Whiskey Del Bac Dorado
Official Bottle | 45% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Think mesquite instead of peat; an interesting and bold take on single malt
Taste a Little of The Old West
There’s no question we are in an era of whisky where innovation and experimentation are at an all-time high. As all of us whisky geeks are on a flavour chase, distilleries will be happy to whet our palettes with all sorts of new and fresh takes on caskings, grain varietals, etc.
Want to taste what a Calvados cask does to a distillate? Yes, it’s out there. What’s the difference between Golden Promise and Bere barley? Let’s taste and find out. How about revving up a peated malt to more than 150 ppm? Why not? In fact, it’s almost imperative that distilleries, both old and new, need to be novel in order to stick out in this ever-expanding whiskyscape. This is where Del Bac comes in.
Rooted in Tucson, Arizona, Whiskey Del Bac is an American single malt distilled at Hamilton Distillery and was founded by long-time Scotch drinkers Elaine and Stephen Paul. At the time, they owned a furniture design company that specialised in mesquite wood; so it’s fair to say they respect wood as much as Larry David. As the story goes, one night Elaine and Stephen were sitting outside sipping on a peated malt and wondered out loud, “What if you made a single malt with ‘mesquited’ malt instead of peated malt?” After five years of researching the art of whisky distillation and bankrolling their passion project, Whiskey Del Bac, or ‘Whiskey of the Place Where the River Reappears in the Sand’ in a synthesised version of Spanish/native Tohono O’Odham language, was a reality.
Whether you should take this story on face value or should take this stuff as marketing flannel, I’m not sure. But it’s clear that Whiskey Del Bac’s ethos is to fuse the character of Scotch with the local terroir of Tucson.
“using mesquite wood chips to stoke the fire and infuse all that mesquitey-woody goodness into the barley seems like a very reasonable way to imbue the desert into a whiskey.”
Now for those of you who know not of the Tucson climate, it’s about as dry as a Steven Wright joke. The local flora of Tucson consists mainly of cacti, various types of non-lush trees, and sand. Lots of sand. Anakin Skywalker would hate it there.
So to bring a provenance aspect to the whiskey, using mesquite wood chips to stoke the fire and infuse all that mesquitey-woody goodness into the barley (in a similar way Scotch uses peat) seems like a very reasonable way to imbue the desert into a whiskey.
Del Bac is young whiskey; aged for about 12-15 months with some exceptions for the special releases. To compensate for this, Del Bac uses 15 gallon new American white oak barrels (instead of 53). Add in the brutal Tucson desert heat fluctuations (highs and lows can vary by over 20ºC), and you have a makeshift version of ‘rapidly-aged’ whiskey.
Whiskey Del Bac has two standard offerings: a mesquite single malt (Dorado) and a non-mesquited malt (Classic), both matured in those small 15 gallon new American white oak barrels. They also have limited seasonal releases where they cask their spirit into different types of barrels such as tequila, sherry, and different types of brandy, and you can occasionally find single barrel releases poking around in the wild.
All of Del Bac’s products are locally sourced, non-chill filtered and natural colour. Their standard releases are at 45% ABV, while their seasonal releases are at cask strength.
So let’s get into this dram and see if this mesquite is truly elite.
Review
Whiskey Del Bac Dorado, NAS (but probably around 12-15 months), 45% ABV
$60 USD.
Found in these various states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas. Why these states? Welcome to the random world of American whiskey distribution where each state is different with their regulations and licensing.
Nose
For being only 45% ABV, the nose is quite prominent. BBQ potato chips, smoked wood, stewed fruits, and some farmyard hay are the main features with a slight bit of chalky dark chocolate in the background and dark toffee. Add in a wee bit of burnt rubber after sitting in the glass for about 30 minutes.
Palate
The first thing that hits you is the big mesquite flavour; the artificial BBQ flavouring is the prominent note of this dram. Right after that initial mesquite hit, the smoky stewed fruit notes enter the fray along with that bitter cacao note you get from the nose. Overarching the entire experience is a tannic wood note that lingers from the beginning to the end. After several sips, the mesquite flavour fades into the back and the more smoky, fruity elements take centre stage. The finish is quite abrupt and disappears fast. There are no lingering off-notes in the finish, but if you’re not careful, you may have forgotten what you just drank.
The Dregs
This is an interesting and well made dram. Yes, it falls on the ‘simpler’ side of the complexity meter and the finish is short which is probably due to the youth of the spirit, but the flavours it has are definitely prominent and distinctive. I also all love the fact it’s above 43% ABV, non chill-filtered, natural colour, and all ingredients are locally sourced. There’s no question that the folks at Del Bac are doing things the right way. I have had other mesquite offerings (Santa Fe Spirits and Balcones), and this one packs the biggest mesquite punch. If one is to use the mesquite/peat comparison, Santa Fe Spirits is Highland Park while Whiskey Del Bac is Ardbeg.
But there is a rub. My mother lives in Tucson, and back in the day, every time I visited her I would buy a Del Bac Dorado for $40. Now it’s $60. For the old price, buying this bottle is a no-brainer. But at $60, it is now a yes-brainer.
I would say if you’re newer to the whisky scene, this may not be the best use of your $60; there are all sorts of high quality bottles you can buy for that price. However if you’re a long-time whiskey nerd looking for something outside the norm, Whiskey Del Bac Dorado is definitely worth a try.
Score: 6/10 RM
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
A Friday First
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