Orange peel | Mineral note | Allspice | Light floral note

Fresh baked bread | Seasoned aged oak | Black pepper | Mineral note | Brown sugar | Leather | Mellow

Allspice | Leather | Slight mineral note | Sugary-sweet aftertaste

Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. is the distillery behind the George Dickel brand. They have been relatively quiet lately. Like some of their peers, they’ve slowed production as their warehouses are packed with aging whiskey. In particular, they have a hefty amount of high aged whiskey sitting in barrels that needs to be sold. This is why the company sells their 15 year old George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey for only $60 and has begun blending their high aged bourbon into other releases. They also serve as a source for many brands, which is rarely fully disclosed but can be inferred by the underlying flavor profiles.

For this Tennessee whiskey, Lost Lantern blended seven barrels ranging in age from 11-18 years, with the company stating roughly a quarter of the blend is 18 years old. The whiskey is bottled at cask strength, which is only 93.2 proof in this case due to aging conditions that caused proof to decrease over time. The blend yielded a total of only 815 bottles, which is a relatively low yield, at an average of only about 116 bottles per barrel, representing evaporation loss of nearly 57%.

The flavor profile is very representative of high aged George Dickel Tennessee whiskey. It’s both flavorful and mellow throughout. It carries the distillery’s distinctive mineral note, which is teased in the nose and most prominent on the palate. The whiskey has a persistent sweetness to it, with somewhat sweet orange peel on the nose, brown sugar on the palate, and a lingering sugary-sweet aftertaste. The sweeter flavors are complemented by an undercurrent of savory flavors which adds balance and depth, with allspice, seasoned aged oak, black pepper, and leather intertwining at various points in the sip. There’s also an interesting fresh baked bread note upfront on the palate, which is subtle yet defined.

Lost Lantern 2026 Single Distillery Series: Fabled Forest will taste familiar to those who enjoy higher aged George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey, albeit with a slightly distinct overall flavor profile, though it still serves up the George Dickel mineral note that consumers find polarizing. Proof decreasing over time while aging is rare in general, but fairly common at Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., though that is not always evident with their releases. That helps bolster the flavor here, as no additional water was added to the final blend to proof it down.

The whiskey in review is 1 of 815 bottles from edition #GD-TN.