When Dickels first began selling the 15 year single barrel, it came in a new squat bottle and with a surprisingly low price tag. This has been a theme with all of their recent releases (their 13 year bottled in bond, the less impressive sourced 13 year bourbon and 11 years from secondary bottlers). They may be simply attempting to move a small clutch of low-proof barrels that don’t fit into their regular mix, or maybe they’re just trying to play a long game with whiskey drinkers and get people trying their product and converting them to lifelong Dickel fans.
The aroma is a delicious mix of vanilla and dark caramel with lots of subtly savory barrel notes (dried fruit/apple peel, clove and nutmeg). The palate is sweet and rich with loads of cinnamon and vanilla as well as hints of butter brickle ice cream and pralines. The finish is smooth with a touch of tobacco and dark chocolate. This is a fantastic whiskey and a real value at this proof.
This one is a bit different from other Dickel Single Barrel releases as it shows a much more mature and robust style of Tennessee whiskey. It’s almost like a Russell’s Reserve 13 or Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well in that it has an extremely refined and smooth delivery of oaky notes without getting heavy or burnt. The oloroso and sherry notes also lend it an extra dimension that separates it from other single barrels released by Dickel in the past few years.
