Bib & Tucker Double Char 6-Year Bourbon Review: Dan and Charles Offer a Video Taste Test of an Exceptional Bourbon

I’ve tried countless bourbons since I turned in my scotch glass a few years ago, and the Bib & Tucker 6-Year bourbon we included in last year’s Holiday Gift Guide quickly became a favorite. The sample bottle was gone before the guide went live. Now they have released Bib & Tucker Double Char 6-Year Bourbon. It’s delicious.

As I wrote in the Gift Guide, Bib and Tucker’s 6-Year Old Small Batch Bourbon is aged for at least 6 years in new American white oak barrels with a light char. The distilling process results in a 92-proof bourbon that is smooth, flavorful, and offers a smooth, delicious finish. And if that weren’t enough, it comes in a gorgeous, vintage-style carved glass bottle that adds to the experience.

What surprised me most was that a bottle of bourbon is less than $55; what didn’t surprise me was that the bottle didn’t last long!

The new Double Char release comes in the same beautiful carved glass bottle and was “inspired by the turn of the century when food was cooked on the open flame.” The company took the 6-year-old bourbon to accomplish This and put it through a “fire-forged, double char aging method.”

That means they took one of my favorite bourbons and, instead of bottling it for sale, had it spend another five months in a different, heavily charred, and smoked barrel.

The resulting bourbon is a bit darker in color. Interestingly, the additional aging drops the proof from 92 for the “normal” 6-year-old product to 88 proof.

Bib & Tucker describe the aroma as having “a touch of smoke with immediate notes of toasted oak and dulce de leche, background notes of cinnamon and clove,” the taste as “vanilla and sugar maple surrounded with white smoke, hints of sweet corn and toasted cinnamon,” and the finish as, “Medium to a long finish with oak, white smoke and vanilla.” I’m not sure how many of those specific notes I can sense, but I love the rich, smoky complexity of the bourbon. (I know what I like, but my palate is not developed enough to parse the details fully.)

I still love the Bib & Tucker 6-year-old bourbon, but I have a new favorite after tasting the Bib & Tucker Double Char 6-Year Bourbon. From the first sip to the smooth finish, the Double Char is a flavor experience I think any bourbon-lover will enjoy. And, at under $70, I think it is worth the additional cost.

Charles and I spent some time comparing a sub-$20 bourbon I often keep in the house with the 6-Year old and the Double Char. As you’ll see in the video, the cheap bourbon was “fine” initially, but after tasking the Bib & Tucker, it made clear that you get what you pay for.

We had a great time making the video, and the bottles didn’t last long — I mean, someone’s got to do it; you’re welcome. All that’s left is for me to pick up some of the Bib & Tucker 10 and 12-year-old bourbon for another video! You can learn more about it by clicking here.

Bib & Tucker Double Char 6-Year Bourbon sells for under $70; it is available from Drizzly and other retailers.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What We Like: Smooth, smokey flavor; Amazing retro carved glass bottle; Premium bourbon that’s still at an affordable price

What Needs Improvement: It is so good that it doesn’t last long!