Bardstown Bourbon Company Phifer Pavitt Reserve Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $125

- 100 Proof

- 10 Years

- Tennessee

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of Dickel products. While some people love the stuff, I just have yet to find one that has really suited my palate. That chalky, fake vitamin note is real, and it just doesn't work for me.  

However, when I was offered the chance to buy this bottle, I still couldn't help myself. This is yet another collaboration from Bardstown, this time collaborating with Phifer Pavitt to finish this 10-year old Tennessee whiskey in Phifer Pavitt Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. This is the second such release, and the first one got some pretty good reviews. So, despite knowing that this was sourced from Dickel, my FOMO got the best of me, and I plunked down the cash to take this one home.  It's interesting to note that while this is 100 proof, it's also labeled as "cask strength."  That's quite the coincidence there that it landed right at 100 proof without any dilution.

The nose certainly lets you know right away that this a wine finished bourbon. The fruit-forward aromas of dark cherry and blackberry really came through. I even got a bit of blueberry off the nose that I really enjoyed. It also had that caramel base to it, as well as a light cinnamon spice to sort of round everything out.  The nose on this bourbon was delicious, and I found myself sniffing my Glencairn constantly while drinking this.

On my first sip, I was looking for those Dickel notes, the Flintstone Vitamins note that so many people get. But, I didn't notice it here . . . at first.  Rather, I got sweet notes of smooth butterscotch, like ice cream topping. That blended well with the flavors from the wine finish. I didn't get so much the cherry that I got on the nose, but the blackberry was certain prevalent. I even got the blueberry notes that I got from the nose, probably a first for me as far as tasting notes go.

Unfortunately, though, as I made my way through this bottle, those vitamin notes started coming through. It wasn't the fake grape flavor that I got in the Dickel Bottled in Bond that put me off, but rather more of a strawberry note. In that respect it wasn't offensive or anything, just there and noticeable.

The finish seemed to kind of wash away that vitamin note, however, bringing in the cinnamon spice that I got off the nose. This is also where the cherry note came through, leaving a real dark cherry note (as opposed to artificial cherry) that lingered for a considerably long time after the finish. It turned out that the finish was what I enjoyed the most about this bourbon, and it's the reason I went back for more pours.

I still hesitate to grab Dickel distillate, and this certainly didn't change my mind. However, I did feel that what they did with the finishing on the distillate was very good. I loved the notes the Phifer Pavitt barrels introduced to the whiskey, I only wish it were a different whiskey . . . and a different price.

Grade: B

George Dickel 15 Year Tennessee Single Barrel Whiskey

VITALS:
- $70

- 84.4 Proof

- 15 years

- Tennessee

I really haven't found a Dickel product that I've loved.  I've had some here and there that I've enjoyed, but far from anything that has blown me away or knocked my socks off or whatever other such colloquial phrases. But, I keep trying them, whether it's craft whisky sourced from Dickel, Dickel whisky finished in wine barrels, or single barrel offerings.

Such was the case with this bottle. I wasn't aware that it was going to be released, but when I spotted it on the shelf, a great internal conflict began in my mind. I'm generally not a big fan of Dickel, yet here was a 15 year single barrel product at a relatively accessible price. Certainly the proof could be a lot higher, but in older whiskies, lower proof can certainly be alright as far as I'm concerned. The wood bitterness tends to be a bit less pronounced. And so I brought home another bottle of Dickel whisky.

The nose smelled like it had a bit of age to it. I got something woody, but it was a lighter woody note, like the smell of your garage after using a table saw (so, sawdust, I guess--so much for brevity).  I also got something sweet and earthy all at once, like tobacco leaf, or even tea leaves. There was something crackery, which, with the sweetness, reminded me of animal crackers. And behind all this was kind of a dried or powdered strawberry note. It had a funky aroma overall, but not a bad one.

On my first pour, I was admittedly looking for that grape flavored vitamin note. I perhaps have some PTSD from the Dickel Bottled in Bond.  And on the first few pours, I was pleasantly surprised to only notice the vitamin note just a little bit. Luckily, there were a lot of other flavors bouncing around on my tongue.

It had a familiar sweet pastry-like quality. It took me a while to try to pin down exactly what type of pastry I was tasting, but ultimately I decided it was like a funnel cake with a dusting of powdered sugar. I also got the dried strawberry note that I got on the nose, and these flavors, as you might expect, all worked really well together. 

Other notes came through as well, all on the dessert end of the spectrum. I got additional notes of blackberry and even banana. I also got brown sugar as well as a bit of a cake note, kind of like pancakes.  Interestingly, I even got somewhat of a rum note, which really complemented the banana and brown sugar flavors.

Unfortunately, about halfway through the bottle I noticed that the grape vitamin note seemed to becoming more and more prominent. Perhaps it was the whisky opening up. Perhaps it was just me being more in tune to it. But, as with the Bottled in Bond, I had a really hard time getting past it. It wasn't nearly as prominent as it was in the Bottled in Bond, and it even leaned towards a cherry vitamin note (which isn't really better), but it was there enough that I just had a hard time enjoying this as much as I wanted to.

