George Dickel, the brand that lives in the shadow of Jack Daniel's, isn't without its critics. Those who hate it tend to point to the fact that Dickel smells and tastes a lot like multivitamin. And while that's probably true, most of us really don't care too much. What most of us do care about is that this bottled in bond whiskey is made in Tennessee and meets the Lincoln County Process requirements (the new-make must be filtered through sugar maple charcoal after distillation to "mellow" it a bit, which is why most bourbon producers don't use it anymore).
This is Dickel's fourth Bottled In Bond release and the first to be distilled in Fall 2008. It's a 13 year old whiskey at 100 proof that is chill-filtered through sugar maple charcoal. The whisky is aged at the Cascade Hollow distillery near Tullahoma, Tennessee and is a standard bourbon recipe of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley.
This is a really well done bottled in bond from a company that clearly understands what they're doing. It's a good entry into the category and, even better, it doesn't try to be a showstopper. It's an honest whisky that doesn't make grand claims and is priced accordingly. I love the explanation of the Bottled In Bond label on the side of the bottle as it helps to establish credibility for the whisky and the laws that keep it in the bottle.
