The best Nashville distilleries to visit in town are Nelson’s Green Brier and Corsair in Marathon Village, Ole Smoky’s walk-in tasting room in SoBro and Nashville Barrel Company, with tastings from $10 to $35. The famous names, Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel and Uncle Nearest, are 60 to 90 minutes’ drive away, and Arrington Vineyards is the best winery trip.

This guide covers every producer a visitor can actually walk into, inside Davidson County and within a 90-minute drive, plus the beer and wine side that most distillery lists skip. The caveat that matters: tastings mean drinking, and the best-known distilleries sit on two-lane roads far from town, so sort out a designated driver, a tour or a rideshare before you plan the flights.

Last updated October 7, 2026. Prices, rules and details checked September 2026.

The Short Version

If you want	Go to	Adult price	Plan on
A full distillery tour without leaving town	Nelson’s Green Brier, Marathon Village	$25	About an hour
A quick taste downtown, no booking	Ole Smoky, Sixth Avenue and Peabody Street	$10 or $13	Walk in any day
Serious bourbon, barrel picks and blends	Nashville Barrel Company	From $35; barrel picks $150	30 to 60 minutes
The famous one	Jack Daniel’s, Lynchburg	Priced by tour	A full day with the drive
The best story in Tennessee whiskey	Uncle Nearest’s Nearest Green Distillery, Shelbyville	Priced by tour	Half a day or more
Quieter and rural	George Dickel at Cascade Hollow, near Tullahoma	Priced by tour	Any day but Wednesday
Wine instead	Arrington Vineyards	$16 flight	An afternoon, 35 minutes each way
History with a glass	Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery	$32, tour and tasting included	Two hours

What Makes Tennessee Whiskey Different

Tennessee whiskey is bourbon’s close cousin with one extra step, and since 2013 it has had a legal definition. Under state law it must be made in Tennessee from a mash of at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 160 proof, aged in new charred oak barrels entered at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at 80 proof or more. The extra step is the Lincoln County Process: the new spirit is filtered through sugar-maple charcoal before it goes into the barrel, which smooths it, and it’s the thing every tour guide will show you. Benjamin Prichard’s, in Kelso, is exempt from the filtering rule.

Two more things you’ll hear on tours. First, Tennessee’s distilling history was cut off early: the state banned making liquor in 1910, a decade before national Prohibition, and nearly all of the modern industry around Nashville dates from the 2010s, which is why “the first distillery in Nashville since Prohibition” is a claim you’ll hear more than once. Second, Nearest Green, an enslaved man who became Jack Daniel’s mentor, is now credited with teaching him to distill; the Uncle Nearest brand and its Shelbyville distillery are built on that story.

How is that different from bourbon? Federal rules for bourbon cover almost the same ground (made in the United States, at least 51% corn, new charred oak barrels, the same proof limits), so most Tennessee whiskey would qualify as bourbon on paper. The charcoal step and the Tennessee name are what the distillers here are selling, and each house does it a little differently: George Dickel, for instance, chills its whisky before the charcoal filtering, and every guide will explain why their way is the right one. One label term worth knowing: proof is double the alcohol percentage, so 80 proof is 40% alcohol and a barrel-proof bottle at 125 proof is 62.5%.

Distilling is also newer here than the history suggests. Until 2009, Tennessee allowed distilleries in only three counties, Lincoln, Moore and Coffee, which is why the old names all sit in the countryside southeast of Nashville; a 2009 law opened dozens more counties, and Nashville’s own distilleries followed. “Moonshine” on a label today, as at Ole Smoky, means legal, usually unaged corn whiskey, often flavored, rather than anything made in the woods.

Using the Tennessee Whiskey Trail

The Tennessee Distillers Guild’s Tennessee Whiskey Trail lists more than 30 brands and 42 visitor destinations across the state, and its map is the easiest way to group stops by region. For a Nashville trip, think in three clusters: the in-town set around Marathon Village and SoBro; the Franklin and Thompson’s Station area 30 to 35 minutes south; and the Shelbyville, Tullahoma and Lynchburg triangle an hour or more southeast. Chattanooga’s distilleries are about two hours away, and the moonshine strip in Gatlinburg is a separate trip of three hours or more.

