The defiant aromas of cinnamon potpourri and intense incense gave chase to dried slices of apple and banana sweets, leading us into an alleyway lined with lychee-scented gewürztraminer wine and hibiscus tea. Backed into a corner, a tussle began between vivid vanilla, red chillies and sponge cake cooked in a V8 engine.

Backup arrived with a dash of water, as elderflowers, tutti frutti ice cream and gooseberries came to the rescue. Then it was straight behind bars for pineapple, passion fruit and soft, juicy mango, before being judged by a jury of glacé cherries, popcorn and cream cheese frosting.

About George Dickel

Born 40 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, George A. Dickel was an established Nashville merchant when he entered the whisky business. Dickel grew his reputation for selling the smoothest, most mellow spirits in the region. Thus, Geo. A. Dickel & Co. was born and when the Cascade Hollow Distillery opened in 1878 in neighbouring Coffee County, George Dickel bought a large share.

Born from a belief that whisky made in the winter months produced a mellower sip, our liquids were always chilled to 40 degrees before charcoal filtering for a smooth yet complex taste.

Since the very beginning, our unique spelling of ‘whisky’ without the ‘e’ speaks to the passion from which our brand was born. A drive to rethink American whiskey and elevate the experience to rival the world’s finest scotch whiskies. To this day, we continue the tradition of bringing new perspectives to our liquid legacy.

In her role as General Manager and Distiller of Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., Nicole Austin leads the strategic direction of the company, with responsibilities across operations and marketing for the distillery and its whisky brands.

Since joining the Cascade Hollow team in 2018, she’s been instrumental in the latest innovations from George Dickel – including George Dickel Bottled in Bond Distilling Season Fall 2005, Whisky Advocate’s “Whisky of the Year” in 2019. In March 2020, Nicole was named as Artisan Spirit Magazine’s first ever “Distiller of the Year,” before earning the “Distillery Manager” award from Icons of Whisky Awards in 2021.

In addition to the George Dickel Bottled in Bond Series, Nicole also launched the award-winning Dickel Bourbon, the George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Rye Blend and Cascade Moon Whisky series.

George A. Dickel and Company was selling whiskey produced in Cascade Hollow, near Normandy, Tennessee, by John F. Brown and F.E. Cunningham in the 1870s. In 1879, Matthew Sims, a local businessman, bought Brown's share of the operation. In 1883, another local businessman, McLin Davis (1852–1898), joined the partnership. Davis became the operation's distiller, and is credited with the whisky's recipe. By the early 1890s, Cascade Whisky was one of the more popular brands in the region. The Cascade label included the phrase, "Mellow as Moonlight", which was rooted in Davis's method of cooling mash at night.

The mash for George Dickel is composed of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. Distillate is chilled to 40 °F (4 °C) and mellowed in vats filled with 10–12 feet (3.0–3.7 m) of charcoal for several days (their implementation of the Lincoln County process) before being placed in barrels at 55 percent.

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