George Dickel Bottled in Bond No. 4 (2022)

What’s this? Two posts in one week? Everyone quick grab the ones you love and give them one last hug because surely the end times are upon us.

I kid, of course. But my time off taught me one thing. I need to have more fun in these. Every year, about September everything becomes a grind. It’s usually been about a year since I’ve been out of my house overnight. And normally months since I last had a day off. When you run three businesses out of your house, you don’t get days off. You are always working on one of them no matter the day. And as sad as I am to say it, writing just isn’t as much fun when you’ve been working one job or another for six months straight or more.

But like I said, I need an outlet for fun and I’m hoping to make this that outlet. Going back and reading some of those old post, was a wake up call. I’m not a serious person (ask my poor wife), it doesn’t seem right to write like one.

But enough of all of that. Let’s get to the whiskey. Tonight’s is an old friend. This is the fourth iteration of George Dickel’s Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey. And I’ve been a fan of all of them.

If you aren’t aware, George Dickel is the “other” major Tennessee Whiskey. For the longest time, Tennessee whiskey was synonymous with Jack Daniel’s. Dickel has been around for a long time, but they didn’t get nearly the love. But in recent years, I’ve found that even though Jack is doing some really fun things, I usually prefer Dickel if I’m reaching for a whiskey from Tennessee. I especially love these Bonded versions. They’re always delicious. They are aged for more than a decade. And they are relatively inexpensive, well when compared to other American whiskeys aged to double digits that is.

So this edition was originally distilled in the fall of 2008. It is 13 years old. And I’m going to tell you now, it’s delicious. Let’s dig into it.

George Dickel Bottled-in Bond No. 4

Purchase Info: I’ve already bought 2 bottles of this so here are both. $52.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN. $47.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Costco, Burnsville, MN.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.53 and $3.20 respectively.

Details: 50% ABV. 13-years-old. Distilled Fall 2008

Nose: Cinnamon, brown sugar, black tea, and mint. Reminds me of a Chai tea.

Mouth: Notes of cinnamon, caramel, mint almond, and the "Dickel mineral note."

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cinnamon, almond, and mint.

Thoughts: I've been a big fan of every previous release in this series, and this is no exception. It has a more pronounced Dickel mineral note than I remember previous editions having. So if you are a Dickel fan, as I am, keep your eyes out for this one.

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Little Book Chapter 6, "To the Finish"

I’d like to thank the folks from Beam Suntory and their PR teams for sharing this sample with no strings attached.

Beam Suntory’s Little Book is the creation of the newly appointed Eighth Generation Jim Beam Master Distiller Freddie Noe. It is a celebration of what “blended whiskey” can be. These aren’t the blended whiskeys of the mid-to-late 20th century. These are delicious, high proof whiskeys that allow for creativity of ingredient. And I have liked every iteration of Little Book so far. So when I was offered a sample for review, I jumped at it.

This “chapter” is a pretty complicated blend. It includes a five-year-old straight bourbon along with four four-year-old straight malt whiskeys that have each been finished in a different type of finshing barrel. Those include barrels with cherrywood staves and maple wood staves along with barrels that have been smoked with applewood smoke and hickory smoke. Here is what the press release has to say:

Little Book Chapter 6: “To The Finish,” is the latest chapter in Eighth Generation Master Distiller, Freddie Noe’s acclaimed Little Book Whiskey series. The name of this year’s chapter is inspired by Freddie’s passion for both whiskey-making and cooking, and more specifically his curiosity for how flavors come together.

The kitchen has always been a place where the Noe family has come together to share traditions from generation to generation. These traditions around family meals, and Freddie’s adventures around the grill, inspired his work in the rackhouse for Chapter 6. Freddie uses the traditional method of smoking hardwoods to create different aromas and flavors in food, and he’s applied that same method to the whiskey-making process, using unique wood staves and barrel techniques for Chapter 6.

So, how does it taste?

