Quick Back-Story: In January I had to opportunity for a quick trip to Nashville. I’ve been in the south for a little over two years now and I had yet to make it up there. Our good buddy from college makes frequent visits and has always tried to get my husband and I to join so we were not missing this chance.

We arrived early afternoon and made our plans for the day starting with lunch  and followed by a tour of the Greenbrier Distillery.  Taking those first few steps onto Broadway was intoxicating: the smells, sounds, sights… less then pleasant smells… ALL part of the experience. I am by no means a “country gal” but hot damn I was feeling pretty deep into my Texas roots about 7 minutes in. Our BBQ lunch was amazing, accompanied by live music and some local beer (I promise I’ll get better about remembering the who, whats, and wheres).

After lunch aaand a few shots we were off to the distillery for our tour. Before I get into my graphic design nerd out moments here is a quick Charles Nelson / American History breakdown:

• Founded By: Charles Nelson pre Civil War
• Known as “Old Number Five” because it was the fifth registered distillery in America
• Kept the town of Greenbrier, Tennessee booming
• When Charles died his wife Louisa took over becoming one of the only women to ever run a distillery
• Prohibition caused its doors to close in 1909

Sad chunk of time passes where the distillery legacy slips away generation to generation

• 2006 Andy & Charlie Nelson happen across Greenbrier, Tennessee on a trip to see a butcher
• They knew a little of the family history “dabbling” in distilling whiskey
• Through a fortuitous chain of events the two men end up at the Greenbrier Historical Society, where not one but two bottles of perfectly preserved bottles of Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey were revealed
• Three years later, exactly 100 years after the doors closed, Andy & Charlie re-formed the family business

For more in depth historical details check out their website.

So I had two big “graphics nerding out moments” at the end during the tasting portion of the tour during the final q + a session. Our guide Joel, who I definitely recommend if you stop by to take a tour of your own, was very educated in the history and the products. He was able to answer all of my ridiculous questions about the logo branding and labels.

Moment Numero Uno: The labeling and logo have stayed almost 100% consistent with that of the original bottles. I LOVE this. The bottle below on the left is now and the bottles on the right were then. Side by side you can see that not much has changed with the labeling layout over time. The brothers not doing a overhaul on the whole look made me really happy. By just shnazzying (not a word, just roll with it) up the new typographic layout and adding the spot metallic coating they definitely modernized the look for without taking away the historical aspects.

(Photos Pulled From: http://www.greenbrierdistillery.com/products/)

Moment Numero Dos: This was our last sample of the day, the Belle Meade Bourbon (Sherry Cask Finish) and is made specifically for the Belle Mead Plantation.
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(Photos Pulled From: http://www.greenbrierdistillery.com/products/)
But for my final nerd moment…let’s zoom in on thee ole label there:

The label has had the minor esthetic changes like the metallic coating and general informative of the product modified but everything else is the same. The ONE main change (ready for this) it used to have the horses names listed on the bottles but the brothers thought “Brown Dick” (the horse on the left) wouldn’t be appropriate to have written on the rebranded label. I agree with that design modification but for the final American history mind explosion, the horse on the right, was Bonnie Scotland. To this day his bloodline dominates modern racing. Some recognizable Triple Crown Winners from his pedigree would include: Sea Biscuit, Seattle Slew, and California Chrome. For more information on the Belle Mead Plantation visit their website.

Overall, this was such a enjoyable experience. The American history, the whiskey, and my nerd out designer life moments made this such an rememberable stop. I highly recommend taking the Greenbrier Distillery Tour for yourself on your next trip to Nashville.