PMP: George Dickel Bourbon 8 Year

The number on this bottle is actually an age statement...

By Not Masters of Malt

May 2^nd, 2022

Poor Man's Pour #2: The New Challenger

For this weeks review we are going to dive into George Dickel’s newest addition to its core lineup, George Dickel Bourbon 8 Year. This is slightly different than their normal bottles as it is the first of their whiskies to be labeled “bourbon” instead of Tennessee Whisky. With that being said, there isn’t much to be found from the Distillery that specifies what makes this so different to the rest of their whiskies. The bourbon has the same mash bill, is still put through the same Charcoal Filter process that all their Tennessee Whiskies go through, and is even in the same price bracket as their other offerings.

In the end though, all that really matters is how it tastes. Let’s get into it...

FROM THE DISTILLER...

Cascade Hollow Distillery Notes:

Dickel Bourbon is a handcrafted, small-batch bourbon that's been aged 8 years and blended to perfection. The liquid boasts sweet initial notes of vanilla leading into bright hints of cherry and orange before being balanced by almond toffee and oak. At 90 proof, bourbon enthusiasts can best enjoy Dickel Bourbon neat or on the rocks, in addition to mixing it into some of their favorite cocktails, like an Old Fashioned.

AGE: 8 Years (It's right there on the label!)

PROOF: 90

MASH BILL: 84% corn, 8% malted barley, 8% rye

PRICE POINT: $29.99 for a 750ml bottle

REVIEW:

Nose:

Typical Dickel minerality, although it is muted and almost disappears after 20 minutes or so. After that, you are left with heavy corn and maple sweetness that then slowly transitions to hints of artificial strawberry and leather. For this being age stated, and 8 years at that, the whisky smells slightly young.

Palate:

Big corn flavor right up front, followed by maple syrup and some of the strawberry note that I was getting from the nose. Even though the proof is 90, the whisky drinks hot and tastes younger than the 8-year age statement. Repeated sips come across as a bit astringent.

Finish:

The finish is decently long and follows through with the maple and hints of strawberry that I was getting on the nose and palate with just a dash of the Dickel minerality to round everything out. This is also the first time I am getting any oak in this bourbon, which is odd considering the age. If this was blind, I wouldn’t guess it is at least 8 years old.

Overall: 2.5/5 - Not Recommended

Final Verdict:

George Dickel Whisky is pretty divisive. People generally get hung up on the “Flintstone Vitamin” note that is commonly found in most of their whiskies. The bourbon doesn’t hit you over the head with the mineral note, but it is still slightly there. I have had many different types of Dickel Whisky, some I have really liked and some I have really not cared for. This one falls directly in the middle of that range.

I appreciate the idea of Dickel releasing an $30 age stated bourbon especially where other distillers are removing age statements at this price point all together. But why separate this as your "bourbon" when that age just doesn't show up? You would expect more oak, darker flavors and a more rounded out flavor, but this was just missing all of it.