My wife knows the way to my heart.  This past Valentine’s Day my wife Carly bought me a bottle of 14 year old George Dickel Tennessee Whisky.  It is a hand-selected barrel from Dorignac’s, a local New Orleans-area grocery store.  I really enjoyed the 9 year old George Dickel I received as part of the Dickel Dozen blogger program, so my expectations for the 14 year old Dickel were pretty high.

On the nose I get lots of oak, light caramel, and vanilla.  There’s a little baking spice in there… cloves or nutmeg, maybe?  I love that the distillery kept this at 106 proof.  You get some of that high-proof liveliness on entry, but calms down a little with more caramel, oak, and vanilla.  It’s not as sweet as its younger brother.  The finish is long and semi-sweet.

Overall this whiskey is an oakier version of its 9 year old brethren.  It’s not over-oaked.  Instead it just turns up that flavor element.  I tend to prefer older, oakier whiskies.  A bottle of 14 year old George Dickel cost my wife about $70.  The 9 year old will cost about $45.  The big question is which of the two do I like best?  For “everyday” drinking, I’d most likely reach for the Dickel 9 year old.  For nicer occasions, I’d easily grab the 14 year old Dickel.  Honestly, you can’t go wrong either way.  Highly recommended.

9/10