Dickel Single Barrel ??

[swash1]

A friend who knows and to a lesser degree shares my enthusiasm four bourbon emailed that he had recently picked up a bottle of Dickel Single Barrel. (He later realized it wasn't really bourbon, but I assured him it would probably still be quite enjoyable.) I've their #12, which I liked or didn't depending more on my mood then anything else. Sometimes that "wet grass" taste, for lack of a better description, was unpleasant, sometimes not.

Anyway, has anyone else tried the Single Barrel? I'll be sure to give a report after I get together with my friend. (I'm bringing an unopened bottle of EWSB '91, so something will be tasting good that night).

[Paradox]

I wasn't aware that Dickel had a single barrel. Do you know if this is a new bottling or an old one? I know they had a Special Barrel Reserve some time ago as part of the Heritage Collection. Could this be the bottling he got or is the Special Barrel Reserve a single barrel and I just never realized it?

[TNbourbon]

There is nothing on the bottle or in the packaging to indicate the Dickel Special Barrel Reserve is a single-barrel. But it was an interesting ponder: Does Jack Daniel's, which DOES have a single-barrel, run each barrel through the a brand new charcoal vat? And, if not, can it really be a single-barrel -- I mean, wouldn't at least traces of previous barrels remain adhered to the charcoal, negating the designation?

Don't know why the question hasn't come to me before, but thinking about the Dickel bottling prompted it.

[Paradox]

There is nothing on the bottle or in the packaging to indicate the Dickel Special Barrel Reserve is a single-barrel.

I forgot to look when I got home, but yeah, there is nothing on the bottle saying it is single barrel... I'd check your buddy's bottle Steve and see if it really is a single barrel. If it is, a new product has slipped through the cracks!

[dgonano]

Does Jack Daniel's, which DOES have a single-barrel, run each barrel through the a brand new charcoal vat? And, if not, can it really be a single-barrel -- I mean, wouldn't at least traces of previous barrels remain adhered to the charcoal, negating the designation?

Tim,

If your referring to the charcoal mellowing, I believe that is done after distillation and before barrelling. They do have a single barrel dumping and bottling room, at least their website indicates such. So it is reasonable to expect all single barrels to run through some filtering before bottling, but this seems to seperate from the mass dumping procedure.

[bourbonv]

When the Heritage Collection was created Dickel was not a single barrel product but there talk of bottling the product at the distillery. That never happened before it was closed.

Jack Daniel Single barrel is not charcoal filtered a second time before bottling - That is Gentleman Jack and that is not a Single Barrel product.

Mike Veach

[cowdery]

When Tennessee changed state law to permit sale of "souvenir" bottles of whiskey at the distilleries, both JD and GD created single barrel products for that purpose. At least initially, and perhaps still, they weren't supposed to be available except at the distillery.

[swash1]

Wow, seems like this is a stumper. I'll be extra sure to get all the info. Jack Danials Single Barrel is definitly available in stores around here (PA & NJ), so they're not limited to distillery sales anymore. We're scheduled to get together with the families at his shore house after the fourth, so I'll have all the info (and maybe a few pics) then.

[bourbonv]

Chuck,

Actually the Tennessee law was written so that the product available at the distilleries had to be available to normal Tennessee Retail business. George Dickel had to use the 10 year old from the Heritage collection but did offer a special label that could be applied by the consumer to distinguish it as a "Souvenir" bottle.

Mike Veach

[swash1]

Mark is correct. My friend mis-wrote from memory, its Special Reserve. I was even able to find a taste review. Apologies for any confusion, thanks for the assistance. I'll try to post my own review in the near future.

[cowdery]

Thanks, Mike. Guess my memory is failing. Must be from all the DHMO.

[Bob]

Chuck,

If my memory serves me correctly, JD is in a dry county and is not available anywhere in that locale.

Bob

[cowdery]

If my memory serves me correctly, JD is in a dry county and is not available anywhere in that locale.

True, with one exception. State law (changed a few years ago) permits the distillery gift shop to sell "souvenir" bottles. However, the saloon in Lynchburg still serves nothing stronger than lemonade.

[TNbourbon]

Well, duh! I do -- or, at least, did before my recent case of brain-lock set in -- know that JD is filtered BEFORE putting it into the barrels, thus not affecting single-barrel status. That's what I get for thinking about Jack Daniel's.

[dhooch]

I thought I heard from the tour guide at Jack Daniel's that Gentleman Jack is filtered before it goes into the barrel and also when the barrel is emptied, just before it is bottled.

That is supposedly what makes Gentleman Jack different from No. 7, etc.

I may have heard wrong, but I think that was the story he told.

I haven't tried GJ so I don't know if there is any taste difference.

[TNbourbon]

You're correct -- that's the difference.

Sweeter, less coarse. Still Jack.

[TNbourbon]

Interesting to note that at The Beverage Testing Institute website, the Dickel #12 was the top-scoring Tennessee whiskey, while the Jack Daniel's Black #7 -- the market leader -- was dead last.

For whatever it's worth, that's about how'd I put 'em, too. The Dickel #12 is the only one of them I've found even drinkable, and it's a lot cheaper than any of the JDs.