Little Book Chapter 6 "To the Finish"

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me by the producer for review purposes. The Suggested Retail Price is $124.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.33

Details: 58.725% ABV. Blend Components: 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with cherrywood staves, 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with applewood smoked barrels, 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished in hickory smoked barrels, 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with maple wood staves, and 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Nose: Cinnamon, wintergreen, malted grain, and hints of cherry.

Mouth: Very hot and dry. Notes follow the nose with cherry, wintergreen, malt, and cinnamon.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of malt, cinnamon, wintergreen, and a touch of barbeque smoke.

Thoughts: I'm sad to say that this is the first "Chapter" of Little Book that didn't work for me. But that is entirely on me, not the Whiskey. I'm not a fan of either malt or smoke, and this has notes of both. So that's on me, not Freddie Noe. If you like/don't mind the flavor of malt whiskey, then this is worth a look.

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Limavady Single Barrel, Single Malt Irish Whiskey

I’d like to thank the producers and their PR team for sending this review sample along with no strings attached.

I’m going to come right out and say it. I haven’t yet had a Single Malt Whiskey that I actually liked. Notice the Capital S on that categorization. See, I’ve liked the occasional whiskey that uses a large percentage of malt in its mash bill, but for some reason, once it is classified as a Single Malt Whiskey, the odds are that I’m not going to like it. But it really isn’t fair to those whiskeys. Over the years, I’ve simply discovered that I don’t actually like the flavor of malted grains in whiskey. It doesn’t matter if it is malted barley or the relatively recently introduced rye whiskeys that are, entirely or partially, made with malted rye grains. (Never had a whiskey that uses malted corn or malted wheat though so I can’t say on those.)

Of course that doesn’t mean I am going to stop trying them either. I mean, what fun is that? You hand me a whiskey to try and I’m going to try it, whether it uses a large percentage of malted barley or not. Heck, if you handed me a whiskey made entirely of malted corn, malted rye, and malted barley, I’m going to be at least trying it. Even though I don’t care for the taste that malting brings to the grain.

I guess there is a reason I like bourbon and rye best. Styles where the malted grains are usually used in single digit percentages.

So when the PR firm that handles Limavady reached out to me to see if I wanted to try their new product, I of course said yes. Who turns down free booze when the only downside is that it might not be good? It might also be amazing. Plus, I’ve liked quite a few Irish whiskeys, though the ones I’ve liked have been made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley.

So let’s learn a little bit about Limavady, the Single Barrel, Single Malt Irish Whiskey. First, here is what the brand has to say for itself:

Limavady Irish Whiskey- As one of Ireland’s oldest whiskeys dating back to 1750 and inspired by the Gaelic origins of Limavady - Leim an Mhadaidh, meaning “Leap of the Dog.” Darryl McNally, Whiskey Master and descendant of the Limavady Distillery’s 18th century operators, is at the helm of the brand, with his own underdog story to tell. Limavady is made of 100% Irish barley and is small batch, triple distilled in a copper pot still. The single malt whiskey is aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in PX sherry cask before bottling each cask individually, at 46% ABV. The sherry casks deliver warm, inviting dried fruit and spice notes, adding richness to a toasted vanilla base, for a drinking experience that’s well-rounded and genuinely delicious.

The rest of the details are as follows. This whiskey is made from 100% malted Irish barley. It was aged in ex-Bourbon barrels and then finished in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks. The whiskey comes in at 92° proof and is made by Darryl McNally, a 20+ year veteran distiller in the Irish whiskey industry.

Ok, but now onto the important stuff. How does it taste? We know my biases, let’s see if this Irish Single Malt can overcome them.

Limavady Single Barrel, Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99 for a 700mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.57

Details: Proof: 46% ABV. Mash bill: 100% Malted Irish Barley. Aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in PX sherry casks. Barrel#: 0136. Bottle#: 640 of 846.

Nose: Dried fruit, caramel, and lemon.

