Formerly: Cascade Distillery · Cascade Hollow Distillery
Tullahoma, Tennessee · Founded 1870 · Building: 1958–1959 (current Cascade Hollow distillery)
A Diageo Tennessee whisky distillery in Cascade Hollow, rebuilt in 1958–1959 to revive George Dickel's 1870-era brand lineage and chilled-charcoal-mellowing style.
Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., Home of George Dickel, is an active Tennessee whisky distillery near Tullahoma. George A. Dickel & Co.'s historic whisky lineage reaches to 1870, but the original Tennessee operation was interrupted by statewide prohibition around 1910–1911 and the present plant was not built until 1958. The new distillery produced its first mash in 1959 and continues the brand's distinctive practice of chilling new make before sugar-maple charcoal mellowing.
German immigrant George Augustus Dickel opened a liquor business in Nashville, according to later brand histories.
Source: VinePair, "9 Things You Should Know About George Dickel," May 7, 2021
George A. Dickel & Co.'s Cascade Hollow whisky lineage begins in historical summaries. Sources vary on whether Dickel was already producing there, purchasing whisky for sale, or developing a relationship with the local Cascade distillery.
Source: The Bar US, George Dickel history; Clio, "George Dickel Distillery; Cascade Hollow, Distilling Co."; Sentinel Room, "Cascade Hollow Distilling Co"
John F. Brown and F. E. Cunningham are reported to have founded or operated Cascade Hollow Distillery, which later became closely connected to George Dickel's brand and business.
Source: Alcohol Professor, "George Dickel: The Other Tennessee Whisk(e)y," April 22, 2013; Whiskipedia, "Cascade Hollow Whiskey Distillery"
Historical summaries say Dickel gained a controlling interest in the Cascade operation and exclusive rights to bottle and sell its whiskey.
Source: Alcohol Professor, April 22, 2013
George Dickel died. His wife Augusta Dickel and her brother Victor Schwab continued the brand and business.
Source: Whisky.com, "George Dickel Distillery"; Alcohol Professor, April 22, 2013
Tennessee's prohibition laws forced the Cascade Hollow operation to cease or relocate in the 1910–1911 period. Sources vary on the exact legal-effective and physical-relocation dates.
Source: Clio, "George Dickel Distillery; Cascade Hollow, Distilling Co."; Alcohol Professor, April 22, 2013; Whiskipedia, "Cascade Hollow Whiskey Distillery"
Historical accounts say Cascade/Dickel whisky production relocated to the Stitzel Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, where it continued until Kentucky prohibition in 1917.
Source: Clio, "George Dickel Distillery; Cascade Hollow, Distilling Co."; Alcohol Professor, April 22, 2013; Palate Exposure, "George Dickel Distillery: Where History Meets Hedonism," April 15, 2017
Schenley Distilling Company acquired the Dickel and Cascade brands or rights after the national-Prohibition era.
Source: Whiskipedia, "Cascade Hollow Whiskey Distillery"; Palate Exposure, April 15, 2017
Schenley built a new distillery in Cascade Hollow near the original site, reviving Tennessee production infrastructure for the George Dickel brand.
Source: Clio, "George Dickel Distillery; Cascade Hollow, Distilling Co."; Whisky.com, "George Dickel Distillery"; Whiskipedia, "Cascade Hollow Whiskey Distillery"
The new Cascade Hollow distillery produced its first mash.
Source: Palate Exposure, "George Dickel Distillery: Where History Meets Hedonism," April 15, 2017
A historical summary dates the modern George Dickel brand introduction to 1964. The precise brand-launch documents require primary corporate research.
Source: George Dickel historical summary
Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., Home of George Dickel, remains active near Tullahoma under Diageo, offering current visitor tours and Tennessee Whisky Trail participation.
Source: Diageo The Bar US, George Dickel Distillery visitor page, accessed September 1, 2026; Tennessee Whiskey Trail, distillery listing
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Brand and whisky-history sources consistently say George Dickel adopted the Scottish spelling because he considered his Tennessee whisky as smooth or high-quality as the best Scotch whisky. The story is a credible and central brand tradition, but this review did not inspect original nineteenth-century labels, ledgers, correspondence, or brand archives.
Current brand and whisky-production sources say George Dickel chills the unaged spirit to about 40°F before slowly filtering it through sugar-maple charcoal. This is a version of the Lincoln County Process; the candidate's unsupported claim that it is unique among major Tennessee whiskey producers has been removed.
The original Tennessee operation was interrupted by statewide prohibition around 1910–1911, and the present distillery building was constructed in 1958, with first mash produced in 1959. The brand has an 1870-era lineage, but the current site/facility does not represent uninterrupted operation from that year.
