Tasting notes

nose

apricot, peach jam, orange blossom and biscotti over caramel and honey

palate

green apple, white grape, honey and candied almond, with raspberry and a light cinnamon

finish

ginger and peaches and cream at first; the honey fades and oak tannin dries the tongue, leaving a slate-like mineral edge

Mash bill

Corn, rye and malted barley, in proportions Nelson's Green Brier has not published for this release. The base is a Nelson Brothers high-rye bourbon blend, six to eight years old, distilled in Indiana and Kentucky; the house Classic recipe is 64% corn, 30% rye and 6% malted barley, but the company has not said which blend this is.

Why it's craft

Green Brier gives bourbon six to eight years old another 17 months in casks that held Sauternes, a sweet white wine from one of Bordeaux's warmest corners. The bourbon was distilled in Indiana and Kentucky and bought in; the finishing is done in Nashville. Green Brier revives Charles Nelson's 19th-century distillery name and is wholly owned by Constellation Brands.