GEORGE A. DICKEL

Forty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, George A. Dickel was born in a rural town in eastern Tennessee. By 1867, Dickel was an established Nashville merchant but moved his family to the city of Tullahoma (situated in south-central Tennessee), where he purchased the Cascade Hollow Distillery. After working tirelessly at the distillery, Dickel declared that his spirits were of equal quality to the finest scotch, and followed in the Scottish tradition of spelling whisky without an "e."While George A. Dickel Distillery was forced to close its doors as a result of Prohibition, it was rebuilt in 1958 by Master Distiller Ralph Dupps. To ensure the whiskys authenticity, Dupps obtained the original manuscripts in which Dickel detailed his unique recipe and distillation processes. Today, Master Distiller John Lunn carries on the tradition of excellence that has made Dickel whisky a symbol of quality for over a century.George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whisky is crafted from a mash of 84 percent corn, 8 percent rye and 8 percent malted barley, which is then fermented and double-distilled, first through a column still and later a copper pot still. Following distillation, the whisky is distilled and matured for 10-12 years in barrels that have been charred with a #2 char on the heads and a #4 char on the staves (the degree of charring within a barrel is measured on a scale of one to four, with a #1 char referring to casks that have been lightly toasted, and a #4 char referring to casks that have been charred so heavily that the interior resembles an alligator hide). Once the whisky has matured, Master Distiller John Lunn then personally selects 10 barrels to chill and mellow through sugar maple charcoal, which results in a single, very small batch of handcrafted Tennessee whisky.George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whisky has an aroma of oak, candied nuts and vanilla, all underpinned by a light wood smoke. The palate is filled with caramel, toasted marshmallows, cloves, faint citrus and even mint, and leads to a long, complex finish containing more oak, corn and cinnamon.The whisky has earned multiple gold medals from the Beverage Testing Institute, and received a score of 93 points at the 2013 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, where it was rated the #2 Tennessee whiskey. Pick up a bottle today!