Gleann Mor Tennessee Tasting Notes

Gleann Mor ‘A Rare Find’ Tennessee Bourbon 2003 (13 year old) 53.7%

George Dickle/ Dist: Sept 2003 Btl:2016/ Tasted: Dec 2017

A stunning nose of orange liqueur and soft corn, followed by vibrant vanilla, marzipan and herbal rye. Wonderfully complex with developing notes of brown sugar, violets, dark wood spice and subtle sour fruit. Wonderfully balanced with late toasty oak.

The palate opens with some drying, lightly coffee’d wood spice and rye spice. The oak and the corn are sat in the background., although a touch of treacle emerges to offset the dry spices. The sweeter oak vanillins come through on the middle, along with a touch of bitter chocolate and slightly bitter rye. Long with a lovely, intensity of rye character in the finish, plus sour fruit, dark chocolate, tobacco and cigar ash.

Water makes the nose oilier and emphasises the toasty oak, sour fruit and herbal rye. The palate is wonderfully soft and mouth-filling, with a little more sweet corn and treacle. The spicy rye and sour fruit come through on the middle and the finish is much the same as it is neat.

Bartles Whisky Tasting Notes

‘The Big B’ Tennessee Bourbon 2003 (13 year old) 53.7%

Single Cask (Dickle?)/ Dist: 2013 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

A crisp, fresh and citric nose with oodles of rye, dark chocolate, cereal, marzipan and spice. Layers of corn and oak underpin the rye intensity. A seriously impressive nose.

The palate is intense and opens with some slightly bitter rye, dark chocolate, almond paste and subtle herbal notes. It moves into milk chocolate and vanilla on the middle, but the bitter rye and citrus comes back at ya! Very long and very herbal with a touch of mature, oxidised fruit. That’s an impressive finale!

The Single Cask Limited Tasting Notes

The Single Cask Limited American Sour Mash Whiskey 5 year old 59.7%

George Dickle Cask P311/ Dist: 2012? Btl: 2017/ Tasted: July 2017

Intense, earthy aromas of cereal, herbal rye with grippy oak, treacle and balancing notes of fat corn. The corn feels like it could be quite sweet but the alcohol is doing a good job of keeping a lid on it. Quite dark and woody with time, with hints of sour fruit and cocoa powder.

The palate has a good, youthful intensity of herbal rye, wheat flakes and bitter chocolaty spices. Grippy oak and cereal come through on the middle. Good length with herbal rye, off-sweet almond paste, slightly bitter oak and a touch of marc-like spirit character.

With water the nose becomes more whiskey-like with hints of sweet orange and sweeter spices. Quite aromatic now with hints of milk chocolate and toffee. The palate is softer and more toffee’d with sweet corn oil. Mouth-coating treacle/ toffee middle with the rye relegated to the background. Still long with hints of violet, sour fruit and blackcurrant jam.

The Single Cask Limited American Sour Mash Whiskey 5 year old 59.7%

George Dickle Cask P311/ Dist: 2012? Btl: 2017/ Re- Tasted: Nov 2017

Intensely herbal aromas with sour fruit and edgy rye spice. Hints of toasted cereal, thyme, bitter chocolate and a smidge of youthful spirit character and some late vanilla. I love that youthful intensity!

The palate opens with some oily cereal and sour fruit with a subtle oak back drop and hints of spicy rye. The herbal spices build well on the middle and the finish displays some sweet and herbal marc-like spirit character, pepper and toffee.

North Star Spirits Tennessee Whiskey Tasting Notes

North Star Spirits Tennessee Whiskey 2003 (13 year old) 55.3%

George Dickle/ Dist: Sept 2003 Btl: May 2017/ Tasted: Jun 2017

Big and oaky nose with huge slabs of tick, sweet vanilla. However it’s far from one-dimensional as the gorgeous peppery rye barrels through along with hints of earth, violets, milk chocolate and sour mash notes. Incredibly silky and deep.

The palate isn’t quite as oaky as the nose would suggest, but it’s still super soft and silky though. It displays a beautiful balance of corn and rye with a touch of spice and pepper. Thick, unctuous and mouth-coating with a subtle sour mash note. A little masked with a touch of drying tannins and lingering caramel corn.