Mouth: Sweet with notes of dried fruit, mint, and hints of cinnamon candy.

Finish: Medium finish with notes of cinnamon and dried fruit.

Thoughts: I’m not going to lie, this one isn’t for me. I appreciate this whiskey more than I like it. It has a pleasant enough flavor, it just isn't my preferred flavor profile. Let’s put it this way, I finished the glass after the tasting, but i didn’t pour another. So I’m very neutral on this personally, but for people who like malt whiskey with a strong Sherry influence, this would probably be worth a look.

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Sample Roulette: Feeling Frugal

In September, I am going to be foregoing my annual September trip to Kentucky for the first time since 2013. It’s been almost ten years since I last skipped the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, but, in my opinion, last year was such a flop that I just don’t feel like spending a lot of money to do something that I didn’t particularly enjoy. Plus, in September, it will be our 25th wedding anniversary. It seemed like too big of a milestone to spend doing the “same ol’ thing.”

And so we will be going somewhere we haven’t been before. Yosemite, Sequoia, and the wine country of Northern California. I’m sure we will have tons of fun, but I also know the trip will cost a lot more than our usual Kentucky trip. And yes, I’m including the bourbon shopping I tend to do in that total. So yeah, I’m feeling pretty frugal at the moment. As such, I’m going to jump into another edition of Sample Roulette.

These samples were all laid down between 2011 and 2017. The labels were covered up in September of 2020. And they have lived in a box untouched since, except for the occasional adventuresome sip now and then. In June, I guessed terribly. Didn’t get a single one even close. I was even in the wrong continent at one point. Let’s see if I do any better this time.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 1:

Nose: Spearmint, cedar, pencil shavings, and butterscotch.

Mouth: Tingly and a tad delicate. Spearmint, almond, and baking spice.

Finish: Gentle and a little bitter. Notes of bubble gum, mint, and a hint of baking spice.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is tasty. Very soft. It feels Canadian. That bubblegum on the finish makes me lean to Wiser's.

Reveal: Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Well. Shit. So far, my streak of not even being remotely close is still intact from the last time we did this. I do not remember this being as soft as it is. But then, I am getting old, and I didn't have the best memory to begin with (just ask my wife).

Blind Whiskey Sample # 2:

Nose: Oak is the most prominent note. Followed by caramel, vanilla, and baking spice.

Mouth: Spicy, dry oat notes followed by vanilla, red fruit, and baking spice.

Finish: Warm and longish. More oak, fruit, and baking spice with just a hint of a mineral note.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: My first thought with the heat and dry oak notes was that this could be what's left of one of my early bottles of Elijah Craig 12-year-old. But I don’t remember EC12 having a fruit note. The mineral note on the finish brought me a hint of Dickel. But honestly, I'm kinda stumped on this one. I'm positive this is a bourbon from one of the big guys in Kentucky. I'm going to say Wild Turkey.

Reveal: Old Grand-Dad 114.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Hey! I got the style and state correct! I see this as an absolute win. Sadly, what this means is that Old Grand-Dad 114 has gone way downhill since I put this away back in 2012-2014. Today's Old Grand-Dad 114 is much more dusty-grain forward. This is very rich and oaky.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 3:

Nose: Oh wow! That's a lot of smoke and fruit.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Pears, baking spice, and a touch of smoke.

Finish: Medium in both warmth and length. Notes of smoke and pears.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Sooo... Big caveat on this one. I actively dislike smoky whiskey. This is a big reason why I could never get into Scotch. So for that reason, I can narrow this down to a few craft distilleries. I haven’t purchased smoky whisky from many places due to my aversion to it. One of those distilleries happens to be my friends at MB Roland. And I haven't bought one of those since they were putting out experimental smoked whiskies. So that is what I am guessing.

