Cinnamon stick | Dark caramel | Vanilla cake | Burnt brown butter | Light oak | Pleasant

Baking spices | Rye spice | Heavy charred oak | Caramel cake | Vanilla cream | Rich dark caramel

Light dry oak | Dash of leather | Baking spices | Light rye spice | Lingering light dry oak

Jack Daniel’s may be the name that pops into most consumers' heads when they think about Tennessee whiskey; however, George Dickel is usually just a short step behind as the second one that comes to mind. Like most Tennessee whiskeys, George Dickel uses the Lincoln County Process, where the whiskey must be filtered through sugar maple charcoal prior to entering the barrel to age. It’s rare for a Tennessee whiskey maker to stray from using this process, which makes this release all the more interesting.

While all Tennessee whiskeys technically qualify as bourbon, not all Tennessee bourbons qualify as Tennessee whiskey. George Dickel whiskey is normally barreled exclusively as Tennessee whiskey; however, in this case, Lost Lantern was able to bring to life two single barrels that were distilled strictly as bourbon. Having not undergone the Lincoln County process, consumers have the opportunity to try a double-digit-aged George Dickel bourbon to see how it stands relative to its Kentucky peers.

George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey’s flavor profile is sometimes synonymous with Flintstones vitamins. This chalky vitamin taste is either present or not for individuals, but when it is, it’s a love-it or hate-it characteristic. While I’ve noticed this in the past with George Dickel whiskeys is that it came across as more of a light flavor trait and never bothered me. I can say that taking away the Lincoln County process and adding in 10 years of aging took away that flavor trait altogether for me – at least in this release’s case.

The bourbon opens with a really pleasant aroma that focuses on classic bourbon scents of cinnamon, caramel, and oak, all in various forms. The sweetness carries through to the midpoint, where it is joined with pleasing spices along with a grounding, heavy charred oak. These morph into a finish that leans lighter on oak but adds in a dash of leather and spices before riding out on lingering light dry oak.

George Dickel isn’t a stranger when it comes to bourbon, as they’ve released a 8 Year Old Bourbon before. Bottled at 90 proof, with a higher corn mashbill, and most importantly, still utilizing the Lincoln County Process, the 8 year old bourbon lacked in delivery. It turns out lowering the corn and cranking up the rye percentage in the mashbill, along with letting the bourbon age longer, might be the trick to making George Dickel bourbon stand out on its own. Or it could be the fact that the Lincoln County Process wasn’t used. It’s a shame the company doesn’t focus more on this combination, as consumers are missing out on the variations the George Dickel flavor profile can exhibit.