Unfortunately, it’s not very often you come across a female whiskey distiller, so when we got to hang out with one from George Dickel Whisky yesterday, we were pretty excited.
Allisa Henley was raised in Coffee Country, a few miles away from the Tennessee-based distillery in Cascade Hallow. Little did she know at the time, however, that she would eventually work there one day.
Initially Henley was hired to design the George Dickel Whisky distillery’s visitor tour experience, where she would train more than 300 ambassadors and staff. In order to do the job well, she had to learn all she could about the industry.
Image courtesy of George Dickel
“I essentially had to write a tour script from scratch, and you can’t write about it unless you know what you’re talking about,” Henley said. “I firmly believe you can learn more on the job than you ever can in a classroom.”
But don’t let her sweet southern accent fool you; she’s a smart woman who means business.
Henley openly admitted that while she doesn’t come from a chemistry background like most of her colleagues, she’s a quick learner and passionate – which to be honest, is sometimes all you need. She also earned her undergrad from the University of Tennessee and her MBA from Lipscomb University.
Henley’s position as George Dickel’s distiller has allowed her to travel extensively and become certified in numerous areas. In fact, as soon as she left our office, she was getting on a flight headed for Boston, and before that, she was in Wisconsin.
In recent years, Henley completed the Malt Advocate Course in Scotland and Ireland, the Sensory Certification with DIAGEO’s Technical Innovation team, and has led multiple seminars on Tennessee Whisky and women’s historical role in the business. Whenever she finds downtime in her packed schedule, Allisa is a devoted wife and mother to her son. She’s also an avid skier and enjoys the outdoors.
What makes George Dickel’s Whisky unique is not only its name (whisky is spelled in the Scottish way without an ‘e’) but also by the way it’s processed.
Image via Getty
George Dickel was a German man who visited Tullahoma, TN in 1867 with his wife Augusta, and realized this was the ideal location to perfect his whisky-making craft. He also realized that whisky made in the winter was smoother than whisky made at any other time of year, and came up with a unique chilling process called charcoal-mellowing.
According to their website, this extra step filters out oils and acids, a process that George Dickel Whisky is known for.
In fact, Henley proudly boasts that every bottle of George Dickel Whisky is handcrafted by just 35 actual people- not machines. So with every sip, you can feel good about drinking the highest quality whiskey at an affordable price. The company has made it easy for younger consumers to sip on today’s trendiest spirit without breaking the bank.
Since you weren’t able to hang out with us yesterday, here are a couple (delicious) recipes you can try out yourself. Feel free to go a little heavy handed on the whisky.
Dickel Lemonade
George Dickel No. 12
Lemonade
Slice of Lemon
Club Soda
Eastern Sour
George Dickel Rye
Lemon Juice
Orgeat
Orange Juice
Orange wedge for garnish
We Hung Out With Allisa Henley, One Of The Whiskey World's Few Female Distillers