Reveal: MB Roland Experimental Aged Black Dog (used barrels)

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Ha! Take that! I had to get one eventually. This is actually the very first thing I reviewed on the site. And boy, I do not like it. I mean, it might be good for fans of smoky whiskey. But as I said, I am absolutely not one of them. I do feel pretty good about guessing it, though. Might just finish the pour in... celebration?

Hmm... if you shoot this, you get a sweet barbeque note. Come to think of it. I think I remember that about it. But we've already discussed my memory so take that how you will.

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Sample Roulette: Let's Start Summer With Some Fun

Every so often, I feel the need to dig into my box of goodies and pull out some old samples that I put away back in my whiskey hoarding days. Those of you who were part of the whiskey scene in the early 2010s probably remember the days of the falling age-statements and rising prices. You could get a 10 year old bourbon for $25. And it was good bourbon too. But as supplies of aged whiskey started to run low, prices went up and age-statements went away. And so, because I never knew if the last pour in a bottle was going to be the last pour of something that I’d ever have, I started pouring the first couple of pours from a bottle into a small sample bottle and putting it away so that I could go back to it anytime I wanted.

I did that for 6 years. For every bottle I bought. Eventually I ran out of room. I decided which bottles I really wanted to keep and drank or dumped the rest. Then, I did that again a couple years later. In September of 2020 I put painters tape over the original labels so that I could taste them blind. And shortly after that, I decided that writing about it every once in a while would be fun. And here we are.

These samples were all laid down between 2011 and 2017. The labels were covered up in September of 2020. And they have lived in a box untouched since, except for the occasional adventuresome sip now and then.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 1:

Nose: Caramel, dried grain, black tea, cedar, and dusty oak.

Mouth: Spicier than I'd have expected from the nose. Notes of black tea, cinnamon, butterscotch and oak.

Finish: Warm and on the longer end of medium length. Notes of black tea and cinnamon.

Thoughts: I like this one. Lots of caramel/ butterscotch and tannic black tea notes. If I had to guess, I'd guess this is Canadian.

Reveal: Border Bourbon from 45th Parallel Distillery in New Richmond, WI.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Welp. I got that one wrong. I haven't had this since shortly after it was released but it is better than I remember. Might have to grab a recent bottling to see how it is today.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 2:

Nose: Strawberry jam and dried fruits.

Mouth: Caramel, strawberry jam, and baking spice.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Follows the mouth (caramel, strawberry jam, baking spice) and adds some mint.

Thoughts: After I got over the initial shock on the fruitiness of this one, I like this one too. But wow! was that a shock. I'm going to guess this is a brandy of some sort.

Reveal: Collingwood 21 year old Canadian Rye.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Wow! Whiffed again. My guesses are so far off as to be laughable. I remember this one being floral, but not nearly this fruity. This is a walk down memory lane for sure.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 3:

Nose: Delicate on the nose. Brown sugar and floral cereal grains.

Mouth: Grain-forward. Notes of cereal grains, Cola, red fruit, and cinnamon.

Finish: Gentle and medium length. Notes of almond, cooked cereal, red fruit and caramel.

Thoughts: I have no idea what this is. It's good but I don't think it is a bourbon...pretty sure it is a whiskey though. With my track record on guesses today, I'm nervous to throw one out, but I'm going to say this is a Willett bourbon along the lines of Noah's Mill.

Reveal: Redbreast 12 year old.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: OK. I give up. This is just not my day for guesses. Noah's Mill is the only grain-forward bourbon that I remember liking so I guessed that but after reveal it is so obviously Redbreast 12. The sherry notes are right there for me to see, I just didn’t connect them with sherry.

But that is part of the fun of doing this blind. Sometimes you guess things correctly and other times you have no idea what you are drinking. Today was the latter. I’m just glad they were all good. Sometimes we get bottom-shelf stuff in these and those are much less fun than tasty Craft, Irish, and Canadian whiskeys.

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Jack Daniel's Bonded

I did it again. I went looking for beer at my local liquor store and walked out with two bottles of whiskey.

Don’t judge me!

