Possible George Dickel Rye?

A 19th century rectifier might have filtered whiskey that had some age on it if it hadn't aged very well, to render it more neutral and more suitable for blending. But, yes, it's unlikely that a well-aged whiskey would have been filtered in those days. Just trying to make the point that filtering through charcoal or bone dust has a long history in the industry. It wasn't invented in Lincoln County, Tennessee.

In this case, Diageo felt they had to Dickelize it, so what else could they do? Doing it to new make and then letting it age for five or more years wasn't an option. This way they were able to make something that tastes different from the many other LDI ryes, and a bit milder and smoother, which is also consistent with the Dickel brand. It's a different taste and fair to say it's a funky taste, so it will be interesting to see how people respond to it on taste alone. Whether of not it suits the Dickel brand with be another question.

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Originally Posted by cowdery

Doing it to new make and then letting it age for five or more years wasn't an option. This way they were able to make something that tastes different from the many other LDI ryes, and a bit milder and smoother, which is also consistent with the Dickel brand. It's a different taste and fair to say it's a funky taste, so it will be interesting to see how people respond to it on taste alone. Whether of not it suits the Dickel brand with be another question.

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Taste alone is no way to judge a whiskey. It has to have the right resume/pedigree. I would have been much happier to see this whiskey come out of Dickel than LDI. :cool:

For me, Diageo has no pedigree.

Talked to John Lunn today. I wanted to clarify a couple things before I wrote today's blog post about new Dickel Rye. That whiskey travels a lot. It's distilled, aged, and dumped in Lawrenceburg, Indiana; shipped to Tullahoma, Tennessee, to be charcoal-mellowed; then it's shipped to Plainfield, Illinois, outside of Chicago, to be bottled and distributed.

Chuck

Is all the Dickel stuff bottled in Plainfield IL ?

Yes. Diageo has invested about $30 million in that facility in recent years. I'm not sure of everything they do there, but it's an immense bottling and distribution facility. I've been trying to wrangle a tour, especially since it's only an hour from my home. I believe they distill GNS there, for Smirnoff and their other vodkas and domestic gins. I think they have a brewery there, to make their flavored malt beverages such as Smirnoff Ice.

Also, I just made a correction to the blog post based on information just received from Diageo. When Lunn said they 'use the same charcoal," I incorrectly assumed they filtered it at the distillery. Instead they send the charcoal to Plainfield, Illinois, where Dickel is bottled. The whiskey goes from Lawrenceburg to Plainfield and the charcoal goes from Tullahoma to Plainfield. Sorry about that.

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Originally Posted by cowdery

Also, I just made a correction to the blog post based on information just received from Diageo. When Lunn said they 'use the same charcoal," I incorrectly assumed they filtered it at the distillery. Instead they send the charcoal to Plainfield, Illinois, where Dickel is bottled. The whiskey goes from Lawrenceburg to Plainfield and the charcoal goes from Tullahoma to Plainfield. Sorry about that.

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That does make more sense. I wonder if they use new charcoal or pull some charcoal that has already been filtering Dickell?

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Originally Posted by cowdery

Yes. Diageo has invested about $30 million in that facility in recent years. I'm not sure of everything they do there, but it's an immense bottling and distribution facility....

Also, I just made a correction to the blog post based on information just received from Diageo. When Lunn said they 'use the same charcoal," I incorrectly assumed they filtered it at the distillery. Instead they send the charcoal to Plainfield, Illinois, where Dickel is bottled. The whiskey goes from Lawrenceburg to Plainfield and the charcoal goes from Tullahoma to Plainfield. Sorry about that.

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Is this procedure of the whiskey going from Lawrenceburg, IN to Plainfield, IL used only for the George Dickel Rye, or for all of Dickel's Tennessee Whisky?

Dickel products are bottled in Plainfield. There is no bottling in Tullahoma at the distillery.

Probably the most interesting thing John Lunn told me about Dickel is that they don't have computer process controls like everybody else now does. It's essentially still run using the technology that was current when it was built in 1958. There is a worker who controls the boiler using manual controls and analog gauges, same with the still.