George Dickel Distillery Reserve 17-Year-Old Whisky Review
Photo courtesy of George Dickel

Photo courtesy of George Dickel

Of all of Diageo’s American whiskies, George Dickel stands as my personal favorite.  Dickel’s entire lineup is good, but I prefer their No. 12 and both of their hand selected barrels – 9 & 14-year-old whiskies.  Sadly, the latter expression isn’t available anymore.  Let’s bring this one back, please!

Last year I was invited to a private tour of the Dickel distillery, and it cemented my appreciation for the way Master Distiller Allisa Henley and company make their whiskey.

Last year at Tales of the Cocktail, I had a chance to sample a barrel proof whisky from a bottle that Henley brought with her.  This bottle had a handwritten label and was clearly from the distillery.  Turns out it was 17-year-old George Dickel.  It was fantastic.  I waited and waited for some sort of official release.  Almost a year later, the news comes out: George Dickel is releasing a 17-year-old whisky.  There’s not a lot, as Dickel barrels usually never live past 14 years.  In fact, this whisky is bottled in 375ml bottles and is only available at the distillery (and a few select Tennessee retailers).  Suggested price is $75.

The nose is fuller than expected, given that this is an 87 proof whisky.  Notes of dried, toasted sweet corn, minerals, oak and some sort of burnt sugar.  Dark caramel marks the entry, though it’s not too sweet.  A bit of spice and slightly bitter tannins hit the mid-palate, alongside creamy vanilla and hints of wet stone (I know, I know… but that’s what it reminds me of).  Those oak tannins really take hold going into the finish, but not overly so.  The medium finish leaves behind notes of anise and caramel.

This older expression of Dickel carries the distillery profile well, while integrating a rich oak component.  I like it.  A lot.  But not as much as I enjoy their 14-year-old hand selected barrel.  I think that expression is George Dickel at it’s peak – rich, sweet, and complex.  Dickel 17-year-old is quite good, but it does lean on the oakier side of things which throws the balance slightly off.  However, I wouldn’t call it overly oaked.  If you have access to the distillery in the very near future, stop by and pick up a bottle.  While you’re there, take the tour.  It’s a great place to visit.

8.5/10

Thanks to George Dickel and Diageo for the sample.  As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Glenlivet Single Cask Edition Pullman Train Collection Review


The Glenlivet is one of the biggest names when speaking of single malt Scotch whisky.  They’ve been (legally) distilling whisky since 1824.  Close to 200 years.  So it comes as quite a shock that they’ve never released a single cask single malt here in the good ole’ U.S. of A.  That’s being rectified, and in tribute to an important American company.

Started in the 1860s, the Pullman Company was the first railroad car maker to introduce sleeper cars.  Sadly, the company is no longer in existence, but it helped make travel by train a more pleasant experience.   Glenlivet was able to have its single malt sold onboard in little 2 oz miniature bottles. It helped spread the Glenlivet name amongst Pullman travelers.

In a pretty neat marketing move, the Glenlivet is releasing three casks of whisky, each named with a nod to the Pullman Company.  All three single casks are bottled at cask strength and are non-chill filtered.  The SRP is $349.99 for a 750ml.

Photo courtesy of the Glenlivet Distillery.

Photo courtesy of the Glenlivet Distillery.

PULLMAN CLUB CAR

Named after Pullman’s Club Car, this release is 18-years-old and has matured in a sherry butt.  It has the largest bottling of the three casks with 618 bottles available nationwide.  I’m using the term largest in relation to three single cask bottlings, so there is a minuscule amount of this whisky available.  The nose is full of a variety of dried fruit and spiced apples in addition to hints of nutmeg and freshly roasted coffee beans.  There is an intitial syrupy sweetness on entry, which quickly develops big, dominant sweet orange and baking spice notes, followed by honey-roasted nuts.  The finish is long, and leaves behind candied fruits and roasted almonds.  An exquisite and rich expression of The Glenlivet that I hope to see as a more permanent addition to their lineup.  My favorite of the three!  9/10

PULLMAN TWENTIETH CENTURY LIMITED

This one’s aged in a Eurpean Oak Butt for 14 years, providing a mere 588 bottles for the public.  The nose on this bottling is rich with orange blossom honey, sweet roasted malt, vanilla ice cream with a sprinkling of a cinnamon syrup.  Compared to the sherry-cask matured “Pullman Club Car”, this expression comes across as lighter on the palate.  Lighter but spicier, Glenlivet “Twentieth Century Limited” maintains a sweet citrus note with hints of freshly grated ginger, shortbread cookies, and honeyed fruit.  The finish is a touch on the spicy side, leaving behind a sweet wasabi-like note.  A memorable expression from Glenlivet.  8.5/10


PULLMAN WATER LEVEL ROUTE

The smallest release of the three single barrel offerings, The Glenlivet Pullman Water Level Route offers only 321 bottles.  This particular bottling is named after the Pullman line that took passengers between New York City and Chicago via the Great Lakes.  It has aged in an American Oak Hogshead for 14 years.  This whisky comes closest to the Glenlivet style, full of fresh pear, honey, kola nut, and vanilla.  There are flavors of sweet malt, ripe pears and baking spices, with hints of cinnamon liqueur and toffee.  A bit of spice ramps up towards the medium finish.  While not a bad whisky, there isn’t much as much complexity of flavors to be found here compared to the other two expressions.  7.5/10

TheGlenlivet.com
Thanks to Glenlivet for the samples.  As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ardbeg Dark Cove Scotch Whisky Review


I just recently became a fan of Ardbeg.  I instantly fell in love with their 10-year-old expression, and went ga-ga over Uigeadail.  It was the inclusion of sherry cask-matured whiskies in Uigeadail that appealed to my soul.  So, when it was announced that Ardbeg’s Dark Cove was built around dark sherry casks, you can bet it had my attention.

Dark Cove is Ardbeg’s limited release of 2016, hitting shelves on Ardbeg Day in May.  Bottled at 46.5% abv, Ardbeg Dark Cove is limited to 1100 cases.  There was an even more limited Committee Release of Ardbeg Dark Cove that came with a higher 55% abv.

The sherry cask maturation is evident on the smoky nose, with notes of dried citrus fruit, road tar, and salted seaweed.  An initial blast of sweet toffee kicks things off, quickly followed by waves of peat, salted navel oranges, and dark chocolate.  Wisps of rosemary and mulled wine appear, as does a touch of vanilla and barrel char.  This expression of Ardeg is not as smoky as others, but it’s present, and really defines itself towards the back palate and into the finish.  The finish is long, bittersweet and smoky.

Compared to Uigeadail, Dark Cove presents more citrus and fruit, and is generally sweeter.  It’s a really rewarding whisky if you savor it slowly.  Though, Ardbeg fanatics will pick up a bottle regardless of what I type here.  To everybody else, this one comes with a high recommendation.

9/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by the company behind this whisky free of charge.  The opinions written are my own.)