Name: Del Bac Frontera
Color: Light Brown
Nose: Malt, dry cedar/oak, orange, vanilla
Taste: Malt, wood, orange zest, vanilla, citrus/flowers
Del Bac whiskey is produced by the Hamilton Distillery located in Tucson, Arizona and is named after a 17th century Spanish mission. Del Bac’s website explains the distillery “puts a Southwest spin on their whiskey…with the use of mesquite instead of peat….”
Frontera is an American Single Malt, aged in new American White Oak, finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry botas, bottled at 48.5% abv, and is non-aged stated. It is a limited annual release at around 1,200 bottles.
This whiskey was given to me as a sample from a coworker. I was not familiar with this distillery, but he said it was very good so I was curious to try Arizona Whiskey. On my first taste I was impressed. The nose was a little dry and it smelled more like a bourbon than a malt to me. On my second taste I was still impressed, and the balance was more evident. I got the feeling the distiller was more influenced by Kentucky than Scotland, but I liked the little kick on the finish. I also tried it in Old Fashioned. I used orange bitters to enhance the flavor, and the dry finish works well with the sugar, ice, and lemon peel. Once again, it shows that someone who is new and cares about their craft can make a good whiskey. Most new whiskies the market are shit. This one was not shit, it was good. I look forward to trying other expressions and need to try the base line in the near future.
Other Expressions: Classic, Dorado, Sentinel Straight Rye, Frontera, Normandie, Ode to Islay, Distillers Spring/Fall/Summer Cut.
Priced around $90 and worth the money if you like the flavor profile. I have not seen it in the NYC area.
If you like it, drink it! – Chris
If you like it, drink it!
