BOTM 3/13: George Dickel Rye.

[Enoch]

Got a 750 of this at lunch for a little less than $17. What other sizes are available? Also found it quite nice and can taste the connection to Bulleit Rye but substantially cheaper.

I now know it is available in 0.75L and 1L. I picked up a liter today for $23. The $17 was for a 750. Store owners said that there was no 1.75 listed yet.

[PaulO]

It's odd that in Indiana, I rarely see 1L bottles of liquor.

[cowdery]

Liter bottles are preferred by bars and rarely seen in stores.

[Enoch]

Liter bottles are preferred by bars and rarely seen in stores.

In SC, liters are fairly common in larger stores, especially the big brands....Beam, MM, EW, etc. It is funny that they are often not a better deal per ounce than the 750s in the liquor stores. I think we find them in stores because retailers have to stock them anyway. Establishments that sell by the drink cannot buy directly from whole-sellers but must go through retailers. Although I think this is sometimes a technicality.

I have wondered if most bourbons are offered in all sizes or just some. I can get FRYL in 750 and 1.75 but never seen them in liters or anything smaller than 750.

Last note: When SC decided to go to free-pour a couple of years ago (last in the nation), there was some consideration in our state legislature about requiring by-the-drink establishments to only use liters and liquor stores being prohibited from selling liters to the general public (they were not allowed to sell mini-bottles to the public until after free-pour...we would go to NC). (There was even a group that wanted to require distillers to provide quarts just for free-pour.) It was finally decided that it would restrict the variety of brands too much. They finally settled on big fines for possessing 1.75 L bottles in the establishments. SO afraid of losing tax revenue.

[squire]

We have all the sizes here but the brands are limited.

[Luna56]

It's here in NH for $23. I'm gonna give this one a try!

Everybody's notes are much appreciated.

Cheers!

[Brisko]

I revisited this last night and it came off as sweeter than I recalled. Still very good but the maple-filter may be a double-edged sword.

[squire]

I agree with your take Brisko but I would put the sweetness down to the barrel. I don't the carbonized maple charcoal adds any flavor, rather it removes it.

[Brisko]

You may be right, squire. I am just thinking in comparison to the other Indiana ryes I have (Bulleit, Willett). I will say that the maple does add a touch of smokiness to the aroma, in a nice way. Whether it adds or subtracts from the flavor is another question. I'm inclined to think that it mutes some flavors while amplifying others (that are already present in the spirit).

[smokinjoe]

This is a very nice rye. Like JohnB mentioned up thread, it starts with the great old-timey label. I think I spent 15 minutes reading and admiring it. Embossed bottle with "GEORGE DICKEL" across the shoulder is nice. Funny thing though, in that we're enthusiasts, and "chill-filtered" is seen as a detriment to whiskey, Dickel proudly pronounces that fact on the label. Not just, "charcoal filtered", but "Chill Filtered".

But, I think it must be that chill filtering which makes this whiskey sing. I like the LDI ryes, like Bulleit. They sparkle and pop with mint, spice and (OK, maybe dill pickle ). But, the Dickel has toned these down successfully, with wonderful sweet and easy overtones to it. And as others have mentioned, there's a little smokiness, too. The sweetness reminds me somewhat of the Ritt BIB. But, the LDI profile is still there as a backbone, and that is good for me. It has a great back of the palate feel to it, that goes into a very nice finish. It all works in a nice way.

I never heard of LDI a few short years ago. Now, I'm loving almost every iteration that someone else comes out with, of it. They're the same...but, different.... I can't find it, but Whitedog had a great line about them being such an influence in the rye market by "accident", or something like that?? Maybe, someone remembers better than me, and can put it up, here. But, I think he hit it right on the head. They make a fine rye whiskey. And for me, Dickel's tweak is another success of this formula.