In 2021, George Dickel released Dickel Bourbon, a Tennessee bourbon aged 8 years. Today, it’s expanding that bourbon lineup with the addition of a new 18-year bourbon.
“At Cascade Hollow, we have a lot of whiskies that exemplify the Tennessee Whiskey style, but we also have inventory that has a lot more in common with bourbon as we understand it in America,” Nicole Austin, General Manager and Distiller at Cascade Hollow Distilling Co told me in 2021, with the release of the 8-year bourbon.
“As a style, bourbon is meant to be more approachable and balanced, and Dickel Bourbon is a great entry point into our whole portfolio,” she said at the time.
George Dickel 18 Year
The whiskey itself was put into the barrel long before Austin took charge of whiskey-making at Cascade Hollow. A large part of her job is tasting whiskey from barrels that are aging. While all of the barrels are essentially aged the same, through that tasting she discovered that while many of them had that hallmark Tennessee whiskey flavor, others had a more bourbon feel to them.
“That balanced vanilla fruit, a little bit of spice. All the things that would present this is a really nice bourbon. I didn’t even know we had this. You can blend it away, but what a shame,” she said.
Which brings us to today’s release of Dickel’s 18-year-old bourbon
“We created Dickel Bourbon to give people an approachable and balanced bourbon that is high-quality and complex in flavor,” Austin said in a release announcing the spirit. “I loved the idea of building upon that craftsmanship of our mature whisky and creating something with that same traditional feel, and also more premium. I’m excited for people to try Dickel Bourbon Aged 18 Years because it’s a rare and beautifully aged whisky, but still exhibits a surprising brightness and wide range of complexity that is not often found in American Whiskies of this age.”
Along with the announcement of the new whiskey, George Dickel used the occasion to also kick off a new partnership with the husband and wife duo The War and Treaty, who are currently nominated for their first CMA award.
The War and Treaty and a bottle of George Dickel 18
Similar to other variants in the Dickel portfolio, Dickel Bourbon Aged 18 Years has a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. The whiskey has mellow yet complex flavors of creme brûlée and stone fruit and comes in at 90 proof (45% ABV).
As you might imagine, the release is also super limited. The spirit will be rolling out to select markets this month for a suggested retail price of $510.