When diluted the nose and the palate becomes crisper and more rye focused. The oak is still present but a lot subtler which allows the gorgeously herbal rye spice to shine.

Bartles Whisky Tennessee Whiskey Tasting Notes

Highland Laird Tennessee Whiskey 2011 (6 year old) 60%

Distilled at George Dickle/ Dist: 2011 Btl: 2016(?)/ Tasted: June 2016

The nose displays plenty of soft but vibrant herbal rye with dark chocolate, coffee and astringent sour mash notes. However the developing sweet oak balances. Quite spicy with hints of perfumed rye and grippy, spicy rye. Wow! This is a rye fest! A touch of malt biscuits, toasted corn and violets appears with time. Raw and young but showing some lovely complexity and polish.

The palate opens with the soft, toasted corn, treacle, toffee and sweet oak. The herbal rye and sour mash notes come through along with hints of bitter liquorice, toasted oak, toffee coated banana and sweet apricot. For such a high abv the alcohol is extremely well behaved and integrated. Long and biscuity with perfumed violets, milk chocolate, rye bread and dark, chocolaty tannins and lingering sour fruit. Now that is a lovely, intense Tennessee whiskey!

Jack Daniels Tasting Notes

Jack Daniels Old No7 40%

Re-Tasted: Apr 2013

A soft, extremely sweet nose of fat corn, caramel (thankfully not burnt!) and oak. A little flabby with a semblance of earthy rye and violet. However the overall impression is of uber-sweetness.

The palate is sweet and oily with a subtle corn fatness. One dimensional with some unfocused oak and no balancing rye. Simple, caramel sweet and cloying finish, but a little raw spirit does come through along with a slight oak bitterness.

Gentleman Jack 40%

Tasted: April 2012

A plasticy, burnt toffee and high toned, young corn nose. Acerbic and falsely sweet.

The palate isn’t a great deal better. Soft, innocuous and artificially sweet with burnt toffee/ caramel and a distinctly plasticy  bitter finish. There’s so many off notes it’s untrue. No class!….. And you have to fork out £40 for this? Grim!

Jack Daniels Single Barrel 45%

Barrel No. 8-3277 09-12-08/ Tasted: Feb 2009

A sweet and slightly syrupy opening with thick, caramel and vanilla lace grains. Slightly earthy with a violet note. A pleasant depth with a slightly orange note. Surprisingly light in the mouth with no shortage of pepper and spices complimented by natural caramel, oak and lively grains. A touch short but it has a wonderful, pure vanilla pod note in the finish. Good intensity though. A drop of water emphasises the soft, caramel graininess of the nose and relegates the sweetness somewhat. On the palate it subdues the intensity and homogenises somewhat but doesn’t tame the pulsating spices and wood notes. It also brings out a touch of toffee coated banana in the after taste. In conclusion it is rather good and definitely a step above the sweet and sickly No7.

Jack Daniels Single Barrel 45%

Barrel 19-6510 Rick R5/ Btl: Oct 2016/ Tasted: Dec 2017

Aromas of sweet corn, balanced by sour cherries and hints of rye spice and toasty oak. Late hints of earth and orange conserve.

The palate is full, opening with the fat corn, but there is plenty of edgy, slightly herbal and spicy rye to balance. The rye notes really build on the middle, along with hints of earth and bitter, dark chocolate tannins. Long and spicy with toasty oak, sweet cinnamon, liquorice, coriander and chocolate powder finish.

Jack Daniels Silver Select 50%

Single Barrel No 10-2396 Rick L-22/ Tasted: June 2011

A very big, sweet, corn fat nose, with an explosion of equally big sweet oak. There is a suggestion of taught rye notes beneath, which tries hard to balance the sweetness. With time a touch of oily, herbal orange appears. Hmm, I really want to like this nose, but to be honest, it’s not particularly complex. Yes it’s big, brash and deep but it seems to lack the finesse of the ‘single barrel’ expression.

The palate is big and upfront, full of soft, sweet candy floss corn and wheat. The rye does nip with the alcohol but I get the feeling that there is not enough of it in the mash. Damn the oak really holds it fast; it’s very intense and dominating with marzipan and vanilla oils. In the mouth it’s very linear and well, probably best described as……… solid. Good length with some clean (?) earth and spice notes.

