routinely doing so). In this case it seems to be all muddled up with the Lincoln County charcoal filtration process that distinguishes Tennessee whisky, but it’s still chill filtration. (Although this particular process is before the whisky enters the barrel, so maybe it’s not really chill filtration? Who knows.) It’s interesting (and frustrating) that Diageo seems to take pride in the fact that they chill filter everything. Oh well, it’s a fairly minor complaint in this case, and I’m not certain that it’s really the standard chill filtration process used in most Diageo products anyway.
Anywho, this whisky was distilled from the standard Dickel mashbill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley, charcoal filtered, and aged 13 years in Tennessee. Let’s see how it tastes.
George Dickel Bottled in Bond Review
Type: Tennessee Whisky
Region: Tennessee
Age: 13 years (Distilled Fall 2005)
ABV: 50%
Nose
Roasted peanuts. Fruity. Peaches, apricots, and strawberry rhubarb. Brown sugar. A fruit pie in the oven. Candied walnuts. Baked apples with caramel drizzle. Charcoal. Oak and maple wood. Quite good, especially with a few drops of water to open it up.
Palate
A surprisingly creamy mouthfeel is the first thing I noticed after cracking open my bottle. I’ve never had a Dickel quite so creamy. I also get a bit of peanut butter up front, again something a little uncommon to Dickel in my experience. I almost thought I was drinking a Beam product for a second. But then some typical Dickel notes start to show up. Flintstone vitamins. Spiced vanilla and caramel. Barrel char. Slightly astringent, yet mellow and easy drinking. Baked apples with a little cinnamon. Nutmeg. Juicy Fruit gum. It’s a Dickel palate, but a fairly unique one.
Water, even just a drop, annihilates the mouthfeel. Don’t add water. But then again water does improve the nose… tough choice.
Finish
Fairly long. The fruitiness of the nose returns on the finish, at least to a certain extent. Salted caramel. Slightly bitter. Nutmeg. Vitamins. Dark chocolate.
Overall
This whisky provides quite the conundrum—add a few drops of water and the nose substantially improves, but at the cost of the palate and mouthfeel. Don’t add water and the nose is more restrained than I’d prefer, but the palate texture is saved. So, to add water or not? I suppose it depends on what aspect of a dram you value more, but either way the whisky suffers just a bit. I prefer no water, I think.
In spite of the conflict of water or no water, this is a nice whiskey. One of the better Dickels I’ve tried, and certainly the best official bottling from Cascade Hollow. It’s distinctive and unique, while still retaining the Dickel character.
Dickel fans will enjoy this one, but it likely won’t make any converts for those who are not fans of the distillery or of the Lincoln County process. I like Dickel, so I’m enjoying my bottle, especially for the price.
SCORE: 6/10
Final Thoughts
I have to give Diageo credit——the price of this bottle is a hell of a bargain. $35. Let me repeat that. $35. I don’t think you’re going to find another 13 year old whisky anywhere in the world for only $35. And it’s not just the age—this is a mighty tasty whisky for the price. Along with 1792 Small Batch, which is about the same price, I don’t know of a better whisky you can find in this price range in 2019 (before the San Francisco awards decided to make Henry McKenna 10 Year impossible to get by naming it best whisky in the world, I would have pointed there too). The only drawback is that this particular release is only available in a handful of states in the US.
I really hope that this is the dawn of a new age for Dickel. An age where we get solid, affordable, age-stated products instead of gimmicky and gross Tabasco whisky. Please Diageo, may I have some more? We’ll see.
Buying Advice: This bottle is one of the best bargain whiskies you’re going to find, especially if you’re a fan of Dickel (or Tennessee Whisky in general). If you can find it.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
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