Created in Arizona, Whiskey Del Bac Classic Single Malt is an American Single Malt with the heart of the old west. They’ve been proudly doing their own thing from the beginning and their unofficial motto is “Never Sourced – Never Chill Filtered”… and I love it. The motto that is, not the whiskey. Well, maybe the whiskey, we’ll get to that in a second.
The first time I tried the Del Bac Classic was in single barrel form at an in-home tasting in 2016. It was fun, it was unusual, it was exciting and I remember thinking “I need to keep an eye on these guys”. Which I have. From afar. And at tastings. But now, 5 and 1/2(ish) years later I’m formally sitting down to see how things are going over there at Whiskey Del Bac.
Let’s get to drinkin’!
Whiskey Del Bac Classic Single Malt – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Style: Single Malt (American)
Region: Arizona, USA
Distiller: Hamilton Distillers
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 46%
Batch: US 21-6
Whiskey Del Bac Classic Single Malt Price: NA – $55*
Related Whiskey
Del Bac Distiller’s Cut Summer 21
Del Bac Classic Single Barrel
Del Bac Dorado Single Barrel
Virginia Distillery Courage and Conviction Single Malt
Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey
Whiskey Del Bac Classic Single Malt Tasting Notes
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Malt, dried fruit, caramel, oak and herbal spice with a hint of mesquite.
I know it’s not smoked, but there is a hint of it here, mostly herbally and malty though with light dry oak.
PALATE
Malt, cocoa, oak, caramel, vanilla, spice, pastries and a hint of mesquite
Sweet and touch dry oak, but mostly malty and rustic. There is a “western” feel to it and I get a bit of that mesquite in there. It isn’t fully unsmoked.
FINISH
Long -> malty, oaky and mesquite cocoa slowly fade out.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Well balanced, medium-full body and a slightly oily feel.
Whiskey Del Bac Classic Single Malt – Overall Thoughts and Score
The Classic Del Bac isn’t supposed to be smoky, but after four different glasses, on four different occasions, this batch is definitely a tad smoky. It’s light, not nearly as heavy as it is in batches of Dorado, but it seems like this batch had some contamination somewhere on the line. I’m not complaining, I really like this subtle hint of mesquite, but if someone was excepting a smokeless batch, they might be surprised when opening this one.
Lightly smoked, this stands apart and stands unique, compared to previous batches I’ve tried and there is something elegant about how the light smoke and sweetness weave together. It ends up being a well-balanced and tasty sipper that hits just under a 4. I’m digging this batch of Whiskey Del Bac Classic Single Malt, maybe this is light level is something that should stick around.
SCORE: 3.5/5 (tasty, worth checking out ~ B | 83-86)
*Disclosure: The bottle for this American Single Malt review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Whiskey Del Bac Classic Single Malt Review $55
Overall
3.5- Nose (3.5)
- Palate (3.5)
- Finish (3.5)
- BBF (3.5)
