Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery

When visiting my friend attending a university nearby, I really wanted to visit a distillery since I traveled all the way from Southern California. We stumbled upon this great place! I love the décor and the really interesting history behind it. I also found it really exciting that their bourbon/​whiskey isn’t mass produced and that I couldn’t find it anywhere else. Made it feel more unique and authentic for the area. Everyone working was so knowledgable, excited, and very nice. This was definitely one of the greater highlights of my trip. I wish them the best and hope they continue to flourish.

We had a great experience at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. The facility itself is very impressive and clean. We learned a lot during our tour and the guide was awesome. The décor in the entry and tasting room was beautiful. We got to try about 5 – 6 whiskeys which was awesome! Definitely would recommend to anyone interested in whiskey!

We toured the distillery while we visited Nashville over Thanksgiving weekend. We made our reservations online which was quick & easy.
Our tour guide was extremely personable as well as knowledgeable. We (my husband, adult daughter & myself) thoroughly enjoyed our time there. They have done an amazing job remodeling a car factory into a beautiful distillery. The bar area is gorgeous!
I am not a whiskey/​bourbon fan but enjoyed sampling & would certainly highly recommend the tour to anyone!

Great tour! Our guide, Joel, was great. He’s very clear and adds humor while explaining the history of the distillery. It ends with a tasting of their whiskey and bourbon. For $ 10 a person, it’s a fun short trip to make and defiantly worth it.

We happened upon Nelson’s Green Brier in part due to the airport brochure we grabbed about it but it happened to be near where we were today and open on a Sunday. We went over and arrived at 3:45, so we were able to book the 4 PM tour for $ 10 per person. It turned out to be a private tour with just the four of us and the guide Justin. He was very personable and knowledgeable. I thoroughly enjoyed the history behind the family and it was so interesting to think this was discovered less than ten years ago. I was impressed with the facility too (its size, décor, use of barrels, cleanliness). After a very informative tour, where we asked lots of questions and never felt rushed despite being there right before closing time, we did a tasting of 4 products: un-​aged white Tennessee whiskey, Belle Meade Bourbon (4-​blend), Belle Meade Bourbon finished in Sherry barrels (2-​blend), and single barrel Belle Meade Bourbon. I could not tolerate the first drink whatsoever. My favorite was the Sherry-​finished Bourbon. It also had a very clever label (see posted picture) which I appreciated as someone with a degree in Advertising.
The aged Tennessee whiskey has a few years to go before reaching the market for consumers (2017). However, the other products can be found around the country in many states including at stores Spec’s and Total Wine. At the end of the tour I purchased a Belle Meade Bourbon caramel for $ 1 and it was tasty. I also learned that the New Zealand-​born staff member had completed a masters at UNLV, so that was a small-​world connection! She left UNLV a month before I got there, but that was still pretty random. Overall, this was a great place to visit and I highly recommend it to tourists and locals alike, especially given that I knew nothing about Bourbon or Whiskey before this tour and I do not really drink hard alcohol.

The $ 10 for a tour and well worth it, to learn the history that goes into each bottle. We caught the last tour of the night, the two of us had our own personal tour, though others joined us at the tasting.
A very thorough and informative tour, learning about the family and why the distillery is here, where the name came from and so much more. Really worth the time and money.

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Nashville!
The tour was 10 bucks a person and took about 45 minutes. At the end, we were able to sample 4 different whiskeys.
Loved the tour guide, his knowledge, and all the history behind this brand. The whiskey was great as well. We really enjoyed the «moonshine.»

Nice people and a nice story. I would have given them 5 starts if Frugal McDougall didn’t sell their sherry cask about 15 dollars cheaper.
Get Dave as your guide. He is engaging and really knowledgeable. Anyone who says their liquor isn’t fantastic doesn’t know anything about the big and brown gold they make. All whiskey is a personal thing. I happen to think that theirs rocks.

This place rocks. The tour is so interesting and informative on both the history of the Nelson family and the process of making their top notch bourbon. We loved touring with Mary, her enthusiasm for their craft was so inspiring (probably not hard to love your job when you get to taste awesome bourbon). Highly recommend checking this place out and tasting the Belle Mead Bourbon. Can’t wait to see where the Nelson brothers take this company in the next few years and hoping it includes expanding to the Northeast.

Had an amazing time here. Our tour guide was awesome and knew what he was talking about. What a cool history and great distillery. You learned a lot about the company and its history. After the tour you get to taste a few different whiskeys/​bourbons. I highly recommend coming here. They also have a small gift shop area with some fun stuff in it. This place has only been open about a year but I expect big things from them. The tour is worth the price $ 8 and they have them fairly frequently. The are very strict with IDs, so make sure your bring yours.

We had so much fun! The tour was great and the history of the distillery is an amazing tale of the Nelson family. All the bourbons are deliciously drinkable. We took home the Belle Meade Sherry Bourbon… What a great sipping bourbon!

We enjoyed the tour & tasting from «Chas» which was really Justin. We bought 2 bottles and really liked the unique story behind the distillery here. $ 10 for tour and tasting (don’t get to keep glass, I asked multiple times). Would drop by again next time we are in town.

Stumbled on this while i was at Antique Archaeoloey. Staff was knowledable and friendly. Took the tour. i saw this story on booze traveler.
I like the 4 barrel blend. If you have time and you like whiskey I would recommend it

Husband did just the tasting & not the tour (so this is really his review). The staff doing the tasting was energetic & gave a good back story to each of the drinks poured. Some of the highest priced was drinkable. The rest of the samples were very rough around the edges. He said being such a new business it has potential to possibly have a good product but needs several more years before it may manifest. The $ 10 tasting price was quite high compared to other distilleries that we’ve visited in KY, TN & other states.