Nashville Distilleries Compared: Prices, Hours and Drive Times

Here is every producer in this guide in one place. Drive times are typical off-peak times from Lower Broadway; tasting prices are the posted adult rates in September 2026.

Producer	Where	From Broadway	Adult tasting or tour	Open	Best for
Nelson’s Green Brier	Marathon Village, 1414 Clinton St	7 minutes	$25 tour and tasting	Daily from 11am	The best in-town tour
Corsair	Marathon Village	7 minutes	30-minute tour; see site	Tours daily	Experimental spirits
Ole Smoky	SoBro, Sixth and Peabody	10 to 15 minutes on foot	$10 or $13 walk-in	Daily	A quick, cheap taste
Nashville Barrel Company	222 Fesslers Lane; 425 Church St	5 to 10 minutes	From $35	See site	Bourbon fans, gifts
Big Machine Distillery	122 Third Ave S; 2824 Bransford Ave	2-minute walk; 13 minutes	See site	See site	Cocktails and food
Jack Daniel’s	Lynchburg	About 1 hour 30 minutes	Priced by tour	Closed 7 holidays	The classic
George Dickel	Cascade Hollow, near Tullahoma	About 1 hour 15 minutes	Priced by tour	Thursday to Tuesday	A quieter hollow
Uncle Nearest	Shelbyville	About 1 hour 10 minutes	Priced by tour	Tours at listed times	The best story
Company Distilling	Thompson’s Station; Lynchburg	35 minutes; 1 hour 30 minutes	See site	See site	An easy second stop
Arrington Vineyards	Arrington	35 minutes	$16 flight	Daily, April to October hours	A winery afternoon
Belle Meade Winery	West Nashville	18 minutes	Included with $32 ticket	Daily 9am to 5pm	History plus wine
City Winery	Just south of downtown	5 minutes	Dinner and a show	Show nights	A seated concert

What to Expect on a Distillery Tour

Most tours follow the same shape: a guide walks your group from the grain and the fermenters to the stills, then into a barrelhouse or aging room, and you finish at a tasting bar with small pours of several spirits. A few things make the visit better:

• Eat first. Each sample is small, but six or more of them add up quickly, especially on an empty stomach and especially if you’re doing two distilleries in a day.
• Dress for the weather outside. Traditional barrelhouses aren’t air-conditioned, because the seasonal swing is part of how whiskey ages, so they’re hot in a Nashville July, when highs average 91°F, and cold in January.
• Wear sensible shoes. Working distilleries mean wet floors, gravel paths and stairs, so leave the flip-flops and the brand-new cowboy boots at the hotel.
• Bring ID even if you look 40. Tastings are 21 and up, and staff check.
• Follow the guide on photos. Most tours welcome them, but production floors can have areas where you shouldn’t stop or shoot.
• Leave time for the shop. Distillery-only bottlings and single-barrel picks are the reason many serious drinkers come, and they often aren’t sold anywhere else.

Nashville Distilleries You Can Visit in Town

Five producers inside Davidson County are set up for visitors, and two of them share Marathon Village, the old car factory off Charlotte Avenue, which makes a two-distillery afternoon easy.

1. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery

The Nelson family’s story is the best one in town. Charles Nelson ran one of the largest distilleries in Tennessee in the 1800s, Prohibition shut it, and his descendants revived the brand more than a century later, opening this distillery in Marathon Village in the 2010s. The family’s original barrel house still stands in Greenbrier, in Robertson County about 25 miles north of downtown, but the tour you’ll take is here. The tour, 45 minutes to an hour, walks through the stills and the story before a tasting of the house Tennessee whiskey and Belle Meade Bourbon. Adults 21 and over pay $25, non-drinkers and under-21s $20, military and first responders with ID $20, and children 10 and under are free, which makes it one of the few tours you can bring a family on.

It opens Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 6pm and Friday and Saturday until 7pm, at 1414 Clinton Street, about seven minutes from Broadway. Book ahead for weekends. Verdict: the best distillery tour inside Nashville, and the one to do if you only do one.

