Tucked into the rolling hills of Tullahoma, Tennessee, Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. has been crafting George Dickel whisky since 1958, though the brand’s roots trace back to George A. Dickel himself in 1870. Unlike most Tennessee whiskey makers who rush their product to market, Dickel takes a contrarian approach—they chill their whiskey to 40 degrees before charcoal filtering, believing cold whiskey filters more smoothly. The 90-acre property sits in Cascade Hollow, where Dickel originally chose the location for its pristine water source flowing from the Cumberland Plateau. The distillery operates out of a collection of traditional buildings surrounded by rickhouses that age spirits in Tennessee’s temperamental climate. Master Distiller Nicole Austin, who joined in 2018 after working at Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn, brought fresh perspective to this old-school operation. She’s part of a small but growing group of female master distillers in Tennessee, and she’s not afraid to experiment with the established Dickel process. The facility produces several expressions under the George Dickel name, from their core No. 8 and No. 12 offerings to limited barrel selects and experimental releases. What started as George Dickel’s quest to make whiskey as smooth as the finest scotch has evolved into a distinctly Tennessee approach that sets them apart from their neighbors in Lynchburg.