I doubt that I'll swear off Dickel products altogether, but they really just aren't for me for the most part, and I don't see myself dropping any substantial amounts of money on future products. It's unfortunate, because they do release well-aged products at decent prices, and so many people love their whisky. I just can't count myself among them. 

Grade: C+

George Dickel Bottled In Bond Tennessee Whisky

VITALS:
- $40
- 100 Proof
- 13 Years
- Tennessee

Not that I ever really paid attention to Whisky Advocate rankings, but now I have a reason to deliberately ignore them in the future. Towards the end of last year, Whisky Advocate released its Top 20 whiskeys of 2019--business as usual. However, I'm pretty sure nearly the entire whiskey community was shocked when they saw a George Dickel product ranked #1.

At the time the article was released, I had yet to see the George Dickel Bottled in Bond on shelves here in the Chicago area. I probably would have grabbed a bottle just to try it regardless, but now that it was actually making headlines, when I got the chance to finally snag one, I jumped at the chance. I felt I needed to at least see for myself what all the fuss was about. I quickly realized that I really didn't . . .

When I first popped the cork, I immediately noticed something weird and off about this whisky. It smelled like waffles. Waffles smothered in maple syrup. It was very distinct in that respect, and you're probably thinking, okay, sounds alright so far. But that's where it got a bit weird. Along with the maple syrup covered waffles note, I also got a sweet potato smell. It actually smelled starchy, if that makes sense. I don't know how to describe it other than that it smelled like an uncooked potato.

And then I got the note that I've heard so much about - grape Flintstones Vitamins. It actually had a chalky, fake grape flavor to it, and all I could think about was Flintstones Vitamins. I couldn't get past it, as much as I wanted to enjoy the waffles smell, or even the sweet potato (though I wasn't as concerned with that one). I could not get past that note, and it really put me off every single time I caught a whiff.

Unfortunately, the flavor was no better. The dominant flavor in this whisky?  Yep, grape Flintstones Vitamins.  I've heard of people getting this note in Dickel products. I've had other Dickel whiskies, and while I've never really been a big fan, I've never gotten chalky, artificial grape flavor. Yet that is nearly all I got in this one.  My father-in-law thought I poured him a flavored whisky, it was that strong (he immediately poured his down the drain).

There were some other flavors to be picked out. I did get a bit of an odd vanilla syrup note, like the kind of syrups you see at coffee bars, as well as a touch of banana. Of course this was all quite disgusting when paired with chalky, artificial grape flavoring.

I even got some bitter orange pith at times, which I might enjoy under certain circumstances, but which does not pair well with chalky, artificial grape flavoring. I even got a bit of a doughy pie crust note. However, it only confirmed for me that I never want to try a grape pie made with artificial grape flavoring and chalk dust. I probably didn't really need to confirm that, but you get my point.

I did struggle through and eventually finish this bottle (the fact that I was able to finish it was the only thing that kept this from getting an "F"), but I frankly thought it was terrible. I have no idea what the people at Whisky Advocate had for lunch that day, or how much money Dickel may have paid them for that number one spot, but that ranking is absolutely dumbfounding. This not only failed to live up to the ranking, but would be right at the bottom of my list if I were to rank every whiskey I've ever had.

Grade: D-

George Dickel No. 12 Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey

VITALS:
- $24
- 90 Proof

I feel like it's been a while since I visited the lower shelves, and, quite frankly, I feel like I'm doing myself a disservice. While I have been lucky to run into some really nice bottles of top shelf bourbon lately, there's so much value to be found on the lower end of the spectrum that it simply should not be ignored.

So, I grabbed a bottle of Dickel. At $24, it's incredibly reasonably priced. I'm not sure, quite frankly, if I've had it before, whether at a bar or elsewhere, and even if I have, it was probably in a mixed drink. This time I was going to give it my full attention and a chance to stand on its own.

Much to my surprise, it stands up very well on its own. It's a different flavor than bourbon, and I even found that it differed quite a bit from it's primary Tennessee Whiskey counterpart, Jack Daniels. The charcoal that I expected to permeate wasn't really there. Rather, the nose was a healthy mix of banana and tobacco leaf, which even seems like an odd combination as I type the words, but yet it worked well.

The palate is sweet, but does not cross that line into being overly sweet. I primarily noticed an odd mix of banana and pine (and this mix was about as odd as it seems when I type the words). Underneath that weird mixture, however, is a light spice blending with vanilla and wood tones that were quite enjoyable once I got to them.

On the back end is a light pepper spice along with a light smokiness. The charcoal that I expected from the beginning also started to creep its way in right at the end.

All in all, I was surprised at the complexity of this whiskey, considering it's somewhat of a staple bottle. Although it's complex and offers a lot of different notes, sometimes resulting in an odd commingling of flavors, none of the flavors is particularly overpowering or bold, which makes it nonetheless easy to enjoy. Although I'd imagine this is a popular whiskey for mixed drinks, I found it to be pretty enjoyable on its own, particularly at its price point.

Grade: B