Q&A With Nicole Austin, Cascade Hollow Master Distiller

By Richard Thomas

Although it didn’t get much attention at the time, keen observers of Tennessee Whiskey remember that from 2015 to 2018 affairs at what was once known as and is now known again as the Cascade Hollow Distillery were hanging in limbo. First Master Distiller John Lunn suddenly left the company. After his departure, the #2 distiller at the plant, Allisa Henley, wasn’t promoted into the top slot. She left Dickel less than a year later, in 2016. Diageo, owners of the distillery, didn’t name a replacement for either Lunn or Henley until March 2018.

Diageo might have just been waiting until they found the right person, though, because their choice was probably the most interesting they could have made: Nicole Austin. It’s my practice with new appointments and hires in the whiskey industry to wait a while before reaching out for an interview, so they can settle in and gain something to say about their new job. In Austin’s case, between pitching the interview and publishing it, she has released a George Dickel 13 Year Old Bottled in Bond that has met with rave reviews, the first bit of evidence that Diageo did indeed pick the right person to take the reins in Cascade Hollow.

RT: Your resume reads a little like a history of the world whiskey boom. You got started as the Master Blender at Kings County, basically with your foot in on the ground floor there. That led to your working with Dave Pickerell, the Johnny Appleseed of Whiskey, in his consultancy. Then came a year and a half with Tullamore Dew over in Ireland, itself refounded in its old hometown as part of the revival of Irish Whiskey, and now Cascade Hollow and Diageo.

What’s was it like going from working with a micro-distillery and consulting on craft-scale projects to larger scale operations like Tullamore and Cascade Hollow?

NA: I know this is a bit cheesy but it honestly feels like the Goldilocks fairy tale…too small, too big, now JUST RIGHT. I learned a ton in both places and feel like I can bring that wide perspective to Cascade Hollow as General Manager and Distiller.

RT: Did you have much of a taste for Irish Whiskey before going over to Tullamore? Where does your palate stand now?

NA: I barely explored Irish Whiskey before going over to Tullamore. What I found compelling about that opportunity was the innovative engineering and technology involved in constructing a brand new grain distillery and the chance to stretch that aspect of my skills. I definitely fell in love once I got over there.

RT: You’ve gone from years living in New York to a year on the Emerald Isle to … Tullahoma! How are you adapting to county seat life in Tennessee or do you travel so much you don’t really notice?

NA: The distillery is a gorgeous, peaceful spot that already feels like home!

RT: Enthusiasts tend to see George Dickel as being solid whiskey, but a brand under overlapping shadows. There is Jack Daniels on one side, while Diageo has historically been focused on Walker and Smirnoff. Lately they’ve been doing more with Bulleit than Dickel.

Master Distillers are as much brand ambassador-in-chief as booze-maker now, both crafting and selling the product. You’ve been on the job for about a year: how do you envision building on Dickel’s solid foundation?

NA: One way is through our Apprentice Program. In 2018, we welcomed a talented group of twelve apprentices across the US. The Apprentices are evangelists of Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., responsible for keeping George Dickel and future brands top of mind with both distributors and Trade in key markets. The apprentices join me at Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. throughout the year to get a firsthand look at how we make our whisky.

RT: The Lincoln County Process only requires filtration through sugar maple charcoal prior to maturation, and doesn’t specify how. Cascade Hollow has had its own twist on that from the very beginning: perhaps you can explain the advantages of doing it the Dickel way?

NA: George Dickel preferred whisky made in the winter months more than summer months because he felt it made the whisky taste smoother. This is why our whisky is chilled before undergoing he Lincoln County Process. This extra step smooths out the flavor and we’re still the only Tennessee distillery to do it.

RT: What is your favorite George Dickel expression for everyday style drinking?

NA: A lowball with George Dickel No. 12 is normally my go-to drink, rich and flavorful but simple.

Right now, I keep going back to the new George Dickel Bottled in Bond, because I’m so excited about this liquid as my first innovation as General Manager and Distiller.