George Dickel Bottled in Bond (2020) Review

About – Geroge Dickel Bottled in Bond is back with a new release for 2020 and it has seen a couple of changes from last year’s release that took home my bourbon of the year award. This release is aged 11 years, down 2 years from last year, but still a solid age statement. The bottle now features and aged statement on the side so no need to do the math to figure that out this year, and lastly the price has increased slightly from around $32 to $40.

Nose – A dark dense caramel leads the way along with cocoa powder. There is a touch of toasted notes and sweet corn hiding behind that. The typical Dickel notes are there if you dig, but they have been supplanted on the nose with a really nice and dense dessert note.

Palate – Strong milk chocolate hits the tongue first. A nice spicy cinnamon follows behind that creating a nice Mexican hot chocolate vibe. Some bitter oak comes through that leads into a medium length finish that flashes trademark Dickel minerality before fading back to oak and chocolate.

Score – B+

Verdict – Another excellent release. The release last year was fairly divisive to say the least. This release is much more middle of the road and will be much more approachable to those who are not accustomed to the uniqueness of Tennessee Whiskey. I would rate this slightly lower than last year’s 13 year old release. The flavors are enjoyable it just doesn’t have the same depth in the finish. At $40 this is still an excellent bargain as many sourced Dickel products in the same age range sell for $100 or more. I highly recommend everyone grabbing a bottle.

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