Review: Dancing Goat In Lieu of Flowers Whiskey
Sourced whiskey is extremely common and much of it is very good. Despite making quality whiskey, non-distilling producers often struggle with finding ways to differentiate their sourced whiskey from dozens of other brands sourcing whiskey from the same distillery. Cambridge, Wisconsin’s Dancing Goat Distillery sources whiskey, but isn’t putting out the same bottles as everyone else. Dancing Goat is known for finishing their sourced whiskey in interesting casks, such as Spanish oak or cherry bitters casks. However, the whiskey brand also finds sourced whiskey that is simply interesting on its own. September 2024 brings the release of Dancing Goat Presents Sourced Whiskey Release 006: In Lieu of Flowers Whiskey 8 Years Old. Before getting to the details, can we take a moment to appreciate a brand that openly says “this whiskey is sourced” on the front label?
In Lieu of Flowers originated at MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana like so many other sourced whiskies. This whiskey took a detour from the norm when MGP accidentally dumped a customer’s light whiskey at 16 years old into a tank with bourbon that had aged for 6 months. The buyer was refunded, but MGP opted to enter the strange whiskey blend into used barrels for additional aging. The blend consists of light whiskey with a mashbill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley and bourbon with a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Due to the accidental blending, the exact ratio of light whiskey to bourbon isn’t known, but it’s suspected to be around 60 to 65% light whiskey. In the not-to-distant past, MGP decided to liquidate their assets of whiskey aged in used barrels, and Dancing Goat bought a lot of it. Dancing Goat bottled the bizarre blend after further aging in used barrels for an additional 8 years and 10 months. The label carries a minimum age statement of 8 years, but the majority of the contents were barreled for a combined time exceeding 24 years. In the spirit of quality light whiskey, the spirit is bottled at a respectable 133 proof.
Is it unique? Yes. Is the proof right? Yes. Is it actually good? Let’s find out!
The nose opens with buttery toffee and nutmeg. Creamy vanilla and decadent mocha notes add to the bouquet with rich almond butter concluding. Vanilla leads the way on the palate followed by light brown sugar. Unexpectedly, pawpaw fruit makes an appearance along with cloves. Given the high distillation proof of light whiskey, the mouthfeel is oddly quite oily. Roasted coffee beans and coconut milk arrive on the finish with light toffee notes wrapping it up. The finish is an enigma as the flavor notes come and go quicker than anticipated due to the high proof, but the ethanol burn hangs around for a substantial amount of time.
In Lieu of Flowers is a fun and fascinating whiskey. The tasting notes are very enjoyable, but much shorter-lived than what I had hoped for. I’ve experienced other whiskeys at a similar or higher proof that didn’t lose the character as quickly as In Lieu of Flowers. Still, for $60, the uniqueness, quality, and story behind the bottle make it worth a look.
133 proof.
B+ / $60 / dancinggoat.com
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