Del Bac Dorado Single Barrel is the exact same whiskey as the Del Bac Classic Private Barrel except that to halt the malting process, and ready the freshly malted barley for mashing and fermentation, they use mesquite wood smoke. On islay they use peat, but down in Tucson they take a queue from the barbecue world and use mesquite wood instead… no joke. That’s where they got the idea.
“The original brainchild for our product line, the Dorado required that we learn how to malt barley. Born out of barbecuing with the mesquite scraps from Arroyo Design while drinking Scotch, we had the idea to malt over mesquite instead of peat. We wanted to create a product that was a true reflection of the Sonoran Desert. To achieve that, we dry our malt over a mesquite fire using the species Prosopis Velutina, the predominant species in Southern Arizona.”
Pretty neat huh? Now to see how it smells and tastes. On to the Del Bac Dorado Single Barrel review!
Del Bac Dorado Single Barrel Info
Region: Arizona, USA
Distiller: Hamilton Distillers
Bottled For: Everson Royce
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 59.9%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Barrel: 543
Price: $66.5
Del Bac Dorado Single Barrel Review
EYE
Copper
NOSE
A nice complex aroma of mesquite, brown sugar, grilled peaches and nutmeg with light touches of vanilla beans and orange peels. Adding water kicks up a musky bit of sandalwood, a bit of minerality and the spice becomes more cinnamon like.
PALATE
A heavy meaty flavor of mesquite smoked jerky, nutmeg, hazelnuts and vanilla taffy with light bits of anise, brown sugar and grilled fruit. Water make the jerky-like nature a bit more robust and an herbal nature kicks up a bit.
FINISH
Long smoky herbal fade with bits of caramel and nuts.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced, rich full body and an oily heavy feel.
OVERALL
Del Bac Dorado Single Barrel has an aroma that reminds me of bacon jerky and a palate that’s reminiscent of the Balcones Brimstone but a bit sweeter. I’d like to get a bottle of the Brimstone and a bottle of the Corsair Triple Smoke to taste alongside this and see how they compare and contrast. The more I try of these wood smoked whiskeys the more I like them.
I wouldn’t call any of them comparable to the the peat smoked whiskies of Islay because it’s a completely different style and character of smoke. Mesquite smoked whiskies are meatier and more like eating BBQ and less like sitting by a campfire. It’s a related, but different, sensory experience which brings a unique set of notes and nuances. This is a sub category of whiskey I’m excited to keep watching inside the already exciting, and growing, craft whiskey segment.
SCORE: 87/100 (B+)
