George Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey - Classic #8 Recipe: MINI
Nose: This is pretty light on the nose and has a bit of an antiseptic note to it. It isn’t terrible, but there’s nothing about it that invites you to keep sniffing it. Palate: This is another good example of “you can’t judge a whiskey by its smell”. The first sip of this came across as pretty sweet, with a good deal of cinnamon in it. It has a light to medium mouthfeel. There’s a pleasant warming to it, but it is rather short-lived. The sweetness continues in later sips, as does the cinnamon. There’s also a bit of honey, a little bit of citrus or fruitiness and, during the rather short finish, I seemed to get what was either a little rye spice or a toasted grain note. It isn’t overly complex, but it was a pleasant sipper. Comments: Other than the George Dickel single barrel previously reviewed, I don’t think I’ve ever had the regular George Dickel. Although it is bourbon’s close cousin, Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, it could easily be enjoyed by bourbon drinkers. I was rather surprised at how much I like this. I always like a little sweetness in my bourbon, so maybe that is what did it for me on this one. It is very easy to drink. It isn’t super complex, but it is still a very pleasant experience. I thought perhaps that it would taste more like the other well known Tennessee whiskey, Jack Daniels, but it didn’t. Sort of. I don’t think it tastes very much like the REGULAR Jack Daniels, but I can see some similarities between it and some of the Jack Daniels Single Barrel selections I have….and which I mightily enjoy. I was a bit sad that this came from a mini because I really wouldn’t have minded another nip of it after the first glass was finished. This clocks in at 80 proof. According to their website (georgedickel.com), the mashbill on this is 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% malted barley. It is barreled in a #4 char barrel, #2 head. Dickel makes several variations of their whiskey, so be sure to check the label when buying. You should be able to find this in a wide variety of liquor stores in the low $20 range.
