George Dickel Rye Whisky is the newest player to enter the rapidly-growing rye whiskey category. The brand created this product to address the increased demand for rye in the marketplace–which is thanks in large part to the classic cocktail renaissance–but the actual liquid is sourced from MGP Ingredients in Indiana. It joins a Dickel lineup that already includes a handful of Tennessee whiskeys (No. 8, No. 12 and Barrel Select).
George Dickel Rye Whisky (they drop the ‘e’) is comprised of 95% rye grains, 5% malted barley and not an ounce of corn. It’s been aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of five years and clocks in at 90 proof, or 45% alcohol by volume. It’s chilled and then charcoal filtered before bottling. Now, let’s take it for a spin.
On the nose, George Dickel Rye is full of toasted oak, spicy rye grains, citrus fruits and some mildly sweet caramel. Take a sip, and it’s smooth and soft on the palate. It’s initially sweet, with hints of fruit, and becomes spicier and very dry toward the finish. Overall it’s got a pretty luxurious mouthfeel considering its relatively young age, and it’s not nearly so rough around the edges as many rye whiskeys.
George Dickel seems to have created an easy-going rye that’s got enough flavor and balance to sip, but enough backbone and structure to stand up in your classic rye cocktails like Manhattans or an Old Pal.
George Dickel Rye will begin shipping nationwide toward the end of November. A 750 ml bottle is expected to retail for about $25.
Stats:
– 45% Alcohol by Volume
– $25
CE Rating: ★★★
This article is in error. 40% or 45%? Second paragraph vs. end of the article.
Thanks, Jon. George Dickel Rye is 45% alcohol by volume. We’ve amended the article.
Yup. It’s an LDI creature, put through the same cold-filtering that Dickel used for their bourbons. The only difference is that this is cold-filtered AFTER aging (since LDI aged it before Dickel bought it) whereas their bourbons are cold-filtered BEFORE aging.
Bottom line: to me, it has a lot – indeed a bit too much – in common with the traditional “trickle o’ Dickel” you either loved or didn’t when they only made bourbon and dressed their bottles up to look like Jack Daniels.
It’s mellow, which sort of defeats a lot of the beauty of rye, whose edges and spices – especially the peppers – shouldn’t be filtered out, in my opinion.
As long as standby’s like Old Overholt are out there at half the price point, Dickel is not my preference for mixing OR for sipping, since other LDI’s are better sippers, most noteably Bulleit and Redemption.
Looks like Dickel Rye is made by LDI Indiana. Serious Eats has a nice post up regarding Rye:
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/10/guide-to-rye-whiskey-cocktail-101-basics-what-is-rye-how-is-it-made-brands.html
Hey Craig,
That’s a good point. We’re also seeing similar things with sourced-from-Canada ryes like Pendleton, Whistle Pig and Jefferson.
There are so many ryes on the market, while there are only a handful of distilleries actually producing rye. Most of the brands are bought from those few distillers and sold under different brand names. I wonder if this rye is being produced by Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (LDI)? They make a 95% rye whiskey, which is sold under many brands names; Bulleit Rye, High West Rye, Templeton Rye, and others. You can more here:
http://sourmashmanifesto.com/2011/10/09/templeton-rye-whiskey-review/