Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey is THE Original Tennessee Whiskey

A message from our partners at Constellation Brands and Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery

Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey is THE Original Tennessee Whiskey

Tennessee whiskey is famous around the world but it’s usually tied back to one name: Jack Daniel’s. There are others too, like George Dickel and Uncle Nearest, but none of those are as old or formative to the designation of Tennessee Whiskey as Nelson’s Green Brier. 

As we like to say: Nelson’s Green Brier is older than Jack and prettier than George.

What makes Nelson’s older is our DSP designation. Jack Daniels flaunts their “Old No. 7” because they’re DSP-TN 7, referring to its historic federal registration number; however, Nelson’s Green Brier is DSP-TN 5. 

If Nelson’s has been around so long, why haven’t as many people heard of it? 

Our founder Charles Nelson had this place humming by 1885, shipping an astonishing two million bottles a year around the world. At the time of his unfortunate demise in 1891, his wife Louisa kept the distillery up and running (before she was even legally allowed to vote), but TN state prohibition shut the entire operation down by 1909. The distillery and all its glory faded from memory until two brothers, Charlie and Andy Nelson (the great-great-great grandsons of Charles and Louisa) discovered their family’s legacy and revived the distillery in 2006, nearly 100 years after it was forced to close. 

But what makes Tennessee Whiskey, Tennessee Whiskey?

Of course it needs to be distilled, aged, and bottled entirely in Tennessee, but another key differentiator is the charcoal filtration. Right off the still, all Tennessee Whiskey is run through a charcoal filter, which is just a barrel of sugar maple* charcoal, to remove any impurities and create a smoother sip. It’s a nice little touch developed in the late 1800s that founder Charles Nelson adopted and coined the term for. After his death, his wife Louisa trademarked the term Tennessee Whiskey in 1906. Our founders were just really operating on an entirely different level back in the day.

*Fun Fact: In addition to being essential in Tennessee whiskey making, Sugar Maple is also the name of the distillery cat at Nelson's Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, TN. Affectionately known as "the Queen."

A Great Southern Revival

Fast forward to 2006: Charles Nelson’s great-great-great grandsons discover their family’s legacy and pour everything they’ve got into reviving Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. An important question came up: if Green Brier was so popular back in the day, what did it taste like? Well, as luck would have it, there was an answer to that exact question. Before Charles’s death, a local reporter stopped in the distillery and got a tour of the facility and the production process. That reporter then meticulously transcribed every detail, including the mash bill, recipe, and process, then published it in the paper the next day. Once the Nelson brothers unearthed that scoop from nearly 150 years ago, they were ready to start cooking.

In addition to the meticulous recreation of the original recipe that took the world by storm, the brothers also recreated the original label of Nelson’s Green Brier. Since Charles and Louisa’s distillery effectively built the town of Greenbrier, Tennessee, the Greenbrier Historical Commission salvaged and took good care of a handful of bottles for the better part of a century. A few even included the original liquid; however, no one has taste-tested them to see if the revived recipe stands up to the original.

Another Fun Fact: In recreating the modern-day label, the Nelsons discovered that the original Nelson’s Green Brier label was designed by the same lithograph company that designed the dollar bill. Yes, the American dollar bill, our currency.

Re-Building a Legacy

With all the painstaking work that went into recreating their family’s legacy, the team at Nelson’s Green Brier is proud to stand by their time-tested product. Aside from the incredible story, one of our many key differentiators is that Nelson’s Green Brier is wheat-based as opposed to rye-based, which softens the mash bill and elevates the overall taste profile. It’s also capped at a palatable 91 proof as a tip-of-the-cap to our founder Charles Nelson, who passed away in 1891.

There’s plenty more history to discover when it comes to Nelson’s Green Brier, so stop by our distillery in Marathon Village for a taste and a tour!

1414 Clinton St, Nashville, TN 37203 | ngbd.com | @nelsonsgreenbrier

Please enjoy responsibly. Nelson’s Green Brier® Tennessee Whiskey 45.5% alc/vol ©2026 Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, Nashville, TN