George A. Dickel
George Augustus Dickel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Grünberg, Hesse (present-day Germany) |
| Died | June 11, 1894 (aged 76) Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, liquor wholesaler |
| Known for | George Dickel whiskey brand, George A. Dickel and Company |
George Augustus Dickel (February 2, 1818 – June 11, 1894) was a German-born entrepreneur in America, widely recognized for the George Dickel whiskey brand, which stands as one of the two principal Tennessee whiskey labels. While he was not the original distiller—the Cascade brand preceded his involvement—his wholesale distribution company played a crucial role in marketing and distributing the product, with his name prominently displayed on labels from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. When new proprietors of Cascade Hollow distillery resumed operations in the 1950s, they chose to rename the whiskey in honor of Dickel.
Although he preferred to avoid the spotlight, Dickel was a well-known figure in Nashville and managed several smaller ventures alongside his liquor distribution business.
Early life
Born out of wedlock to Elisabeth Dickel in Grünberg, Hesse (present-day Germany), he was probably the illegitimate child of Anton Fischer from Marktheidenfeld. Named after his godfather Georg Adam Fischer, whose father Adam Fischer was a master cooper crafting wine barrels near Würzburg, Dickel emigrated to the United States in 1844 and had established himself in Nashville by 1847.
By the mid-1850s, Dickel was operating a boot and shoe manufacturing enterprise on Union Street in Nashville until approximately 1860. He married Augusta Banzer, who was twenty years younger than him, and began selling liquor starting in 1861.
During the Civil War, after Union troops occupied Nashville in 1862 and prohibited alcohol sales, smuggling became widespread. Although no direct proof links Dickel to this illicit trade, his longtime partners—the Alsatian Schwab family—were deeply involved. Meier Salzkotter (1822–1891), Abram Schwab’s son-in-law and Dickel’s business partner since 1859, was apprehended by Union forces with illegal liquor. Despite claiming he was merely holding the whiskey for his relatives, Salzkotter was imprisoned and subsequently divorced Cecilia Schwab upon his release.
Liquor wholesaling and other endeavors
Following the Civil War, Dickel launched a liquor retail store in Nashville, relocating it by 1866 to South Market Street (currently Second Avenue). He appointed Salzkotter as superintendent and Victor Emmanuel Shwab—who later married Dickel’s wife’s sister—as bookkeeper. In 1867, Dickel began producing blended whiskey but encountered federal charges for rectifying liquor without a license; nevertheless, his retail operations prospered.
By 1870, he had established George A. Dickel and Company, a wholesale liquor business based at 2 North Market Street. The company procured whiskey directly from local distillers and retailed it in barrels, jugs, and bottles. It also distributed beers from regional brewers such as Stifel and Pfeiffer alongside wines and brandies. Remarkably, the firm was among Nashville’s pioneers in importing liquor directly from abroad, including Scottish and Irish whiskeys, Dutch gin, and champagnes. An advertisement from 1875 promoted its "copper distilled sour mash whiskies" with distribution across the country.
In 1874, a fire devastated the company’s main office but left a warehouse containing $60,000 worth of whiskey untouched. Another fire in 1881 destroyed that warehouse resulting in a $75,000 loss—partially covered by insurance. Subsequently, Dickel constructed a new five-story headquarters on Market Street in 1882. Contemporary newspapers often referred to him as "the great whiskey dealer."
Though commonly credited with founding the Cascade Hollow distillery near Tullahoma around 1870, no documentation substantiates this claim. By 1879, John F. Brown and F.E. Cunningham were managing the distillery; after several ownership transitions, Shwab took full control in 1888. This acquisition made George A. Dickel and Company Cascade’s exclusive distributor.
Beyond his liquor enterprises, Dickel owned an extensive pear orchard near Nashville along Dickerson Pike and volunteered as a firefighter with Deluge Company No. 3. He was also affiliated with the Freemasons as a Master Mason and belonged to the Knights Templar. In 1874, he supported German-American photographer Carl Giers’s candidacy for Tennessee’s General Assembly.
Dickel endured a serious horse-riding injury in 1886 that affected his health until he passed away on June 11, 1894. He is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
Legacy
As Dickel's health deteriorated, Shwab increasingly took over the day-to-day management of Dickel and Company. According to Dickel's will, his ownership stake was left to his wife, Augusta, with the directive to sell it at the earliest chance. Augusta chose not to sell but remained uninvolved in the business, dividing her time between Nashville, her summer residence in Charlevoix, Michigan, and travels in Europe. When she passed away in 1916, she left her share to Shwab.
Dickel and Company was known for distributing the well-liked Cascade brand, which carried the company name well into the 20th century until operations were halted due to prohibition. In the late 1950s, Schenley Industries—having obtained the Cascade brand from Shwab’s heirs—restored the Cascade Hollow distillery and relaunched it under the "George Dickel" label. Today, a bust and memorial dedicated to Dickel are located outside the general store and visitors’ center at the distillery site.
The original company headquarters built in 1882 still stands at 201–203 Second Avenue in Nashville.