Episode 4: Blue Note 17 Year Barrel Proof

The Pot Still Column: Episode 4

Blue Note Limited Edition 17 Year Barrel Proof

Barrel #12963

Proof: 98.1

Age: 17 Years

Finish: None

Source: sourced by Big River Distilling (Memphis, Tennessee) distilled by George Dickel at Cascade Hollow Distillery

Price: $135.00

High age statement American whiskey, especially bourbon, gives me anxiety because it hardly ever lives up to its Scottish and Irish counterparts of the same age. I’ve come to believe that bourbons over 12 years of age are more of a money-grabbing scheme by producers than a passion project of any sort. Of course, there are always exceptions, but it isn’t difficult to imagine the life of a high age statement bourbon going something like this…

A barrel of sub-par bourbon from a large distillery fails the quality control check at 6 years, then again at 8, and again at 10. The barrel gets forgotten for years in a back corner of the rickhouse in hopes of maturing, but the distillery must eventually face the reality that their now-17-year-old thrice-disappointing concoction isn’t getting any better. They’ve passively poured bucket-loads of money into the barrel through taxes and overhead costs, so they’re forced to sell the over-oaked monstrosity for a premium. This happens either by marketing the reject barrel as a specialty release of their own, or by offloading it onto a non-distilling producer who will market the whiskey as their grand-daddy’s secret recipe passed down for generations, and double the price to match the story. The resulting bottles sit on the shelf at a big-box liquor store until they’re picked up by a bright-eyed, Tesla-driving whiskey snob who will post in his local Facebook group, singing praises of his extremely limited and expensive single barrel bourbon through jaws so severely cramped shut by oak tannins that the keyboard was his only option.

Alternatively, it is possible that the distillery truly intended to produce a well-thought-out bourbon that would come to fruition 17 years from its birth, and some high age statement bourbons are genuinely great (looking at you, GTS).

It just so happens that Blue Note 17 Barrel Proof is one of the few high age statement bourbons that has felt like a job well done from start to finish. From the jump, the whiskey smacks the nose with a burst of black pepper, supported by a steady but surprisingly gentle oak undertone. The pepper is very strong, but it carries teasing hints of light caramel that pique the drinker’s interest.

The taste is fairly representative of the nose, peppery and oaky, although the caramel presents itself much more richly. The pepper appears to be a more developed manifestation of the usual Dickel minerality, almost certainly a product of the age, although hints of Flintstones-vitamins can still be detected. The flavors are incredibly well-incorporated, and the flavors are unique enough to keep the drinker engaged despite a lack of overall complexity. The finish is pleasantly anesthetizing on the tongue, like going to the dentist but getting mouthfuls of peppery caramel instead of being chided for eating said caramels. Oak is the dominant note all the way through, and the barrel char is mature enough that it comes off as a very soft smoke-- distant like coals from a fire several days extinguished, or the scent of smoked meat. While they didn’t come through in the whiskey itself, clear notes of sweetened chocolate powder and herbal tea reveal themselves in the scent of the empty glass.

Closing Impression:

This may be a pour to be sought after, especially if you love a more muted bourbon profile and are looking for an age statement that impresses. This is a pleasant rarity in that it doesn’t taste over-oaked, but I would be hard-pressed to buy a bottle at the price offered by most retailers.

Nose: 76/100

Taste: 84/100

Finish: 65/100

Overall: 75/100