C. Dully 24-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Pre-Fire Heaven Hill) Review

Inside this bottle is a 24-year-old bourbon that has been floating around Europe in different forms for a while now. Every two years or so, it gets bottled up by someone new. But if you’re not familiar with my reviews or this bottle, you may be wondering what exactly I’m talking about. This is more than the story of C. Dully, it’s a story of unique bourbon that pops up from time to time and always manages to grab everyone’s attention.

A legendary bourbon hides out in Europe

In previous reviews, I talked about how there was a large amount of vatted 24-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon that was located in Scotland and rumored to be made at Heaven Hill on October 13, 1994. The real enthusiasts will instantly know that makes it “Pre-Fire” which was a slightly different style than what the distillery make today.

For some of the finer details on the differences between the old and new stuff, I’d like to point out that bourbon made before the great fire of 1996 was made with a mash bill of 75/13/12. A friend of a friend who used to work at the old distillery claimed back then they used the same measuring receptacles for the rye and malted barley and that most workers would fill them up to the same level because it was easier than adjusting for the 1% volume difference. If that story is true, that would make the mash bill used back then 75/12.5/12.5. I wonder how often other distilleries do something similar?

Anyway, a certain amount of pre-fire barrels found their way over to Scotland sometime during their maturation process (my sources say 2006). The barrels spent another 12 years maturing in the cool climate and would probably explain why the proof dropped to the mid-90’s. in 2018, the barrels were dumped and vatted together. The owner (who I still can’t find the name of) began to offer the liquid in roughly 500 liter increments to Independent Bottlers (IBs). The first instance of the bourbon going to market came from That Boutique-y Whiskey Company in 2018. Another release happened again in 2020 by Single Cask Nation. Two years later, the Swiss Independent Bottler C. (for Christian) Dully released a few versions in 2022.

Wait, did I just say “a few versions?” Yes. The most common example that most enthusiasts know about came from everyone’s favorite European Whiskey exporter Must Have Malts. But I’ve discovered that online retailer The Bourbon Concierge also got their own allocation of what I assume was 150 bottles (if you own a TBC bottle, let me know the bottle count on the back). They split up their allotment with Ace Spirits and “#Greg’s Picks” which both got 50 bottles each.

*The Bourbon Concierge even gave theirs a nice velvet bag*

One of the weird things I noticed while doing research for this review was there appears to be a slight proof proof difference between The Bourbon Concierge’s bottling (47.9%) and “#Greg’s Pick” (47.8%). Both came from the same vat (remember, these were not single barrels), so why is that? If you know the answer, drop me a comment.

The bottle I’m reviewing today came from Must Have Malts and was probably the largest release of this particular bottling (350 bottles). Theirs was also bottled at 47.9% ABV. Later on, MHM would actually purchase all of the remaining liquid from the seller and use it in their Quixotic Spirits Rare & Mythical: The Fire release from 2024. As a side note, I think they also purchased some leftover Heaven Hill bourbon that was also brought to Europe possibly around the same time and released it as Quixotic Spirits Rare & Mythical: The Phoenix.

So how is this bottle of C. Dully? Let’s find out. I sampled it neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet scents of melted candy bar (think: nougat, caramel and chocolate) mingle with aged tannins like barrel char and antiqued oak. There is vanilla galore and it pairs nicely with cinnamon coffee cake. I can also detect a small amount of cedar wood here and there. It’s a beautiful and well-rounded nose that I love to go back in for another sniff.

Palate: The same notes from the nose appear on the palate. I find that cinnamon, oak spice, fennel and allspice kick the spice level up a notch. Meanwhile, more of that melted candy bar keeps things sweet on my tongue with chocolate and nougat showing up the most. Aged notes showcase how long its spent in the barrel with a lighter amount of oak, antiqued oak and oak spice showing themselves as I roll it from cheek to cheek. There’s also a very unique note that I would say is close to rancio which is a catch-all to describe this nutty/cheesy/earthy effect that kind of pokes up between all the other flavors.

Finish: The finish sees a return to classic bourbon notes with lingering flavors of smooth oak, vanilla and toffee standing out the most. I can also find cinnamon chips and a dash of pepper here and there. The tannins are still here with notes of leather, oak and cigar wrapper, but don’t come off as strong as other dusty bourbons I’ve had.

Score: 8/10

Another very competent, very easy drinking experience with this 24-year-old pre-fire bourbon. The thing that always gets me – and this C. Dully version is no different – is that I am always surprised how it’s not over-oaked. In fact, it has less oak influence than your average bottle of Elijah Craig 18 Year. Why is that? I can only imagine that the cooler Scottish climate kind of holds the liquid-to-barrel interactions down to a minimum. So all of the color and oak that this bourbon got must have been only from the time it spent in the United States.

Final Thoughts

This bottle peaked in value on the secondary market in 2023 at around $800. I’m surprised to see it’s still selling for $600. Other releases containing this same bourbon don’t have the same fanfare or secondary values as this one does, so what’s different? I think the only real, tangible thing is the packaging. C. Dully comes in a beautiful bottle with raised gold logo and lettering. The box adds a touch of class and sophistication. In this world, sometimes that’s all it takes.

But the bourbon inside isn’t much for chasing. There are better versions of pre-fire Heaven Hill bourbon for much less money. Granted, most don’t have the 24-year age statement, but most will taste oakier than this if they have at least a 15-year age statement. So don’t worry too much if you think you’re missing out on these. They’re nice to have but are a poor value proposition.