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Some of the absolute best Tennessee whiskey being released over the past few years has come from the biggest names in the state—Jack Daniel’s and the much smaller George Dickel. The latter has launched a range of interesting and delicious whiskeys over the past few years, with the Bottled in Bond series leading the way. We got an early taste of the new 2024 expression in this collection and it is, as usual, very good.
Nicole Austin, director of George Dickel and luxury whiskey, is the woman in charge of the operation at the Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. where Dickel is distilled and aged, and has been the force behind other recent releases like Dickel Bourbon and last fall’s 18-year-old whiskey. The new 2024 Bottled in Bond is a 2011 vintage that was aged for 12 years, the fifth in the series since it launched in 2019. As a refresher, bottled-in-bond whiskey must be at least four years old, bottled at 100 proof, and the product of one distillery and one distillation season. This Tennessee whiskey is triple the minimum age required, and while another distillery could easily sell a whiskey that old for more than $100, the SRP remains a very reasonable $45.
According to a press release, Austin was drawn to barrels distilled in spring of 2011 based on a blind tasting, something that she does for every BIB release. “Something that makes this series so special is that whiskey fans have the rare opportunity to try expertly crafted bottled-in-bond offerings at a great price,” she said in a statement. “Our bottled-in-bond offerings are a testament to the quality of our inventory and the commitment at Cascade Hollow to consistently produce outstanding whiskey.”
The new Bottled in Bond expression is indeed a fantastic sipper, with the trademark Dickel nutty grain notes at the forefront that define much of the whiskey released by the distillery, particularly when it’s over 10 years old. There are deep fruit notes on the palate as well, along with flavors like chocolate, coffee, caramel, nutmeg, and molasses. The mashbill for this whiskey, like most of the other expressions released by the distillery, is 84 percent corn, eight percent rye, and eight percent malted barley, and the new make spirit was filtered through charcoal as part of the Lincoln County Process that defines Tennessee whiskey.
George Dickel Bottled in Bond Spring 2011, Aged 12 Years is just rolling out nationwide, so this particular expression might be hard to find at the moment. But check websites like ReserveBar to see if it’s available, and go ahead and pick up a previous vintage to compare it to while you’re at it.
