Nashville Best Of 2026 · Best Distillery
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
A family whiskey legacy lost to Prohibition and revived a century later by two brothers. Tucked inside historic Marathon Village, Nelson’s Green Brier is our pick for the best distillery in Nashville.
The Verdict
Why Nelson’s Earns the Title
Nashville has no shortage of whiskey experiences, but none come with a story like this one. In the late 1800s, Charles Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery was one of the most successful in Tennessee, until Prohibition shut it down in 1909. More than a century later, his great-great-great-grandsons Andy and Charlie Nelson brought the family name back, opening their Nashville distillery in 2014 and reviving Tennessee whiskey based on their ancestor’s original recipe.
A visit easily fills an afternoon. The guided tour winds through the family history and the distilling floor, the tasting room looks straight onto a gleaming copper pot still, and the Rickhouse speakeasy pours rare, experimental whiskeys. Add a restaurant serving lunch and Sunday brunch inside a 19th-century mill building, and it’s one of the most memorable stops on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail.
1860
Original Distillery Established
1891
Louisa Nelson Takes the Helm
100
Years Before the Family Revival
2014
Nashville Distillery Opens
What to Try
Sip, Tour & Stay a While
Start with the whiskeys that revived a family name, then dig into something rare.
Nelson’s Greenbrier Tennessee Whiskey
A wheated Tennessee whiskey based on Charles Nelson’s original recipe. Released in 2019, it marked the family’s Tennessee whiskey returning after more than a century.
Belle Meade Bourbon
A historic Nelson family label, brought back by the brothers in 2013. It’s the bourbon that put the modern distillery on the map and a smooth place to start your tasting.
The Rickhouse Speakeasy
Taste the distillery’s most limited, experimental whiskeys with a Certified Bourbon Steward, then fill your own bottle from the custom BYO system to take home.
The Story
A Family Legacy Lost and Found
Charles Nelson came to America as a teenager in 1850. In Nashville he opened a grocery on 2nd Avenue, noticed that whiskey was his best seller, and started a distillery of his own in nearby Greenbrier. By the 1880s it was among the most prosperous in the state. After Charles died in 1891, his wife Louisa ran the business, leading a distillery decades before women could even vote.
Prohibition forced Louisa to close the distillery in 1909, and the family story faded for generations. Then brothers Andy and Charlie Nelson rediscovered their ancestor’s legacy on a trip to Greenbrier with their father. They vowed to bring it back, and in 2014 they opened Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville’s Marathon Village.
“A family legacy, bottled again after 100 years.”
Nashville Best Of Editors
Plan Your Visit
Sip in Marathon Village
The distillery sits in historic Marathon Village, just minutes from downtown. Guided tours are ticketed, so book ahead, especially on weekends.
Location
Hours
Sun–Thu: 11 am – 6 pm
Fri–Sat: 11 am – 7 pm
The on-site restaurant serves lunch Wednesday through Saturday and brunch on Sundays.
Tours & Tastings
Guided tours are $25 for guests 21+ and $20 for non-drinkers ages 10–20. Rickhouse flights are $15. Arrive 10–15 minutes early to check in.
Raise a Glass to History
Book a guided tour, grab a Rickhouse flight, or stay for lunch in Marathon Village.