Though come to think of it, my wife may be to blame for this. Ultimately after 10 years of writing for this site, she should know better than to send me to the liquor store unattended.

See? It’s really her fault. I feel better now, how ‘bout you?

Anyway as I was taking the long way round the store to buy some beer, I saw one of the employees putting product on the shelf and asked if there was anything new. It turns out that there were a couple of new items from Jack Daniel’s. One of which was tonight’s whiskey, the newly released Jack Daniel’s Bonded.

As you might have gathered from the name, Jack Daniel's Bonded is a Bottled-in-Bond whiskey from Jack Daniel’s. It is at least four years old, was distilled during one distilling season, and is bottled at exactly 100 proof. Oh and due to new regulations allowing for more bottle sizes, this is also the first bottle of whiskey that I’ve bought in the US that is the world-standard size of 700 mL. (So one pour less in the bottle, but they don’t need to make one size for in the US and one size for outside the US.) Let’s see what the distillery has to say about the new release:

Jack Daniel’s Bonded is Jack’s time-honored recipe of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye. Barrels were hand selected for their unique and particular characteristics of deeper color, flavor, and aroma, which bring a darker, richer, and more oak-forward character to Jack Daniel’s Bonded. It is a big, bold Tennessee Whiskey at 100 proof with layered notes of caramel, rich oak, and spice giving way to a pleasantly lingering finish.

Sounds good to me, let’s see how it tastes.

Jack Daniel's Bonded

Purchase Price: $34.99 for a 700 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.50

Details: 50% ABV.

Nose: Corn flakes, cinnamon, ginger, and mint.

Mouth: Cinnamon, ginger, mint, caramel, and oak.

Finish: Medium length and spicy. Notes of mint, cinnamon and ginger.

Thoughts: Sometimes I think that all Jack Daniel's needs to be really good is enough proof. This is a prime example. 100 proof, four years old. And it is delicious. This is a very tasty, affordable whiskey. Even if it is 700mL instead of 750.

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LAWS Whiskey House 4-Pack Virtual Tasting Experience

Seven months ago, I reviewed two bottles of Bourbon created by LAWS Whiskey House out of Denver, CO. One was a store pick of their bourbon and the other was a two-year-old version of their standard release bourbon that was included in the LAWS 4-Pack Virtual Tasting Experience. I said in that post “I’m going to just focus on the two Bourbons tonight and leave the rest for another day.” Well after seven months, that day has come. And while I encourage you to go back and read that post, I’m just going to post the tasting notes of the Bourbon below so that they are all in the same place.

LAWS Whiskey House uses local ingredients in its whiskeys. This package looks to have been created to show off that fact. It contains a Straight Malt Whiskey, a Straight Rye, and a Straight Wheat Whiskey along with a Bourbon that uses all three. According to the side of the box, the distillery is in Denver and all of their grains and water come from within four hours drive of the distillery. The corn is Homestead Corn sourced from Whiskey Sisters Supply near Burlington, CO. The other grains (San Luis Valley™ Rye, Centennial™ Wheat, and Henry Road™ Barley Malt) are sourced from Cody Family Farms near Alamosa, CO. How’s that for transparency?

One thing to keep in mind is that this tasting set has all the whiskeys age stated as “aged at least 2 years.” It looks as if the current releases of these products are currently three years old so there will probably be differences in tasting notes between the two releases. With that said, let’s jump right in.

LAWS Whiskey House 4-Pack Virtual Tasting Experience

Purchase Info: $34.98 for a multi-pack of four 100mL bottles of their core whiskey line at Hazel’s Beverage World, Boulder, CO.

Price per Drink (50mL): $4.37

Details: 47.5% ABV. "Aged At Least 2 Years."

LAWS Whiskey House Four Grain Straight Bourbon (Originally published 7/13/21)

Nose: Dried Grain and maple.

Mouth: Cinnamon spice, dried grain, mint, applesauce, and black tea.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Notes of dried grain and wintergreen.

