Veteran Bourbon Review: George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond, Spring 2007

Official Product Website

History – George Dickel Bottled in Bond Distilling Season Spring 2007 is a limited-offering 13-year-old whisky. The third release in the series marks the first offering to be from a spring distilling season. The new George Dickel Bottled in Bond offers a bold and balanced profile highlighted by tantalizing notes of cherry.

At 100 proof, George Dickel Bottled in Bond Distilling Season Spring 2007 is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks and plays well in many classic cocktails like a Perfect Manhattan, garnished with an orange peel. Whisky drinkers can enjoy this rare, 13-year-old high proof liquid at a great value. – georgedickel.com

Value – I purchased this whiskey at $50 dollars. I bought it strictly on the hype it’s starting to pull in. Where I am from, it’s very hard to find these bottles on the shelf and when I saw it, I had to snag it up. Overall, it’s a good whiskey. It’s been barreled for 13 years and its 100 Proof. I would buy it again for this price, it’s fair.

Appearance – This is a pretty standard bottle, nothing that really stands out. I do enjoy this particular bottled-in-bond labeling because it looks like the other releases and you have to hunt through bottles to find the different season releases which are marked on the side. It’s filled with a deeper amber colored whiskey with a corked top.

Nose – Cherry / Oak / Pear This whiskey really has a great smell to it. It’s fairly strong on the cherry that’s easily picked out. The ethanol is very low considering the 100 Proof. It’s very hard to pick out the other fruit smell, but I landed on a delicate pear note. It almost has the light sweet smell of a can of fruit cocktail and has a calm old oak smell to it, which is very pleasant. 

Palate –  Nutty / Oak / Butterscotch / Rich The flavor profile is very nutty. There is no getting around it. The nuttyness overpowers the other flavors, but you can still get some of that old oak flavor we all hope for. There is also a slight buttery sweetness at the mid palate. The consistency is medium with a creamy rich feel to it.

Finish – Nutty / Oak / Dry I’m surprised at how low the heat is. It’s a very smooth finish with a tiny burn at the bottom of your throat that stays with you for a little bit. It has a mostly nutty finish to it that leaves your mouth very dry.  

Summary –  I really enjoy the smell of this whiskey more than anything else. The nuttyness of the whiskey is very overpowering and lingering. I really don’t care for its lingering flavor. I do enjoy the richness and consistency of the whiskey that you get from 13 years in the barrel. It needs to be noted how smooth it is and the lack of ethanol present. Those qualities really shape it into a good drink despite the lack of flavor complexity. This whiskey really needs more flavor to really be a good sipper. However, it has so many other good qualities which turn it into a great whiskey for cocktails.

7.0

Uniqueness – 1-10 – 7

Appearance- 1-10 – 5

Nose- 1-20 – 18

Palate- 1-20 – 12

Finish- 1-20 – 12

Value- 1-20 – 16