Nashville’s distilling scene draws on a Tennessee Whiskey tradition codified at Tennessee Code Annotated 57-2-106 (mash of at least 51 percent corn, fermentation in Tennessee, distillation to no more than 80 percent ABV, new charred oak barrels, and the Lincoln County Process maple-charcoal mellowing for any spirit sold as Tennessee Whiskey). The three houses below each hold a federal Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) permit issued by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau under 27 CFR Part 19, sit within Metro Nashville-Davidson County, run an on-premise tasting room, and carry a medal record from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), the American Distilling Institute (ADI) judging, or comparable third-party panels. Each producer also appears on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail roster maintained by the Tennessee Distillers Guild.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson's Green Brier Distillery | TTB Distilled Spirits Plant permit, Tennessee Code Annotated 57-2-106 Tennessee Whiskey program, 2020 SFWSC Gold and 2023 SFWSC Double Gold medals | Sixth-generation family revival of an 1860 Tennessee Whiskey house with Lincoln County Process maple-charcoal mellowing and Belle Meade Bourbon line |
| Corsair Distillery | TTB Distilled Spirits Plant permit, 2010 SFWSC Gold and 2014 SFWSC Double Gold for Triple Smoke, Tennessee Whiskey Trail roster | First legal craft distillery in Nashville since Prohibition with alternative-grain whiskey catalog spanning buckwheat, quinoa, and oat distillates plus gin and absinthe |
| Nashville Barrel Company | TTB Distilled Spirits Plant permit, 2023 Ascot Awards Blender of the Year, Fred Minnick Top 100 American Whiskeys placements for Nashtucky Cask Batch | Curated single-barrel selection program paired with in-house production since 2021 across bourbon and rye blends and finished expressions |
1. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery #
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery traces its founding to 1860, when Charles Nelson built the original Green Brier operation in Robertson County into one of the largest pre-Prohibition whiskey producers in Tennessee. The modern Nashville distillery, opened by sixth-generation descendants Andy Nelson and Charlie Nelson on November 23, 2014, brought the family recipe back into production after a 105-year gap. A 2023 expansion added a working restaurant, additional event space, and updated production capacity at the Marathon-area campus.
Tennessee Whiskey program and award record #
The flagship Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey is produced to the TCA 57-2-106 standard, including maple-charcoal mellowing prior to barrel entry. Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey took a Gold medal at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Nelson Brothers 15 Year Rye Whiskey took Double Gold at the 2023 SFWSC. Belle Meade Bourbon, the sourced and finished bourbon line that sits alongside the in-house whiskey, earned Double Gold and a Best Special Barrel Finish category nod at the 2015 SFWSC and a separate Double Gold for the Honey Cask finish in 2019. The distillery also received multiple medals at the 2024 American Distilling Institute Judging of Craft Spirits.
Product lineup and tour program #
The release sheet covers Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey, Nelson Brothers Classic Bourbon, Nelson Brothers Reserve Bourbon, Nelson Brothers Rye Whiskey, the Belle Meade Bourbon family (Cask Strength, Sherry Cask, and other finishes), and the Green Brier Cream Liqueur. Guided distillery tours run daily, the distillery bar pours flights and cocktails alongside retail bottle sales, and the on-site restaurant serves brunch and lunch service across published weekly hours.
Visiting and contact #
Address: 1414 Clinton Street, Nashville, TN 37203. Phone: (615) 913-8800. The house is open Sunday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tour and tasting reservations are taken through the Tock booking page linked on the producer’s website.
https://greenbrierdistillery.com/
2. Corsair Distillery #
Corsair Distillery was founded in January 2008 by Nashville natives Darek Bell and Andrew Webber, with the Marathon Village production house opening in 2010 as the first legal craft distillery inside Metro Nashville since Prohibition. Darek Bell holds distilling-school training from the Siebel Institute and the Bruichladdich Academy on Islay and authored two trade reference books on alternative-grain whiskey (Alt Whiskeys and Fire Water). TJ Carter serves as head distiller, with consulting distiller Colton Weinstein contributing to recipe development across the experimental program.
Experimental grain program and competition record #
Corsair Triple Smoke, an American single-malt whiskey built from barley smoked in three separate fractions over cherry wood, beech wood, and peat, took a Gold medal at the 2010 SFWSC, Double Gold at the 2014 SFWSC, and was named Whisky Advocate’s Artisan Whiskey of the Year. The producer’s broader release sheet covers alternative-grain whiskeys (buckwheat, quinoa, oat), multi-grain bourbons, barrel-aged gin, naturally flavored vodka, spiced rum, and a red absinthe distilled with wormwood and additional botanicals. Spirits Business named Darek Bell one of the 10 most pioneering distillers in a 2014 industry feature.
Taproom, tours, and grain-to-glass production #
The Marathon Distillery and Taproom houses both the working still floor and a tasting bar, with on-site pours of Corsair spirits, local beers, and house cocktails alongside a fresh pizza menu and a bottle shop. The grain-to-glass tour runs roughly thirty minutes and covers fermentation, distillation, and barrel finishing, with tickets sold through the operation’s website. A separate Headquarters building nearby holds expanded production capacity and barrel storage.
