Rare Character Brook Hill 13 Year “BLACK DAIL” is a brooding, mature bourbon with deep character and bold intensity. It presents dark caramel, toasted oak, and leather notes in a layered, complex rendition of Brook Hill’s black-label style. It’s not light or casual—but for those who like serious bourbon, this one delivers gravitas.
Rare Character’s Brook Hill lineup revives a historic Kentucky whiskey name, framing it as a boutique, small-batch/limited expression brand. “Black Dail” suggests a special (“black label”) expression or distillation code within that series; “13 Year Old” indicates a full 13 years of barrel aging (unusual in many modern bourbons). The whiskey is matured in American charred oak (likely new char-#4 barrels, the bourbon standard), and it may have been selected for deeper, darker barrel influence (longer cask oxidation, tighter staves, heavier oak extraction).
Rare Character often sources from multiple distilleries or cooperages and then blends or allocates barrels for particular “character” profiles; each Brook Hill release tends to carry a unique label and bottling style. Given its age and premium positioning, Black Dail is likely non-chill filtered and bottled at a robust proof to preserve the extraction, intensity, and complexity from extended aging.
Nose: Deep aromas of burnt toffee, black cherry reduction, dried figs, tobacco leaf, and roasting pecans; a swirl of leather, cedar, faint smoked oak, and a hint of dried orange peel.
Palate: Rich and full, with molasses and dark brown sugar at the core; baked apple, dried plum, spiced fig, dark chocolate, espresso grounds, and charred oak. Beneath that are subtle notes of pipe smoke, black pepper, and tobacco. The texture is silky but with firm backbone.
Finish: Lingering and dry, with lingering oak spice, dark cocoa bitterness, mellow vanilla, and a final whisper of menthol or cool tobacco. Medium-to-long in duration, tapering slowly into spiced warmth.
Alc. Vol: 72.57 ABV (145.14 Proof)
Label: "BLACK DAIL"
Release Year: 2025