If you drive 90 minutes east on I-24 from Nashville, you’ll find yourself in a sleepy corner of Tennessee that’s home to George A. Dickel & Co., the self-proclaimed purveyor of “the finest quality sippin’ whisky.”

The eponymous company was founded when George Dickel, a successful merchant from Nashville, established a distillery six miles northeast of Tullahoma in 1870. He called his product “whisky” instead of “whiskey” because, according to the Dickel website, it was “as smooth as the finest scotch” and decided to drop the “e” as a nod to the scotch whisky tradition.

George passed away before the turn of the 20th century, and his legacy fell on hard times as state and federal prohibition laws forced the distillery to close its doors. Then, nearly 40 years later, master distiller Ralph Dupps rebuilt the operation on 850 acres of land near the original distillery site. That’s where George Dickel Tennessee Whisky is made to this day, presently under the direction on master distiller John Lunn. Today’s distillery production is informed by manuscripts written by George Dickel over 130 years ago. The recipe includes a secret mash of corn, barley, and rye, all ground on-site without preservatives or dyes.

After cooling the mash in tubs of spring water, a unique strain of yeast is used in the fermentation process—“one of the primary reasons that George Dickel Tennessee Whisky has such a distinct and memorable taste,” according to the website. It undergoes double distillation and is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before being aged in new, charred American white oak barrels.

The No. 8 version of George Dickel has been aged for eight years, while the No. 12 version is—you guessed it—12 years old. The latter’s bright amber hue is almost orange in the glass. Great legs. The sweet, prickly nose sports a fragrance of citrus, vanilla, oak, syrup, and spice.

The first taste of Geoge Dickel No. 12 goes down warm and spicy with a finish that’s fiery in the belly and soft on the palate. This isn’t the sort of spirit you can just dive into at room temperature. A few evaporated ice cubes and a couple warm-up sips help bring out the flavors of honey, walnut, and brown sugar. Tasty yet lacking in the sort of complexity that I’ve come to expect from a sipping spirit.

If a top bourbon is a steak dinner, this $20-25 whisky is a bacon cheeseburger. And there ain’t nothing wrong with a bacon cheeseburger every once in awhile. I’ll keep it on hand for occasional sipping, mixing, or for guests who want to try something off the beaten paths of Kentucky.

And when I break out the Dickel, I’ll pair it with a sub-$6 medium-bodied cigar. George Dickel, after all, strikes me as the kind of man who wasn’t too pretentious about his libations or his smokes.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys