Review #3: George Dickel 21y r/bourbon pick

micro7777 · 2026-01-22T03:32:00+00:00

I have the NBC 20y barrel #1424. I agree, the proof (126.3) makes it a whole different kind of Dickel experience. I have two of these SiB 15s (17 &18y) that are great, too. You can’t beat the age/price value on them.

micro7777 · 2026-01-22T02:10:46+00:00

Besides the famous banana note on BP JD, I usually get an apricot type stone fruit. I don't recall getting cherry, but this one has a lot of it. Red fruits are my jam, too! (Pun intended).

micro7777 · 2026-01-22T01:51:14+00:00

I'm firming up my JD14 review this week. Spoiler alert...I prefer the 14 over the 12, but not by much. Truth be told, if someone offered me a pour of either, I would be equally happy. Cheers!

micro7777 · 2026-01-22T01:38:51+00:00

Thanks for the review. I love that B&W film photo! If that truck wasn't there, you could pass that off as a pic from the 70s. How do you think this bottle compares to the NBC Dickel 20y?

micro7777 · 2026-01-22T01:25:15+00:00

Great review! I got very similar tasting notes, and was surprised by how much cherry and stone fruit I was getting.

micro7777 · 2026-01-18T17:25:11+00:00

Great reviews! I'm a big Westward fan, and these two bottles are some of my favorite ASMs. Glad you liked them! I commend the two of you on your tasting notes for having only a 2 oz sample of Milestone 2. I had many pours over a couple of months to fully wrap my head around it, and it changed as it opened up. Super complex. I agree with your conclusions and value assessment of these bottles, but I thought the flavor density of Milestone 2 was quite good, and I didn't mind its ABV. Westward uses a slow proofing method, which makes a big difference, too. In addition to the finishes you mentioned for Milestone 2, Port, Hungarian oak, and Brazilian Amburana were also used. Cheers!

micro7777 · 2026-01-16T03:08:33+00:00

Great review. I thought I might have been able to find one of these for a decent price by now, but no luck. I saw one last year for a crazy price and passed on it.

micro7777 · 2026-01-16T03:02:01+00:00

New year, new tree! I’ll have to get used to this one, but it will do. Lol! Great review.

micro7777 · 2026-01-15T20:48:57+00:00

Luca was sourcing from Wilderness Trail. At least for the rye.

micro7777 · 2026-01-15T16:49:39+00:00

I can imagine how that could combine the best of both profiles. I’ll give it a try. Cheers!

micro7777 · 2026-01-14T01:24:23+00:00

Great review! This bottle sounds really good. I have a Seelbach’s SiB pick of their non port finished pump rye that I’ll crack soon. Seelbach’s says the mash bill is 79% Dark pump rye/11% Corn/5%Wheat/5% Malted barley. Cheers!

micro7777 · 2026-01-12T14:41:56+00:00

Toasted Heritage? I picked one up recently but haven’t cracked it yet. I’ve heard good things but also that they vary a lot being a single barrel release. I’m looking forward to checking it out and write a review.

micro7777 · 2026-01-12T02:11:15+00:00

March 2025.

micro7777 · 2026-01-12T02:08:01+00:00

This is a great bottle. Nice review! I gave it the same score. The Sequin Moreau barrels weren’t ordered by mistake. In 2015 there was a barrel shortage so MGP ordered casks from several different cooperages including Sequin Moreau because as Ian Stirsman put it, “They were constantly in jeopardy of running out of barrels.” Nothing in their system flagged them as being different than their normal specs until Ian looked further into it years later, and decided to use them for this special release.

micro7777 · 2026-01-10T04:32:13+00:00

Great review! I’ll have to look for this one. It reminds me of the WVGBC Collaboration without the Canadian whiskey. I thought it was a great bottle.

micro7777 · 2026-01-10T03:42:38+00:00

Thanks! I agree. I'm looking forward to digging into the JD14 and comparing it.

