whisky review

George Dickel 9 Year Old Single Barrel Review

IMG_3273

It’s finally here.  My very own bottle of 9 year old George Dickel Single Barrel Tennessee Whisky, hand selected by George Dickel National Ambassador Doug Kragel.  This is all because I joined the Dickel Dozen.  All 12 of us receive a bottle of George Dickel for review.  Several weeks ago Doug Kragel took us on a tour of the Cascade Hollow Distillery, where George Dickel is made, in the form of a video. He also hand-selected a barrel exclusively for members of the Dickel Dozen.  If you haven’t watched yet, please do.  It gives you a peek at how George Dickel comes to be.

So, like I was saying… it’s finally here (sample courtesy of George Dickel).   I sampled George Dickel No. 8, George Dickel No. 12, and George Dickel Barrel Select a while back, and for the most part I really liked what I tasted.  How does this 9 year old George Dickel Single Barrel compare?  In a word:  delicious.  Keep in mind, each barrel is going to taste slightly different.  On the nose I get some oak, vanilla, caramel and a little alcohol fume.  It comes in sweet.  Vanilla, sweet corn and oak are big players here, followed by some caramel.  There’s some playful bite at 103 proof, but nowhere near what it should be.  To me it feels more like a 90ish proof whiskey.  Maybe that’s the charcoal filtering this Tennessee whisky goes through.  The finish is moderate in length and dry, but leaves a sweet aftertaste.  There’s even a little vanilla back there.

IMG_3264

Let me talk about the presentation.  This bottle of George Dickel came in an awesome looking wooden box.  They went above and beyond.  Thankfully, it’s not all for show.  The juice inside this box is outstanding.

IMG_3267

This whisky is leagues better than Dickel No. 8.  George Dickel No. 12 is outstanding, especially in it’s price range.  Their Barrel Select is a great whiskey, but this single barrel slightly edges out as my favorite George Dickel Whisky.  It feels just a little more refined in flavors than its siblings.  George Dickel 9 Year Old Single Barrel isn’t available everywhere.  Check the better liquor stores in your area.  They may carry their own barrel of this for about $45.  Highly recommended!

9/10

Hibiki 12 Year Old Japanese Blended Whisky Review

IMG_2838.JPG

I first ran across Hibiki 12 year old Japanese whisky right before they entered the U.S. market a few years ago.  It was right around the Tales of the Cocktail time, and my fiancee Carly obtained a sample bottle for me.  I was pretty stoked because I’d never had Japanese whisky before.  I poured the sample and fell in love.  It took about another year or so before I actually saw a bottle on the shelf.  Needless to say, I picked up a bottle.  That was about a year and a half ago.

Hibiki is a blended whisky put out by Suntory (yes, the same Suntory that now owns Jim Beam).  It’s a blend of whiskies from its three distilleries:  Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita.  These distilleries produce malt whiskies except for the latter which distills grain whiskies.  This particular release is 12 years old, which means the youngest whisky in the blend is 12 years old.  There are many older whiskies here.

So, how is it?  In two words:  really good.  On the nose there’s some fruitiness (plum), floral nots,  some caramel, some smoke, but it all stays very light.  I get different smells every time.  Taste-wise, there’s lots happening here.  Just like it’s aromas, Hibiki 12 year tastes very floral, with some honey and a touch of oak and caramel.  I get a little citrus too.  Orange maybe?  The finish doesn’t linger – it’s short and pretty light.

Hibiki 12 year is 86 proof and will run you about $60.  This is one I’ll always keep in stock.  It’s that good… a very light and flavorful whiskey.  BTW – this bottle looks like a million bucks on your whiskey shelf.

8/10

Old Charter 8 Year Old Bourbon Review

IMG_2723

Time for a look into something quite affordable – Old Charter 8 year old bourbon.  My buddy Scott wants to see reviews of less expensive bourbon, or “bottom shelf bourbon” as he put it.   I guess he’s hoping I’ll rate these much lower than the expensive stuff.  Here’s the thing – being on the bottom shelf doesn’t automatically make it a bad bourbon.  I have a saying:  ” There’s no such thing as bad bourbon.”  There’s okay bourbon, and there’s bourbon that’ll knock your socks off.  I’m excluding blended whiskies – I’m specifically talking about straight bourbon whiskey.  This leads me to Old Charter 8 year old.  I’ve seen it on the bottom shelf most places I go, but I don’t think it belongs there.

Old Charter is put out by Buffalo Trace.  It uses the distillery’s Mashbill #1, the same one used for George Stagg, Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace bourbons.  This one is 8 years old and 80 proof.  There used to be older variations of Old Charter, but now we’re down to this 8 year old.  Buffalo Trace also puts out a 101 proof.  Getting your hands on a bottle that says “Aged 8 Years” maybe be a little hard – the company has removed the age statement from the label and that version is hitting shelves. I’m not sure if they taste the same or not. I’ve only tasted the 8 year old version.

IMG_2747

I get some light caramel and oak, and a little bit of alcohol fumes.  There’s an overall lightness in the aroma.  Taste-wise, it’s pretty smooth and has a nice medium body at 80 proof.  There’s the standard bourbon caramel sweetness and very light oak.   Even a little depth with some butterscotch flavor, but nothing like its flavorful older brother Eagle Rare.  The finish is light and bittersweet.

Thus far, this is a really nice “smooth” sipping whiskey… definitely better than Gentleman Jack.  I find it pretty palatable.  Great for sipping neat or an ice cube.  I wouldn’t add water to it.  Personally I wouldn’t mix it in a cocktail either.  I prefer a little bit more “bite” in my cocktails, and I don’t think Old Charter can offer that.  I picked up a bottle of this for about $17.

7/10