Review #232: Dickel 15 year r/Bourbon Single Barrel Pick (17yr 8mo)

MASH BILL: 84% corn, 8% rye, 8% malted barley

AGE: 17 yr 8 mo

PROOF: 104.6

COST: $90 for 750mL bottle (I’m reviewing a sample)

When I first got into bourbon back in college, George Dickel was solidly in my price range as a broke college student. I remember getting some fantastic whiskey for relatively cheap! Over the years, I veered away from purchasing Dickel bottles for no reason other than all the other distractions on the shelf. There was one thing that I always remember with Dickel though was I couldn’t pick up on the minerality that everyone talked about with it. Fast forward almost 20 years and in a recent discussion with u/micro7777, I mentioned that mineral notes aren’t something I have ever been great at picking out. They’re occasionally obvious, but not something I frequently catch. So, he hooked me up with a few samples from his bar to let me calibrate on the mineral notes. I’m planning on exploring these a bit more over the next few reviews as I try and point out to you what I’m picking up that is minerally for me. This ought to be fun!

For this specific pour, this is an r/bourbon barrel pick bottled in May 2025. Coming in above its Dickel 15 packing age statement at 17 years and 8 months, this pour was touted as a dessert pour when it was first released to the r/bourbon community. Let’s see if I can pick out those mineral notes.

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: A dark, warm oak color (1.7), syrupy appearance as it clings to the glass with slow, fat legs.

NOSE: Definitely a dessert pour! Right away I feel like I’m nosing one of those Jell-O vanilla pudding cups with a light raspberry drizzle. Sweet oak, candied orange, and butterscotch hard candies. There is a light metallic earthiness in it lingering in the background (minerally). It was subtle at first, but as the pour went on, it was much easier to pick this out with each nosing of the glen.

PALATE: A semi-soft mouthfeel with a slight astringent tingle on the mid-palate. The palate is quite a transition away from that sweet nose. Earthy notes such as tannic oak and clay (minerality) dominate. It’s sort of perfumy as well which starts on the palate but shows up strong on the finish. There are some semi-sweet notes but that present with a earthy twist such as burnt brown sugar, orange peel with lots of pith, toasted vanilla bean, cinnamon sugar, and anise. (6.2)

FINISH: The finish is long and spicy with a subtle sweetness that does linger for quite a while. A swirl of aged oak, peanut brittle, and toasted vanilla are accompanied by light metallic (minerally) orange citrus notes and perfume. The raspberry note from the nose also shows back up late along with cinnamon sugar and brown sugar simple syrup. The old, well seasoned oak note persists, but gets spicier as the finish lingers, almost peppery. There is a bit of proof heat that linger on the back half of the palate that helps amplify the lingering spice notes. (7.1)

RATING: 7.0/10

OVERALL: Well, while I could certainly pick up on the mineral notes here, I wouldn’t describe them as dominating or even robust. They did ultimately shine through more on the nose the longer I sipped this, but maintained a consistent prominence (which was fairly mild) on the palate and finish. I think this this is likely due to the fact there were a lot more earthier components on the palate and finish to help blend the minerality in versus the dessert like nose. Overall, I wish the robust sweetness from the nose transferred over to the palate a little better, however, the age and barrel character is unmistakable. It’s very clear that you’re experiencing an extra aged product once it hits your palate. Thanks u/micro7777 for letting me try this!

 

1 | Disgusting | see my 1/10 ratings

2 | Poor | see my 2/10 ratings

3 | Bad | see my 3/10 ratings

4 | Sub-par | see my 4/10 ratings

5 | Good | see my 5/10 ratings

6 | Very Good | see my 6/10 ratings

7 | Great | see my 7/10 ratings

8 | Excellent | see my 8/10 ratings

9 | Incredible | see my 9/10 ratings

10 | Perfect | see my 10/10 ratings

 

Check out all my reviews: Woodgrain & Whiskey.