Thoughts: This doesn't really do it for me. I'm getting better with well-constructed grain-forward bourbons, but this takes grain-forward to an extreme. I've eaten dried cereal grains before, and while it isn't an unpleasant experience, it isn't something I am looking to do for fun. This tastes like that did. Nice, clean grain flavors, but not something I am looking to have more of. Now, from what I understand, they are trying to showcase their locally sourced heirloom grains with this product. They did that very well, it just isn’t for me. But it might be something to check out if that idea appeals to you.

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LAWS Whiskey House Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey

Nose: Spearmint, cinnamon candies, a hint of dried grain.

Mouth: Nice spicy cinnamon notes along with almond and honey.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Notes of dried grain, cinnamon, and candied fruit.

Thoughts: I like this one. Probably not enough to buy a full bottle, but I certainly don't regret letting it into my house. It tastes more mature than the bourbons did. As such I like it better than I did the bourbon. The dried grain notes are clean and not overpowering when they are present. Yep. Pretty darn tasty.

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LAWS Whiskey House San Luis Valley Straight Rye whiskey

Nose: Cedar, cinnamon, ginger, sandlewood.

Mouth: Follows the nose. Spicy with ginger, cinnamon, mint and cedar.

Finish: Medium length. Notes of brown sugar, cinnamon, and dried grain.

Thoughts: This is really good. Kinda wish I'd have bought a full bottle of this when I had the opportunity. I might have to remedy that if next time I travel through a state that distributes it. The only hint that this whiskey is only two years old is on the finish. It shows some dried grain notes at that point, but not before. Overall it's a good, if young, rye whiskey.

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LAWS Whiskey House Henry Road Straight Malt Whiskey

Nose: Cooked cereal grains.

Mouth: Dried hay, butterscotch, and cinnamon.

Finish: Medium length. Strong notes of butterscotch and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This one is quite a bit too grain-forward for me. I don't like it at all, but I also have a known bias against malt whiskeys so take that how you will. On top of that, I’m not a huge butterscotch fan. So I guess it just hit all the wrong notes for me. Overall, I am just not a fan of this. Doesn’t mean you won’t be though if those are notes that appeal to you.

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Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey

As expected, I missed last week. Sorry about that. I was taking my mother to visit my Stepdad at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis every day. And with worried family at the house, I had no time for tastings. But as of now, he seems to be recovering as well as a Vietnam Vet who had life-threatening surgery a week ago can be.

In any case, while I was driving around killing time while my mom was visiting the hospital, I decided to visit some of the liquor stores in the area to see if I could find something to buy with the Christmas tips I received from dog clients. And suffice it to say that I did indeed find something.

A couple of years ago, one of my dogs clients gave me a bottle of Green Spot Irish Whiskey. It was delicious and I had the thought that I might grab another bottle of it using this year’s tips. While I was in the store, cash in hand (metaphorically) to keep me from overspending, I noticed that sitting right next to the Green Spot was a bottle of it’s older brother the 12-year-old Yellow Spot. And honestly, since I was buying myself a present, I decided to splurge and spend the extra $40 to try something new.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey

Purchase Info: $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle at South Lyndale Liquors, Minneapolis, MN.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.67

Details: 12 years old. Aged in Bourbon, Sherry, and Malaga casks. Non-chill filtered. 46% ABV.

Nose: Apricot, honey, nutmeg, mixed berries, and green tea.

Mouth: Green tea, honey, cinnamon candies, and nutmeg.

Finish: Medium to long. Not much heat, but a lot of flavor. Notes of apricot and baking spices.

Thoughts: I really like this. I think it might be as close to a Love rating as a non-Bourbon could get. If you think that Green Spot is worth the $60 asking price (which I do), then this is an easy upgrade pick at $100. It is very, very good. Not an everyday drinker at that price obviously, but instead a bottle that sits on the special shelf waiting for a special occasion or a good friend to arrive.

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