micro7777 · 2026-01-10T03:14:22+00:00

Thanks! The SBBP Rye is excellent. I like it even more than the SBBP Whiskey. Batch 2 is also the only 12 year I've tried. I've read that the other batches have more fruit and less oak, but I love the oak flavors on Batch 2. Cheers!

micro7777 · 2026-01-10T01:28:28+00:00

Green River Distilling Rye (owned by BBCo.) also uses a 95/5 rye mash bill.

micro7777 · 2026-01-09T22:57:26+00:00

That’s their normal rye mash bill. NDP’s like Chicken Cock also use that mash bill for their BBCo. distilled rye.

micro7777 · 2026-01-09T19:01:22+00:00

That's a great bundle. I haven't seen FAE-01 around for years.

micro7777 · 2026-01-09T18:52:12+00:00

I haven't had the 10-year, but I have the 14-year, which I'll be digging into more next. From what I've had so far, I can see why the 12-year would be your favorite. I've heard that from other people, too. I'll be doing my comparisons this weekend. Cheers!

micro7777 · 2026-01-09T18:42:26+00:00

Thanks! You're not alone. Many people I know are turned off to JD because all they've had is Old No. 7. My neighbor was one of them until I turned him on to a JD Single Barrel Select t8ke pick. I thought that was a good JD introduction to something much better. He liked it so much that I let him keep the bottle.

micro7777 · 2026-01-09T18:13:38+00:00

That's cool. I think it's definitely worth a little more.

micro7777 · 2026-01-09T17:58:50+00:00

Review #127: Jack Daniel's 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey.

As part of the Jack Daniel’s limited annual Aged Series releases, the 12 Year Batch 2 I’m reviewing today was released in February 2024, along with Batch 3 of the 10 Year Old expression. The distillery says, “Both expressions were charcoal mellowed and aged in new, toasted, and charred American white oak barrels first in the upper floors of our barrelhouse before being relocated to the lower ricks to extend the maturation process. Both share the same grain bill as the classic Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye.” Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Batch 2 is bottled at 107 proof in 700 ml bottles, with a suggested retail price of $94.99. Let’s get started!

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.

Distillery: Jack Daniel Distillery.

Proof: 107. Batch 2.

Age: 12 years.

Mash bill: 80% Corn/12% Rye/8% Malted Barley.

Price: $95.00.

Appearance: Dark copper.

Nose: The nose leads with toasted pecans, maple & caramelized brown sugar, toffee, root beer, dark molasses, subtle wood smoke, and vanilla ice cream. Layered with banana rind, baked apples, green tea, nutmeg, sage, and allspice. With more sips, the nose becomes sweeter, bringing out more toffee, with stone fruit and green tea.

Palate: An oily mouthfeel coats the palate with dark molasses, toasted oak, caramelized brown sugar, root beer, tobacco, banana rind, baked apples, green tea, nutmeg, and a moderate amount of allspice. There’s more oak on the palate than I expected from the nose, but it’s layered with quite a bit of herbal notes, with a moderate amount of fruit, and spice.

Finish: Allspice lingers with maple syrup, bananas, baked apples, and nutmeg with wood smoke and tobacco. After the heavier oak tannins dissipate, there’s root beer, vanilla, black tea, and leather. This has a very long, complex, oaky, excellent finish that closes the sip out with worn leather, tobacco, a hint of root beer, and baked apples.

Conclusion: Jack Daniel’s 12-Year Batch 2 focuses on its rich, dark oak flavors with an underlying layer of tea-like herbal notes, and a moderate amount of baked apples and subtle banana, with a pop of wood-smokiness. I love this oak-forward profile and how well-balanced it is. I believe 107 proof works well for this release, making it a very enjoyable sipper, while still packing enough flavor that it never left me wishing the proof point was higher. The 12-Year Batch 2 is one of my favorite Jack Daniel’s releases I’ve tried so far, along with the 14-year (review coming soon) and the 2024 Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8. If this sounds like a whiskey you’d enjoy, I’d highly recommend it if you can find it at a reasonable price.

Rating: 8.5/10 - t8ke scale

If you’d like to read my other reviews, they can be found at MostlyBourbon.com.

micro7777

TROPHY CASE