I’m not going to lie, I bought a lot of whiskey on vacation. And by no small coincidence, a lot of the stuff I purchased happened to be things that I either haven’t had, or haven’t written about. You gotta have content. And as such it’ll probably be December before I stop referencing it. I really hope that you don’t get sick of posts that bring it up.
I mean, I could try writing so that I don’t mention it, but where is the fun in that?
Anyway I primarily stayed in two cities while on vacation, Chattanooga and Louisville. I’ve been to Louisville numerous times but I’d never been to Chattanooga before except as a place I drove through on the way to somewhere else. And as it was our first time in the area, we really felt the need to do some touristy things. We visited Rock City, which was cooler than I’d have thought it would be; we paid our respects at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park; and because of who we are, we went to distilleries. I did the tour and tasting at both Jack Daniel’s and at Chattanooga Whiskey. I didn’t at Cascade Hollow though. Mostly because they were not offering tours. Instead I spent a lot of money in the gift shop as I picked up a few things that I couldn’t easily get at home. I grabbed a 15-year-old Single Barrel, I grabbed a current Bottled-in-Bond for about $15 cheaper than I’d find it at home, and I grabbed tonight’s Bourbon. That’s right, Bourbon.
From June’s launch press release:
For Cascade Hollow Distilling Co.'s General Manager and Distiller, Nicole Austin, creating Dickel Bourbonwas an opportunity to showcase the amazing, mature whiskies at the distillery. At the same time, it allowed the brand to give a home to those barrels that leaned into more traditional bourbon notes and did not express the Tennessee Whiskey tasting characteristics found in the rest of the George Dickel offerings.
Basically it is the same juice, following the same procedures, that is in all of their other Tennessee Whiskey products, it just tastes more like a traditional bourbon then those do. But much more important to me than what they call it, is how it tastes. Let’s find out.
George Dickel Bourbon
Purchase Price: $40.00 for a 750 mL bottle at the Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. Gift Shop, Tullahoma, TN. $30.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Kroger, Louisville, KY.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.67 (TN), $2.07 (KY)
Details: 8 years old, 45% ABV
Nose: Red fruit, herbal mint, caramel, baking spice, and mineral notes.
Mouth: Thin mouthfeel. Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Finish: Medium length and very flavorful. Cinnamon red hots, caramel, vanilla, mint and the "Dickel" mineral note.
Thoughts: I like this one. Not as much as the high-end, extra-aged Dickel products, but more than No. 8 or No. 12. I picked up a bottle of Bottled-in-Bond at the same time for only five dollars more, and I definately like that better. But since people in my neck of the woods are gouging on the Bonded, this will be a pretty good alternative once it shows up here in Minnesota.
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