A couple of years back, George Dickel entered the white whisky category with their George Dickel No. 1.  It’s an unaged, white corn whisky utilizing their traditional mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% barley.  They refer to this as their “foundation recipe” on the label.  A few years in the barrel and this white corn whisky becomes the George Dickel we know and love.  After this whisky comes off the still, it goes through charcoal filtering, like the rest of the Dickel lineup, and is diluted down to 91 proof.  I’m not a huge fan of unaged whiskey, especially of the vast abundance of moonshine on the store shelves.  However, I thought I’d give this a go since it’s labeled as corn whisky and not moonshine.

(Disclaimer:  The distillery sent me a review sample.) The key word for this tasting is corn.  It’s everywhere, and in different forms.  On the nose I get a little alcohol vapor followed by a strong presence of fresh sweet corn.  Really, it felt like I was smelling a freshly picked ear of corn.  The entry was rather smooth.  If you’ve ever had unaged whisky, chances are it was pretty rough-around-the-edges.  Not the case here.  With George Dickel No. 1, the charcoal mellowing process plays a huge part in softening this product.  Again, there’s lots of sweet corn, corn flakes, and a little black pepper.  The finish was short and a bit sweet.

This is one of the most palatable unaged whisky I’ve tasted.  It’s pretty good, actually. I’ve heard of people using George Dickel No. 1 instead of vodka or gin in cocktails.  I’ll have to give that a shot soon, but in the meantime pick up a bottle if you want to try a great unaged corn whisky.

7/10