Distillery: Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery – Nashville, Tennessee
Proof: 100.0
Age: Five years
Mashbill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
MSRP: $50
Website: https://greenbrierdistillery.com/
Who They Are
Tour Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, located in Nashville, Tennessee, you will learn about a storied history that dates to the 1800s.
A German immigrant, Charles Nelson, arrived in the United States in 1850. After a tragedy that killed Nelson’s father and caused a loss of the family fortune, the Nelson family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.
At the time of Nelson’s arrival, Cincinnati was a hotbed of distilleries with nine fully operational distilleries in the area. In 1851, some estimates put Cincinnati at around 1,100,000 gallons of whiskey produced. And it is in Cincinnati that Nelson learned the art of distilling.
In 1860, he moved to Nashville and opened an……ahem……”grocery store” selling coffee, meat, and whiskey. Nelson was one of the first to sell whiskey by the bottle. Quickly, whiskey grew to be the best-selling item in the store. To meet the demand of his grocery customers, Nelson purchased a distillery in Greenbrier, Tennessee, and launched the fully branded Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey.
By the late 1800s, the distillery was producing over 2 million bottles a year and ranked as one of the largest producers in the country. Prohibition ended that run and forced the closure in 1909.
In the early 2000s, the Nelson family revived the family legacy and opened Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. The Distillery maintains a commitment to quality, to blending and to innovation using cask finishing. There are many combinations of innovative blending and finishing expressions.
If you give Nelson’s Green Brier a try, have questions or want to suggest an expression for a future review, please drop me a note. I would love to hear from you! mike@bourboninspector.com;
Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey: Tasting Notes
Nose – 4/5
Nelson’s Green Brier Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey opens with a wonderfully inviting Nose. The wheat in the mash bill does not disappoint and produces prominent and unmistakable caramel and grassy notes. Complimenting the caramel is a hint of green apple followed by the subtleness of honey. Finally, a touch of oak rounds out the complexity on the Nose.
Palate – 3.5/5
On the Palate, this whiskey delivers. There is an upfront and surprising burst of black pepper spice chased quickly by charred oak. As the sip progresses, there is a pleasant tanginess that adds to the flavor profile.
Finish – 3/5
The Finish is only mildly satisfying with quickly fleeting notes of red-hot candy and a bit of citrus tang.
Value – 4/5
With a $50 MSRP, the Nelson’s Green Brier Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey is a very good value. Even with the less than stellar Finish, it stands tall against other Tennessee Whiskey expressions competing.
Nelson’s Green Brier Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey Review: The Verdict
Verdict – 3.5/5
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 4.5 – 5
- Gold – 4 – 4.5
- Silver – 3 – 4
- Bronze – <3
Mike Long is a staff writer at Bourbon Inspector and has an Executive Bourbon Steward designation from the Stave and Thief Society. He’s a former “wine guy” who discovered his love for bourbon years back at a spur-of-the-moment bourbon tasting he attended. He also loves traveling throughout America with his wife of over 37 years, Debby.