Cool spot! It seems a little weird to me to pay for the $ 10 tour whether you’re tasting or not, but that’s how it’s set up. We definitely got a buzz going form the little samples at the end of the tour.
I loved the history of the distillery, but it’s a relatively small place. Some of the whiskeys have been made at ‘contract distilleries’, just to be aged here. I did really like the white whiskey and the sherry-​casked Bellmeade Bourbon, but $ 80/​bottle was a bit much for me to splurge for a single bottle.
I would say it’s a fun thing to do & try, but I couldn’t see myself doing it regularly or becoming a big fan of such a small, local distillery. I guess I might say it’s kind of a boutique place.

Worth the stop. The tour is really just a short walk around a room. Recently went through the Jim Beam tour and this is not even the same. But, the staff was nice, gave some cool info about the place and the three shots of good Tennessee Whiskey at the end are well worth the $ 10. Tour took about 45 minutes.

Went for a tour of the distillery, and was pleasantly surprised by the awesome history of the family. We had the opportunity to taste test the different bourbon varieties on hand which was also a great experience. We also had a sneak peek of the event space which was a great open space with the opportunity to be creative.

I was able to a #MediaGrits event after hours at the distillery. The brothers, Charlie and Andy Nelson were so generous and opened the distillery up and allowed to sample some cocktails made with the Belle Meade Bourbon and the Nelson’s Green White Whiskey. There was a hot toddy, a lemon/​honey drink and a mango drink. My favorite was the lemon/​honey drink.
The tour starts off with some history about the distillery. You learn about the family’s trip from Europe to the Americas. It’s an interesting story about how they made it over and how the family got into the liquor business. Once the history is over and they’re ready to take you into the distillery, you’ll have to leave your drink at the bar area. A law states that you’re not allowed to drink in the area in which liquor is distilled. Also, the bar area is only about to serve drinks with what they produce, therefor they’re not allowed to use sweeteners and bitters that they don’t make.
The distillery area is a little cooler than the main bar area and the gift shop area. In the distillery area, you learn that corn, wheat and malted barley make the bourbon. Water, grain and yeast is all you need. The distillery has where they keep the ingredients, also the barrels and the still. The tour is VERY informative. I’ve been to the Jack Daniel’s distillery and I felt like I learned more here.
You can really feel how this is a local company. The two brothers play basket ball in the barreling area. They sometimes have «bottling parties» where they bottle and listen to music. Going on the tour really makes you like this company more than you normally would.
At the end of the tour, we were able to try the white whiskey, the Belle Meade Bourbon and the Single barrel Belle Meade bourbon. I’ve tried the white whiskey before at different distilleries and it’s always SO intense. This white whiskey is strong, but has a smooth flavor. I’ve been lucky enough to try the Belle Meade Bourbon before at different events, and I’ve always enjoyed it.
The brothers also have an area that they’re converting to an event space. It will have windows out to where you can see the barrels & the production area. It will probably look somewhat like City Winery in the aspect that you’ll be able to see the barrels & the different aspects of the distillery. This would be a great place to host an event.
Overall, I loved the tour. You learn so much about the distillery process. You also learn about they history of the distillery and you can tell how passionate about the two brothers and their pursuit to Bourbon perfection. You really need to take the tour and sample the bourbon! Taste the passion!!!

Very cool little spot. Highly recommend popping in and checking out the small tour and tasting.
Must admit, my wife and I have been on many distillery tours and all over TN and KY for whiskeys and bourbons. We just love that amber liquid and warm inner hug received when imbibing. With that said, as many tours as we’ve taken and samples we’ve tried, we haven’t cared for any company’s «White Lightning» or standard moonshine type products. The stuff that comes straight off the still.
With that said, Green Brier doesn’t have any of their product on the market yet. They are a new (throwback) distillery with roots from the area, and as those of you know, bourbon takes years in the barrel for the taste. Those products are sitting in barrels now, but just haven’t aged yet. This is why they have a partnership or joint venture with Belle Meade bourbon. You sample the Belle Meade stuff. Their stuff tends to be very rye in nature and sharp. While I like that, my wife is not a huge fan. They also have a bourbon aged in sherry barrels which smells quite nice, but is EXpensive.
Back to my point, we have never cared, anywhere we’ve went, or any taste we’ve had for any company’s white dog. Until, that is, we tried Green Brier’s. If their standard white moonshine product is THAT good, I can only wait to taste their real good stuff from the barrels in a few years. Green Brier’s is wheat based, as opposed to rye like Belle Meade. Think the vein of Pappy… yeah, I said it. It is possible that with proper aging, their stuff might be that good.

OK, so if you like bourbon and in you’re in town, I highly recommend that you give ‘em a visit — esp since it’s centrally– located itown, at the old Marathon Motors site.
Apparently, Green Brier came to fruition when a coupla brothers inadverdantly discovered the old original distillery that their ancestor had operated.
They’re still a start-​up company at nine or so employees, and II could even see one of the brothers on the production floor! …so the operation is still so small that it’s kind of like a family, and that attitude trickles down to the visitors.
They give a good run-​down of the process as they guide you through the produciton floor.
They have tours on the hour, every hour, Tues-​Sat (12−6p), or Sun (12−4p). They squeeze it into a full hour with a tasting of their white whiskey, and Belle Meade bourbon.