George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey Bottled In Bond 13 Yr

Nutty and fruit-forward on the nose, this is an exuberant expression of Dickel that feels almost festive from the start. Gingerbread and brandied cherries provide lovely aromatics, moving into notes of mint and roasted walnuts before allowing a touch of well-charred wood into the mix. The palate’s got all this and more, featuring a stronger spice element — mint plus a bolder ginger element, a hint of licorice, dusky baking chocolate, a finishing note of peanut brittle and — at last — that classic Dickel note of dill. The dill takes its time to show its face, but once it hits you, it sticks around just about forever. Not in a bad way. Looking at my older review, I see a lot of the same notes as in the 11 year old (and plenty of new ones), but more nuance and more maturity on the whole. There’s also certainly less of a rustic popcorn character here, which the 2020 release saw as prominent, and simply much more excitement from start to finish. All told, another big winner from Dickel.100 proof.