Review #143: Dettling Bourbon BiB

COST: $75 for 750mL bottle

AGE: 4yr 3mo

MASH BILL: 70% corn, 15% rye, 12% oat, 3% blend of 3 roasted rye and wheat malts

PROOF: 100

Well, we got our second snow this year (we normally only get one good snow a year where we are in South Carolina) so why not warm up with another pour and do a review! Dettling 1867 bourbon has become a darling of the bourbon world the last couple of years it seems. While many seek out cask strength bottles, they are not the easiest to come by (more on that in the Behind the Bottle section). So today, I’m checking out a Dettling expression that might be a little easier to pick up but should still give a great representation of the product considering all Dettling bottles use the same six grain mash bill but have variances on age and proof. The barrel this bottle is aged somewhere between 51 and 57 months and bottled at 100 proof. Let’s dive in!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Dark brown, almost a sherry color (1.8); very oily looking with slow, fat legs.

NOSE: Dark chocolate tied at the hip to a faint vanilla pudding, warm caramel, and toasted rye malt really dominate the nose. Notes of black cherry and raspberry compote, vanilla wafers, and tannic oak come in a bit more subtly and provide a complex background to the more forward notes of chocolate and toasted malt. I’m also picking up a touch of Red Hots candy and black pepper to add just a hint of spice.

PALATE: Burnt caramel and dark chocolate land right away, closely followed by roasted grains and rye spice. There is a touch and go note of Luxardo cherry syrup. After really honing in on the sweetness and looking past the robust toasted malt notes, I find that a cherry vanilla cola note is fairly consistent. With a good chew I get dark cherries and brown sugar simple syrup. The mouthfeel is thinner than what the appearance suggests, but is soft and coats the palate with ease.

FINISH: A long finish, and on the sweeter side with some tannic dryness making a brief appearance in the middle. It starts off with notes of burnt brown sugar, cocoa nibs, and sweet oak. As the sweeter notes dissipate, it gives way to white pepper, chocolate malt, and tannic oak, really giving this an earthy feel. The brown sugar, light vanillin oak, and toasted malt comes back in and carries this to a close.

RATING: 7.1/10

VALUE: 6.5/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details.)

OVERALL: This is a very unique profile for a bourbon. The malted rye in the mash bill, even though less than 3% of the entire mash bill, really stands out. For just over 4 years old, this shows complexity of whiskey 2-3 times it’s age. I would generally describe this as a balanced blend of sweet and earthy notes. The toasted malt really gives this bourbon a unique character. I think my biggest comment or detractor is how prominent the malt character is for it being such a small percentage of the mash bill. I think at older ages the barrel character would tamp down the mash bill character.

Behind the Bottle

Cask strength Dettling seems to be well sought after and I found it rather hard to stumble into one. On a recent drive from Texas to South Carolina, cask strength offerings completely alluded me when checking in Texas, Louisianna, and Alabama, and online, while it’s a bit easier to find some cask strength bottles available, they don’t seem to stay in stock for long and prices vary pretty widely. At my last attempt at a ABC store in Auburn, AL, I decided to get the only Dettling BiB bottle that they had. Dettling BiB is the first Alabama distilled product to meet the requirements to be called Bottled-in-Bond.

Big Escambia Spirits, the distillery that makes Dettling, is moving towards becoming a 100% in-house farming operation. They currently use a corn varietal specially selected that grows particularly well in the Alabama climate and soil. The other flavoring grains that are used in Dettling bourbon are inspired by the craft beer world. More specifically, the Dettling bourbon mash bill was inspired by the profile of an oatmeal stout. Even more interesting…it worked! The dark notes, soft palate, and earthy sweetness are very reminiscent of an oatmeal stout.

Dettling bourbon has made a splash in bourbon world by showing what the hot Alabama climate can do to bourbon even with younger age statements – very similar to what a lot of Texas distilleries strive to do. I feel like Seth Dettling really had a vision of what his bourbon could be and is forging it into existence. Being inspired by an oatmeal stout, intentionally not wanting to use malted barley, and working towards being 100% farm to glass, Seth and Big Escambia Spirits are showing that it is possible for young age statements to compete with some of the oldest age statement whiskey in the industry.

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08