Several historical accounts say Victor Schwab relocated production to the Stitzel Distillery in Louisville after Tennessee prohibition, where it continued until Kentucky prohibition in 1917. The timeline is consistent across secondary histories, but original Kentucky distillery permits, production records, and brand contracts were not reviewed.
Diageo's current visitor page lists Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., Home of George Dickel, at 1950 Cascade Hollow Road near Tullahoma, with current tour hours and visitor contact information. The Tennessee Whiskey Trail also lists the operating distillery at the same location.
George Dickel's current Tullahoma distillery has operated continuously since 1870.
The George Dickel/Cascade brand lineage reaches to 1870, but Tennessee prohibition interrupted the original operation around 1910–1911. The present Cascade Hollow facility was constructed in 1958 and produced its first mash in 1959.
Source: Clio, "George Dickel Distillery; Cascade Hollow, Distilling Co."; Palate Exposure, April 15, 2017; Whiskipedia, "Cascade Hollow Whiskey Distillery"
George Dickel died in 1888 and the current distillery was built by his wife immediately afterward.
Historical accounts date George Dickel's death to 1894. Augusta Dickel and Victor Schwab continued the business, but the current Cascade Hollow plant was built much later by Schenley in 1958 and began production in 1959.
Source: Whisky.com, "George Dickel Distillery"; Palate Exposure, April 15, 2017; Clio, "George Dickel Distillery; Cascade Hollow, Distilling Co."
George Dickel spells whisky without an "e" because it is a Scottish distillery.
George Dickel is Tennessee whisky. The brand uses the Scottish spelling "whisky" because founder George A. Dickel reportedly believed his spirit was as smooth and high-quality as the best Scotch whisky.
Source: The Bar US, George Dickel history; VinePair, May 7, 2021; Whisky.com, "George Dickel Distillery"
George Dickel's cold-charcoal-mellowing process is unique among major Tennessee whiskey producers.
George Dickel does chill new make to about 40°F before sugar-maple charcoal mellowing, a version of the Lincoln County Process. The reviewed sources do not establish that the method is unique among all major Tennessee whiskey producers.
Source: The Bar US, George Dickel history; Alcademics, June 8, 2012; Adventures in Whiskey, April 16, 2015
George Dickel survived because the brand's identity outlasted its original Tennessee buildings. Dickel's merchant and Cascade Hollow relationships created a recognizable whisky style; Augusta Dickel, Victor Schwab, Kentucky production, and later Schenley ownership carried it through legal and corporate disruptions. When Schenley rebuilt at Cascade Hollow in 1958, it restored the spring-and-charcoal story in a new facility. Diageo now uses that revived site to make a heritage brand whose continuity is cultural and technical, not architectural or uninterrupted.
George A. Dickel & Co.'s whisky lineage reaches to 1870, when George Dickel's Nashville spirits business became associated with Cascade Hollow whisky. Tennessee prohibition interrupted local production around 1910–1911, and historical accounts place later production at Stitzel Distillery in Louisville until Kentucky prohibition. Schenley built the present Cascade Hollow distillery in 1958, and its first mash ran on July 4, 1959.
No oldest-distillery title is established for George Dickel in this record. Its brand lineage reaches to 1870, but Tennessee prohibition interrupted the original operation around 1910–1911 and the current Cascade Hollow facility was built only in 1958–1959. The brand's heritage is significant, but it is not an uninterrupted current-site distillery claim.
George Dickel uses "whisky" without an "e" because brand history says founder George A. Dickel believed his Tennessee spirit was as smooth and high-quality as the best Scotch whisky. The spelling is a longstanding brand tradition; the original nineteenth-century label or correspondence supporting the decision was not reviewed here.
George Dickel chills its new make to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit before filtering it slowly through sugar-maple charcoal. The method is a version of the Lincoln County Process used for Tennessee whisky. The brand says chilling the spirit before charcoal mellowing produces a softer, smoother result.
The current Cascade Hollow distillery was built in 1958 by Schenley near the earlier Cascade Hollow site. Historical accounts say the new facility produced its first mash on July 4, 1959. The 1870 date belongs to the older George Dickel/Cascade whisky lineage, not to the present building.
The current visitor address is 1950 Cascade Hollow Road, Tullahoma, Tennessee 37388, and current Diageo/Tennessee Whiskey Trail pages use Tullahoma. Some historical and regional sources use Normandy or Cascade Hollow for the same area. The clearest description is Cascade Hollow near Tullahoma.
1950 Cascade Hollow Rd, Tullahoma, TN 37388
(931) 408-2410
The Cascade Hollow visitor center currently posts tours and tastings near Tullahoma. Hours currently vary by day, including Wednesday closure; confirm tour availability and reservations directly before making the drive.