Nelson Brothers, the makers of Green Brier and Belle Meade, have released their new whiskey expressions today!

In 2006, the Nelson brothers began reviving their family legacy. Their family story started in 1835 with Charles Nelson. When Charles was 15, his family immigrated from Germany, selling their family business there for gold to bring with them to the new world. Charles’ father even had special clothing made with which to hide the gold on his person until they were able to sell it in America.

A picture of Charles Nelson — Charles Nelson

Unfortunately, a storm sank their passenger ship, and that gold dragged Charles’ father to the bottom of the Atlantic, and the rest of the family made it to American shores with nothing but the clothes on their backs and heavy hearts.

Charles and his brothers made soap and candles as they had in Germany to make money for the family. From there, they took whatever jobs and careers provided for the family. Eventually, they made their way to Nashville and Charles opened up a grocery store selling coffee, meat, and whiskey.

Charles had learned how to distill from fellow craftsman he befriended, and the quality of his whiskey quickly made it incredibly popular in his area. He’d commissioned his recipe to be made by a small distillery in Greenbrier, Tennessee. Soon, demand exceeded supply and Charles switched to focusing on distillation full-time.

Charles sold his grocery store, purchased and expanded the distillery making his whiskey, and continued to grow and prosper until his passing in 1891. His wife assumed control of the business, being one of the first women distillery owners of the era.

As with many other great distilleries, prohibition struck at the heart of their operation. The distillery was sold, fell into disrepair, and was lost to the pages of American history.

The Nelson Brothers of today were visiting Greenbrier and vaguely recalled tales passed down through the family. Stories of a family distillery that had once been in the same area. And, when they decided to search, and when they did, their family legacy revealed itself. They even found two unopened bottles of the original family recipe.

They decided then and there that distilling was their destiny, and the rest is history being written.

You can learn more about Nelson Brothers by clicking here. More about the releases can be found below!