Review: Chicken Cock Double Oak 10 Years Old

“Taste the two-year difference” is the pitch that was used to introduce Chicken Cock Double Oak 10 Years Old, a whiskey that is simply an update to Chicken Cock Double Oak 8 Years Old, which was released in 2023. It’s the same approach as Double Oak 8 — made from a mash of 80.5% corn, 11% rye, and 8.5% malted barley that spends 7 years in used barrels (disqualifying this whiskey from being billed as bourbon) followed by 1 year in new oak barrels. For Double Oak 10, the whiskey spends 7 years in used barrels and 3 years in new.

That’s a bigger shift than it may seem on first blush, so let’s give this “Kentucky Whiskey” a fresh spin with its new age statement.

Chicken Cock Double Oak 10 Years Old Review

Chicken Cock Double Oak 8 was a soft and agreeable whiskey, laden with baking spice notes and ample fruit.

Chicken Cock Double Oak 10, perhaps unsurprisingly, exhibits almost the exact same configuration, at least from the jump. The nose of the whiskey — same abv, by the way — pops with vanilla before sliding into a gentle milk chocolate (and perhaps some white chocolate) quality. Notes of cinnamon are vivid and enticing, and they’re followed by a baked apple quality that layers in more clove and some red pepper. All told, there’s a strong similarity with the 8 year old bottling, though perhaps a bit more wood-driven power throughout the aroma.

The palate finds, again, lots of similarity to the older whiskey but a bit more oomph, driven by a modest barrel char. Darker caramel notes dominate, alongside more cocoa powder and vanilla, chased by torched orange peel. The dusting of baking spices remains a constant, with just a hint of ground pepper and an allspice bent as it develops.

The finish may represent the biggest shift vs. the 2023 whiskey, with lingering notes of char and some anise that temper the sweetness available further upstream on this experience. Toasty with ample oak, the 10 year old features a late-game savoriness that provides a bolder backbone than the 92 proof presentation would otherwise suggest.

All told, it’s got plenty of similarities with Double Oak 8, but it’s unique enough to merit a side by side comparison, should you unearth a bottle of each.

92 proof.

A- / $130

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