George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey 2019 through 2022 Comparison Review

Don't like ads?

No ads

It’s not every day that I get to sample a vertical of one particular label against each other. Normally, I will review bottles as they come and only have my memory to go back on for comparison. But when a chance to do it comes along, I have to grab it by the horns and make the most of it.

Thanks to my friend Mike, in northern Indiana, I have the chance to taste the first four releases of George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond. This label has mostly flown under the radar by many of my friends who see Dickel as being an inferior bourbon. I’ve never felt that way about it. I think it’s a refreshingly different take on how bourbon (and yes, I know it’s a Tennessee Whiskey) can taste and be made without straying too far from the normal.

George Dickel Bottled in Bond Rundown

In 2019, about one year after Diageo selected Nicole Austin to be the Master Distiller of Cascade Hollow Distillery, George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey was introduced. Lots of producers make bottled-in-bond products, but the first one that Dickel did was unique in the fact that it was 13-years-old. Future releases would see the double-digit age statements continue, too.

The barrels aged at George Dickel’s facility in Tullahoma, Tennessee are comparatively low in proof compared to other distillers. There are two main reasons for this: the low barrel entry proof (115) and the fact that a majority of their warehouses are single story. The low elevation of the barrels inside make for a more consistent – and slightly cooler – environment for aging. As such, barrels that age there are actually known to lose proof as they age. What this means to you is that these bottled-in-bond releases are actually closer to barrel proof than a majority of other distillers out there.

George Dickel kept a good thing going for 4 years in a row with their releases of BiB Tennessee Whiskey. Then for some reason, they blanked on a release for 2023. No worries though, they’re back at it with a 5th edition in 2024. Indiana has not received this release yet, but I plan on reviewing it as soon as we get it. So in the meantime, here are the four releases I’ll be reviewing today and some brief information about each:

2019 Release – Distilled in Fall 2005, Released in May 2019 (13 Years Old)

2020 Release – Distilled in Fall 2008, Released in June 2020 (11 Years Old)

2021 Release – Distilled in Spring 2007, Released in August 2021 (13 Years Old)

2022 Release – Distilled in Fall 2008, Released in August 2022 (13 Years Old)

I put all of these up against each other in a semi-blind comparison and will now release the results and tasting notes starting with my least favorite to my favorite. I have wrapped up the palate and finish notes into one category to save on space and time. As always, I’ve sampled each of them neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

4th Place: 2020 Release (No. 2)

Nose: For being the youngest of the four, I find the nose to be oakier than all of them. It’s also slightly less sweet than the other four. I do get some nice cinnamon and vanilla notes along with a bit of citrus and dark fruits, too.

Taste: Even though all four bottles are 100 proof, this one has a noticeably sharper spice note. Flavors of grits, caramel, chalk and cinnamon dominate. Fruit flavors like citrus and orchard fruits are easy to find. Oddly, there are a higher amount of rye-forward flavors like fennel and licorice in the mix. Overall, the finish is the driest of the four bottles but its oak flavor isn’t overdone.

Score: 7.2/10

3rd Place: 2019 Release (No. 1)

Nose: The nose on this one includes the classic “marzipan” note made famous by Fred Minnick. It’s akin to a melted Payday candy bar and has only a slight hint of fruit. Otherwise, this leans more towards the dessert end of the spectrum.

Taste: The sweetest of all four bottles with notes of caramel candy corn, butterscotch and coconut milk. There is way less spice in each sip than a typical bottle of Dickel BiB, but it’s not missing much in the way of tannins. This tastes every bit of 13 years old with notes of seasoned oak and tobacco leaf. I even get some cherries in here.

Score: 7.7/10

2nd Place: 2021 Release (No. 3)

Nose: A very balanced nose with oak, cherries, caramel sweetness and vanilla. This doesn’t strike me as anything unique, but everything is hitting at the right time.

Taste: Super fruit forward with notes of cherries, oranges and strawberries. Sweetness comes from caramel and bee pollen. Marzipan delivers a sweet nuttiness and vanilla rounds it out. There are also a decent amount of rye notes like Andes chocolate after-dinner mints and fennel. This bourbon has it all.

Score: 7.8/10

1st Place: 2022 Release (No. 4)

Nose: Just like Release No. 3, I also find No. 4 to be very balanced on the nose. There is plenty of oak along with some melted butter scents. Cinnamon rolls would be the highlight of the nose if it weren’t for a sort of “flat” root beer scent. It’s divine.

Taste: Release No. 4 seems to finally bring all of the flavors together from previous batches into one incredible symphony. Milk chocolate mixes with Cadbury Caramello’s while spices offer a perfect contrast (cinnamon, red pepper flakes and a bit of sarsaparilla). There’s marzipan, cornbread and more fruits than you can shake a stick at (cherry, raspberry and grape Kool-Aid). Yes, it has some Flintstone Multivitamin flavors, but it’s nothing that gets in the way. This is peak Dickel.

Score: 8/10

Final Thoughts

I was very surprised by my rankings once the dust settled. Typically, the first year of any special release is the producer’s best attempt. Each year after that usually disappoints a little bit more than the previous one. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s usually how it goes in my experience. Regardless, I’m glad to see that Nicole and her crew continue to up the ante with each subsequent release.

There are a growing number of choices in the realm of Bottled-In-Bond bourbon. Typically they land somewhere near the bottom shelf (your standard Heaven Hill and Beam offerings) and the very highest shelf (like some William Heaven Hill or New Riff 15yr BiB releases) The difference in price tends to be what age it’s bottled at. Dickel BiB has the best of both worlds – low price and high age. Any serious enthusiast should take pause and realize that the good people in Tullahoma are heros for giving us consistent, double-digit aged releases at bottom-shelf prices. It’s absurd to think that this stuff still remains on many retail shelves around the nation. It’s time to end the stigma around George Dickel’s inferiority and embrace it instead.