Distillery: Sourced from George Dickel
Proof: 95
Age: 13 Years
Mashbill: Undisclosed
BACKGROUND: For Single Barrel Saturday we are reviewing a 13 year single barrel pick by ABC Liquor in Austin, TX from Treaty Oak Distillery. Treaty Oak is a true craft Texas whiskey distillery in Dripping Springs. Being deep in the heart of Texas, Treaty Oak is subject to extreme heat and temperature fluctuation which gives its whiskey a distinct and unique flavor profile. Treaty Oak distills their own whiskey while also sourcing from George Dickel. They have 5 main spirits, Red Handed straight bourbon whiskey from Dickel, Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon which is their own juice, Schenley Reserve Rye which is a 10 year old sourced Rye, and 2 different RTDs. Treaty Oak was founded in 2006 by Daniel Barnes who is a West Texas native and became the 4th operating and licensed distillery in Texas. Treaty Oak has a really cool 28 acre ranch where you can listen to music, catch a meal, and try their fantastic whiskey. This specific barrel was selected by ABC Liquor in Austin, TX. ABC Liquor has a fantastic whiskey selection and always have delicious barrel picks.
NOSE: Oak bomb on the nose with softness to it. There is also some scents of toffee, roasted nuts, and light vanilla sweetness. Overall, this is a light nose with a lot of oaky goodness. (20/25)
PALATE: Much like the nose, the palate is smooth and light and is dominated by oak. There are also some floral notes along with dried coconut. The whiskey is incredibly delicious and has some of the iconic Dickel notes of high barrel char, rye spice, and vanilla. There are also some chewy and creamy tobacco notes on the end of the palate. Overall, this is a very smooth and easy sipping bourbon whiskey that has a flavor profile that is dominated by older aged whiskey notes. (32/40)
FINISH: The finish is on the dry side and is also dominated by oak notes, some tannins, sweeter baking spice, and dried rye bread. It is medium in length and doesn't have much of a feel to it as it goes down. (20/25)
VALUE: Treaty Oak Red Handed 13 Year barrels are now going for nearly a $200 SRP and is extremely limited but this pick only had a $75 cost which is a little expensive for the lighter feel. (6/10)
Overall: 78/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: This Single Barrel pick is an excellent night cap with dry and older aged whiskey notes. It is a little too light for us but at cask strength this would be amazing! We recommend this to anyone looking for a smooth and light older whiskey. ABC Liquor always has great picks so check them out for their latest and greatest.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Sonoma Brother's Bourbon Whiskey
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Early Times Bottled-in-Bond
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away