Dillon's Three Oaks

A few years ago I gave Dillon's White Rye (a 40% ABV unaged 100% rye) a lousy 67. This time they dumped the spirit (100% Ontario rye distilled in copper pot) into new Ontario oak, new American oak and first fill bourbon barrels. Bottled at 43% this time, this batch was bottled in Sept 2019. No age statement is given. For no apparent reason the bottles are only 500ml.

The colour is a nutty gold. The nose is young but complex: marzipan, Italian parsley, toasted almond, sawdust, tangerine and a hint of cumin. Runs the gamut from fruity to nutty to slightly woody to mildly spicy, but it all works together. Chestnuts. Peppery. More toasted oak with water. Fun and sprightly, though a bit more age would have smoothed things out.

The palate leans more toward honey, with some lavender, more toasted nuts and a bit of spice. Thin mouthfeel. Water brings the spice up, which is nice. Not as complex as the nose but it is tasty. I wouldn't have pegged this for a rye though - seems more like a young single malt.

The finish has a bit of chili with more marzipan, honey-on-rye-toast and toothpicks. Much, much better than their White Rye, but needed to hang out in the barrel for a few more years...