Finishing out my reviews of the George Dickel Line. #12 was one of the first whisky’s I loved, so I made sure to try them all. Now that I’ve dug in and gotten into a lot of different stuff thats available, the allure of some of these has worn off. Without further adieu...

George Dickel: Hand Selected Barrel 14 Year 53% ABV, Bottle # 017, $64.99 for 750ml in Central NJ.

• Color: Light amber, surprisingly so for something aged so long
• Nose: A major whiff of sweet corn. As it stays open for a few minutes, hints of light mint and vanilla come through. The corn remains overpowering
• Taste: A big corn bomb, followed by light mint and vanilla. Swish it around a little, and I can just coax out some rye spices and a bit of oak.
  
• Finish: Decent length spiciness, with a surprising amount of heat from something at this age. I don’t sense the dryness I tend to find off putting in some products as the age goes up.
  84 /100

George Dickel: Hand Selected Barrel 9 Year 51.5% ABV, Bottle # 024, $49.99 for 750ml in Central NJ.

• Color: Darker than the 14 year, but still light.
• Nose: Lighter corn than found in the 14 year. Cloves and mint as it opens up. Seems way lighter than the 14 year, not in a bad way.
• Taste: Basically the same as the 14, with a bit less complexity.
  
• Finish: No heat thats found in the 14 year, with just some mint and oak on the palette. 85 /100

George Dickel: #12 45% ABV, $24.99 for 750ml in Central NJ.

• Color: Light amber, very similar to the 14 year
• Nose: A big corn nose like the 14 year, but adds a pepper spice to go along with the mint that isn't found in the two single barrels.
• Taste: Light corn mixed with mint, cloves, and some oak. Easily the most balanced and diverse of the three in this review.
• Finish: Similar to the 9 year, but adds in some of the sweetness I want to find in a Tennessee whisky. A faint mint and vanilla which lingers for a while. 88 /100

In summary, the 14 year is very disappointing. I remember opening it up in the fall and my friend and I LOVED it. We were drinking it from plastic cups, and I think drinking it in a glencairn really showed me how poor the overpowering nose is. There is also no balance with the 14 year: i felt like I was having a huge corn bomb. The 9 year is has a better nose, but falls very flat on the finish. Short and weak. I guess this shouldn't be surprising after my original review of the Barrel Select.

By far the best value, and likely the best overall drink is the #12. More complex, the best nose, with only a weak finish holding it back. I’d love to see the #12 with a slightly higher proof.

Two relevant previous reviews:

• George Dickel: Cascade Hollow Tennessee Whiskey 80/100
• George Dickel Barrel Select 82/100