Visiting and contact #
Address: 1200 Clinton Street, Suite 110, Nashville, TN 37203. Phone: (615) 499-6577. The taproom is open Monday and Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and closed on Tuesday. Tours are booked online and reservations are recommended on weekends.
3. Nashville Barrel Company #
Nashville Barrel Company was founded in 2018 by Mike Hinds (co-founder and chief of logistics) and James Davenport (co-founder and chief blender). The producer began as a single-barrel selection and blending program, then opened its own working distillery in March 2021 to support in-house production alongside the curated barrel program. James Davenport was named Blender of the Year at the 2023 Ascot Awards, and the house’s bourbon and rye releases have earned recurring slots on Fred Minnick’s Top 100 American Whiskeys blind tasting.
Blending program and medal record #
For the second consecutive year in 2024, Nashville Barrel placed two expressions inside Fred Minnick’s Top 100 American Whiskeys: Nashtucky Cask Batch Bourbon at fourth place and Nashtucky Cask Batch Rye at second place. The release sheet has also collected Double Gold, Platinum, and Best in Class honors across competition panels including the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition and the American Distilling Institute Judging of Craft Spirits. The blending team maintains a single-barrel selection program through which retail partners and private clients pick individual casks for store and club picks.
Release lineup and distribution #
Current releases include the Nashtucky Cask Batch Bourbon and Cask Batch Rye blends, single-barrel rye, single-barrel bourbon, and a rotating slate of finished and limited expressions. The distillery is distributed across more than thirty states with additional international placement, and store-pick and barrel-program inquiries are routed through the trade page on the operation’s website.
Tasting rooms and contact #
Headquarters and primary tasting room: 222 Fesslers Lane, Nashville, TN 37210, open Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Downtown tasting room sits at 425 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219, open Monday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone: (615) 669-0083. Distillery tours, blending classes, and barrel-pick experiences are reserved through the Tours page on the producer’s website.
https://www.nashvillebarrelco.com/
Choosing among the three #
All three houses hold a TTB Distilled Spirits Plant permit, sit inside Metro Nashville-Davidson County, run an on-premise tasting room under a Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission distillery license, and appear on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail roster. Nelson’s Green Brier carries the deepest historical line in Tennessee whiskey, the longest in-market track record at Marathon (since 2014), and a TCA 57-2-106 Tennessee Whiskey program with multiple SFWSC Gold and Double Gold medals. Corsair holds the first-legal-craft-distillery-in-Nashville designation and an experimental grain catalog spanning alternative whiskeys, gin, absinthe, and rum, plus a 2010 SFWSC Gold and 2014 Double Gold for Triple Smoke. Nashville Barrel pairs a curated single-barrel selection program with in-house production since 2021 and a Top 100 American Whiskeys placement record under Fred Minnick blind judging. Visitors planning a multi-stop afternoon can reach all three within a short Davidson County drive, each offering pours, tours, and bottle retail under a state distillery tasting-room endorsement.
Selection Methodology #
Nashville distilleries sort against TTB Distilled Spirits Plant permits under 27 CFR Part 19, the Tennessee Whiskey statute at TCA 57-2-106 (charcoal-mellowing requirement for the Tennessee Whiskey designation), and the Tennessee Whiskey Trail roster maintained by the Tennessee Distillers Guild. The three distilleries above each hold an active DSP number traceable through the TTB Public COLA Registry, list a head distiller with a documented mash-bill program, ship product that meets the Tennessee Whiskey statute or publishes its non-Tennessee-Whiskey category honestly (American Single Malt under the 2025 TTB standard, rye under 27 CFR 5, gin under the same), pull San Francisco World Spirits Competition or American Distilling Institute medal recognition on file, and operate from a brand-anchored Davidson or Williamson County still floor. Contract distillers without an in-state still floor were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: What is the difference between Tennessee Whiskey and bourbon?
A: Tennessee Whiskey is bourbon (at least 51 percent corn mash, new charred oak barrels, distilled to no more than 80 percent ABV) plus the Lincoln County Process, which filters the new-make spirit through sugar-maple charcoal before barrel entry. Tennessee Code Annotated 57-2-106 codifies the rule. Nelson’s Green Brier produces under that statute; Corsair and Nashville Barrel list expressions under bourbon, rye, single malt, and other categories.
Q: Can I buy a single barrel for a private group or retail account?
A: Nashville Barrel Company runs a structured single-barrel selection program for retail partners and private clients, with cask-by-cask blending sessions on site. Nelson’s Green Brier offers private barrel programs through its trade page. Corsair handles barrel inquiries through its production team. Each program typically yields 150 to 250 bottles at cask strength and runs on a multi-month timeline.
Q: Are any of the three distilleries paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No firm sponsored placement.
Q: How does a guided distillery tour differ from a walk-up tasting?
A: A guided tour typically runs 30 to 60 minutes, covers fermentation, distillation, and barrel aging on the production floor, and ends with a structured flight at the tasting bar. A walk-up tasting skips the floor walk and pours flights at the bar at the visitor’s pace. Tours book ahead through each distillery’s website; tastings can usually be taken without reservation during taproom hours.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.