Nashville: Distillery & Craft Brewery Tour with Tastings

4.74

(158 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

First thing I remember is how our driver, Marcus, greeted us outside Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery—he just handed me a cold bottle of water and grinned, “You’ll thank me later.” He was right. Inside, the air smelled like sweet corn mash and old wood. Our guide, Jamie, had this way of telling stories that made the history stick—like how Prohibition nearly wiped out the family recipe. I tried to repeat the name of their signature bourbon but probably butchered it; Jamie laughed and said nobody gets it right on the first try.

We hopped back onto the bus (thank god for not having to drive), and by the second stop—a brewery tucked behind a mural-covered warehouse—I’d lost count of how many samples we’d had. Nine? Twelve? Somewhere in there. The IPA was sharp and citrusy; someone next to me said it tasted like summer in a glass. There was music everywhere—somebody strumming outside on a bench, even though it was barely noon. I didn’t expect to feel so relaxed just sitting with strangers who felt less like strangers after a few sips.

The last place had these battered leather couches and giant windows letting in late afternoon light. A woman behind the bar poured us something smoky—I think it was rye—and told us her grandfather used to work here when it was still just a bottling plant. She winked at me when I coughed on my first sip. It all felt very Nashville: friendly, unhurried, a little rough around the edges in the best way. The tour ended but nobody really wanted to leave yet; we lingered by the door swapping phone numbers and half-finished stories. I still think about that rye sometimes.