With water the nose becomes even denser and oilier. Those rampant oils really subdued the nose now. Maybe there’s a soupcon more honey now, but it’s lumpen and solid. The palate is much the same. Its lumpeness and lack of elegance is quite surprising. Maybe there is a touch of menthol and liquorice but the oak tannins dramatically bitter the finish.

On the evidence of this tasting I would stick with the cheaper ‘single barrel’ bottling.

 

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Jack Daniels Rested Tennessee Rye 40%

70% Rye, 18% Corn, 12% Mated Barley

Batch 2/ Dist: Aug 2013 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Very bubblegummy aromas of sweet banana corn and vanilla oak. Hints of peppery rye spice attempt to push through but the sweet corn and oak is overly dominating.

The palate displays virtually no rye character, rather it is overwhelmed by the sweet banana corn and oak. A little chocolaty spice and herbal notes appear but there is no dislodging the corn and oak. Long and remaining sweet and vanilla’d with finally a little rye bite in the finish, but it’s too little too late. In conclusion: The oak is too aggressive and the rye hasn’t had time to develop at all.

George Dickle Tasting Notes

George Dickle Tennessee Whisky No. 8 40%

Tasted: Jan 2013

Nose: Quite a hard nose opening with some sharp rye grains and burnt caramel corn, set against a subtle oak background. Slightly sweet with a touch of citrus. With time the corn asserts itself and dominates.

Palate: Slightly peppery to start. Fairly straightforward with the burnt caramel corn dominant.

Finish: Reasonable length, again relatively straightforward with a slight oiliness and a pleasant peppery aftertaste.

Conclusion: It’s ok if a bit simple but pleasant enough.

George Dickle Superior No12 45%

Tasted: Oct 2009

A wonderful perfumed floral start.  Quiet light in texture and very laid back, although once it gets going it has a lovely complexity and purity of rich vanilla oak, corn, toffee, honey, violets along with a touch of light earth and a refreshing rye bite. The palate begins in a similar lazy fashion, quiet sweet to begin with but the corn and crisp rye grains balance that out. Gentle oak follows as does a developing floral-violet note. Lovely balance with a short burst of alcohol on the middle. Elegant and long with a dry, peppery, soft, wood spice finish.

George Dickle Superior No. 12 45%

Re-Tasted: Dec 2012

Nose: A little spirity to begin with but it settles down to show some light, floral orange with hints of peppery, earthy rye. Good depth with some unsweetened corn and oak. Quite elegant with an almost peaty note.

Palate: Soft, juicy and unassuming. Gentle spicy rye begins to build with panache. Become Those grains become quite hard and brittle but the oak and corn softens a little.

Finish: Good length with the rye continuing along with a touch of marzipan and an earthy/ peaty note.

Conclusion: Quite restrained and elegant. Feels like it has quite a high rye content which comes through with a serious intensity.

George Dickle Superior No12 45%

Re-Tasted: Jan 2013

Nose: Aromatic and perfumed with some lovely sharp rye grains showing first, followed by hints of toffee, popcorn and lovely crisp, busy spices. Slightly oily with a lovely harmonious balance.

Palate: Very juicy and spicy with the rye showing first like the nose, followed by pepper and a hint of bitter chocolate. The creamy corn adds weight along with some intensely woody oak and finally a light violet note appears.

Finish: Good length with a hint of rose petal marc on the finish.

Conclusion: An all round, very pleasant American whiskey.

George Dickle Rye 45%

Tasted: Oct 2015

Aromas of sweet, succulent and juicy. The subtle, herbal spicy and rye is infused with liquorice and cinnamon. Generously oaked with a touch of sweet toffee, maple syrup and earthy spice. Very sexy aromas with the herbal notes really coming through.

Soft and earthy on the palate with ultra smooth but the spices nip pleasantly at the edges. Again hinys of liquorice, maple syrup and toffee’d oak mingle with the soft, sweetly spiced rye and hints of herbs. Vibrant and intense with a citrus and pure liquorice root and ginger root finish. Damn that’s a fine rye whisky!