Lost Lantern Is Pulling Back the Curtain on George Dickel

Lost Lantern's first single-distillery collection digs into the Tullahoma stocks most of us never knew existed, from an 18-year Tennessee whiskey to a 100% wheat pour.

George Dickel has always been the quieter of Tennessee's two big whiskey names. While the other guys down the road get the billboards, the folks at Cascade Hollow in Tullahoma have been putting out some of the best values in American whiskey, and lately some seriously good age-stated stuff. Now an independent bottler from Vermont is about to show us just how deep that warehouse really goes.

On Wednesday, October 21, Lost Lantern releases its Fall 2026 George Dickel Collection: three blended "Single Distillery Series" bottlings plus single casks in seven different styles. It's the first time Lost Lantern has built a whole collection around one distillery, and its first partnership with a big heritage distillery. As head blender Nora Ganley-Roper put it, "These are whiskies that we didn't even know George Dickel made until we visited and started working with Nicole." That's Nicole Austin, Cascade Hollow's distiller, who helped pick the barrels.

Every bottle is cask strength, non-chill-filtered, with no added color, and the source is right there on the label. Here's what's coming.

The Single Distillery Series: Three Blends, Three Grains

Fabled Forest George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey (11 years). The flagship of the set: seven casks aged 11 to 18 years, with roughly a quarter of the blend at 18 years old, all charcoal-mellowed the Lincoln County way. Lost Lantern's notes call out powerful oak, black cherry, stone fruit and rounded baking spice. Only 815 bottles.

Proof: 93.2 | Suggested price: $99.99 | Availability: 815 bottles, from October 21

How to pour it: Neat. At 93.2 proof there's no need for water, so let it open up in a Glencairn for a few minutes and chase that black cherry.

Wild Woodland George Dickel Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey (7 years). Here's a fun bit of trivia: this is the first standalone release of rye actually distilled at George Dickel. Five casks went into it, and the official notes promise mint, dark chocolate, oak and generous rye spice.

Proof: 118.3 | Suggested price: $79.99 | Availability: 664 bottles, from October 21

How to pour it: Taste it neat first, then build the best Manhattan you'll make all fall. Mint and chocolate were made for sweet vermouth.

Golden Grove George Dickel Tennessee Straight Wheat Whiskey (4 years). The true wildcard. It's 100% wheat, six casks aged 4 to 8 years, and Lost Lantern describes it as never before released. Expect nutmeg, chocolate banana bread, strawberries and warm oak on a soft palate.

Proof: 120.0 | Suggested price: $79.99 | Availability: 677 bottles, from October 21

How to pour it: Add a splash of water or one big cube. Wheat whiskey at 120 proof gets dessert-like once it relaxes a little.

The Single Casks: A Tour of the Warehouse

If the blends are the greatest hits, the single casks are the deep cuts. Many are exclusive to individual retailers, so availability will vary. Here are the highlights:

• 18-Year Tennessee Whiskey ($249.99): four casks, charcoal-mellowed, aged in new oak and landing just over 80 proof. These are the oldest whiskeys Lost Lantern has ever released.

• 10-Year Straight Bourbon ($99.99): two casks of Dickel that skipped the charcoal mellowing, made from a 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malt mash bill.

• 10-Year Tennessee Whiskey, "Groovy Staves" ($119.99): one cask aged with grooved staves, with notes of spicy oak, dark fruit, leather and clove.

• 8-Year Tennessee Light Whiskey ($79.99): two casks aged in used oak, a style Lost Lantern says has never been released before.

• Also in the lineup: an 11-year Tennessee whiskey ($79.99), a 7-year straight rye ($89.99) and a 7-year 100% wheat ($89.99).

Why This One Matters

Most of us know Dickel as a classic Tennessee whiskey mash bill: 84% corn, 8% rye, 8% malt, mellowed through charcoal. This collection shows that Tullahoma has quietly been making rye, wheat, light whiskey and un-mellowed bourbon all along. For anyone who likes to geek out on how grain, age and filtration change a whiskey, this is basically a master class from one distillery. And for those of us here in Tennessee, it's a nice reminder that some of the most interesting whiskey in America is being made a little over an hour southeast of Nashville.

One heads-up: the collection is sold through LostLanternWhiskey.com, Seelbachs.com, the Lost Lantern tasting room in Vergennes, Vermont, and select retailers in California, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois. Tennessee isn't on that retail list, so set an alarm for the 21st if you want to shop online.

The Bottom Line

If you grab only one, the Golden Grove wheat whiskey is the bottle you've never had before and probably won't see again. If you want the purest taste of Dickel's aged stocks, go Fabled Forest. And if you see an 18-year single cask, you know what to do.

Which one are you hunting? Drop your pick in the comments, and keep listening to Barrels, Banter & Blind Tigers, the Blind Tiger Collective podcast, for more stories from behind the curtain.

Please enjoy responsibly. Prices are suggested retail and may vary by market.

Sources: Breaking Bourbon (Lost Lantern press release); The Whiskey Wash; Bourbon Pursuit.

Header photo by Daniel Vogel on Unsplash.