2. Corsair Distillery and Taproom at Marathon

Corsair started in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2008 and moved to Nashville in 2010, where it bills itself as the city’s first craft distillery since Prohibition. It’s known for experimental spirits, from smoked and unusual-grain whiskeys to gin, and the Marathon Village site has a taproom as well as the stills. The 30-minute walking tour runs daily and covers its grain-to-glass process. Children, non-drinkers and under-21s pay $10, kids 12 and under go free, and the adult price is on the booking page.

Verdict: the pick for whiskey drinkers who’ve done the classics and want something odder, and an easy pairing with Nelson’s Green Brier a few doors away.

3. Ole Smoky Distillery at Sixth and Peabody

Ole Smoky, the moonshine brand that started in Gatlinburg, runs a big distillery in SoBro at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Peabody Street, and it’s the easiest tasting in downtown Nashville: no reservation, walk in, taste. The regular tasting is $10 and includes moonshine and whiskey samples, a sample of YeeHaw beer and a $10-off coupon for the shop; the premium tasting is $13. Guided behind-the-scenes tours finish with a 13-sample tasting and need a reservation, and there’s live music and YeeHaw beer flights too.

Verdict: fun, cheap and a 10-to-15-minute walk from Broadway. It’s moonshine first, so whiskey purists should book Nelson’s Green Brier instead.

4. Nashville Barrel Company

Nashville Barrel Company is the bourbon enthusiast’s stop, built around tastings, single-barrel picks and custom blends rather than a big production tour. It has two locations: its headquarters distillery at 222 Fesslers Lane, a few minutes southeast of downtown, and a tasting room at 425 Church Street, near the Ryman. Tastings start at $35, running about 30 minutes for a flight or the chocolate pairing and 30 to 45 minutes for the guided premium tasting. The splurges are a barrel pick at $150 and a 60-minute blend-your-own session at $200.

Verdict: the best choice for experienced drinkers and anyone buying a special bottle as a gift; first-timers get more from a Nelson’s Green Brier tour.

5. Big Machine Distillery

Big Machine Distillery, which shares its name with the Nashville record label, has two addresses in town: a downtown location at 122 Third Avenue South, a block off Broadway, and Big Machine Distillery & Tavern at 2824 Bransford Avenue near Berry Hill, where the focus is Southern food paired with its cocktails. A third site, in Lynnville in Giles County, handles production. Tasting times are on its site. Verdict: a convenient downtown drink and a good dinner option on the south side, but not a production tour in the way Nelson’s Green Brier is.

Other Nashville labels, and one closure

The Tennessee Whiskey Trail, run by the state’s distillers guild and listing more than 30 brands and 42 destinations, also includes Far Better Distillery at 330 Harrison Street, north of the Capitol. Pennington Distilling Co. operates in The Nations but doesn’t publish tour times, so contact it before planning a visit. Newer names such as Southern Collective Spirit Company and The Nashville Distillery sell tastings, barrel picks or bottles; check their sites for what’s open to walk-ins.

One closure to know: Nashville Craft Distillery on Hagan Street shut permanently on March 30, 2025, even though some older lists still send people there.

An Afternoon Distillery Crawl in Nashville

Nashville’s in-town distilleries sit in three pockets: Marathon Village off Charlotte Avenue (Nelson’s Green Brier and Corsair), downtown and SoBro (Ole Smoky, Big Machine’s Third Avenue location and Nashville Barrel Company’s Church Street tasting room), and a scattering of others a short drive out (Nashville Barrel’s Fesslers Lane headquarters, Big Machine’s tavern near Berry Hill, Pennington in The Nations and Far Better north of the Capitol). That makes an easy half-day without a car:

• 2pm: the Nelson’s Green Brier tour and tasting in Marathon Village.
• 3:30pm: walk a few minutes down Clinton Street to Corsair for its 30-minute tour or a drink in the taproom.
• 5pm: a 10-minute rideshare to SoBro for a walk-in tasting at Ole Smoky, which also books live music.
• 6:30pm: dinner downtown, then Broadway if you still have the legs for it.

Three tastings in an afternoon is plenty. If you’d rather go deep on bourbon than wide, swap the second and third stops for a single premium tasting or barrel pick at Nashville Barrel Company.

Distilleries Within 90 Minutes of Nashville

The big names are all southeast of the city, in the rolling country between Shelbyville, Tullahoma and Lynchburg, and they’re close enough to each other to combine two in a day.

6. Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg

The world’s best-selling American whiskey is made in Lynchburg, a small town about 75 miles southeast of Nashville, roughly an hour and a half by car. The standard Jack Daniel Distillery Tour is a guided walk through the historic distillery, including a barrelhouse, and finishes with a tasting of six whiskeys. The Taste of Lynchburg tour adds Angel’s Share whiskeys and lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House, Wednesday to Friday at 1pm, and A Day at Jack is the premium version. Prices depend on the tour and sit on the booking page.

Buy tickets online, as late as two hours before a tour, and check in 30 minutes early. The distillery closes on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Lynchburg itself is a one-square town built around the Moore County courthouse, with a hardware store, a barrel shop and souvenir stores that trade on the distillery next door; an hour covers it. Verdict: worth the drive once, for the scale and the setting; pair it with the town square and Company Distilling’s tasting room in town.

7. George Dickel at Cascade Hollow, near Tullahoma

George Dickel spells it whisky, without the e, and makes it at Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., 1950 Cascade Hollow Road, a wooded valley near Tullahoma about 70 miles southeast of Nashville, roughly an hour and 15 minutes by car. It’s smaller and quieter than Jack Daniel’s, and its one-hour tours feel closer to a working distillery than a showpiece. It opens Thursday to Tuesday, which means it’s closed on Wednesdays, for tours, self-guided tastings and shopping, and reservations are strongly encouraged.

Verdict: the underrated one of the big three, and about 30 minutes from Lynchburg, so the two pair well in one day.

8. Uncle Nearest: Nearest Green Distillery, Shelbyville

Uncle Nearest is named for Nearest Green, the enslaved man now credited with teaching Jack Daniel to distill, and its Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, about an hour and 10 minutes southeast of Nashville, is one of the most polished visitor sites in Tennessee whiskey. Guided tours walk the grounds and finish with flights that include the Master Blend Edition. The brand, launched in 2017, calls Nearest Green the first known African American master distiller, and the Shelbyville campus sits on a former horse farm with room for events and a restaurant. It’s also a working distillery and farm on weekdays, so tours, the shop and the restaurant run only at listed times, and it closes on the same major holidays as Jack Daniel’s.

Verdict: the best story in Tennessee whiskey, told on a grand campus. Book ahead, and pair it with Lynchburg, about 30 minutes further on.

9. Company Distilling: Thompson’s Station and Lynchburg

Company Distilling has two tasting rooms on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail: one at 1557 Thompson’s Station Road West in Thompson’s Station, about 35 minutes south of Nashville past Franklin, and one at 34 Hiles Street in Lynchburg, near the town square. Check its site for tasting hours. Verdict: an easy second stop, especially in Lynchburg, where it turns a Jack Daniel’s trip into a two-distillery afternoon.

A Whiskey Day Trip From Nashville

The three big distilleries form a rough triangle, each 25 to 35 minutes from the next, so the classic day covers two of them and lunch. A plan that works on any day but Wednesday:

• 8:30am: leave Nashville on I-24 east.
• 10am: a morning tour at George Dickel’s Cascade Hollow, about an hour and 15 minutes out (book the slot ahead).
• Noon: drive about 30 minutes to Lynchburg for lunch on the square, or book the Taste of Lynchburg tour, which includes lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s, on a Wednesday to Friday.
• 1:30pm: the Jack Daniel Distillery Tour, then Company Distilling’s tasting room near the square.
• 4:30pm: head home, about an hour and a half, for dinner in Nashville by 6:30pm.

On a Wednesday, when Dickel is closed, run it the other way round: leave at 8:30am for a 10am tour at Uncle Nearest in Shelbyville, about an hour and 10 minutes out, drive 35 minutes or so to Lynchburg for lunch (the Taste of Lynchburg tour’s lunch runs Wednesday to Friday), take the Jack Daniel’s tour in the afternoon and head home by 4:30pm.

Swap Dickel for Uncle Nearest in Shelbyville on a Wednesday, or if you’d rather see the newer campus. Either way, someone has to drive two-lane country roads after several tastings, so the honest options are a designated driver who skips the samples or a guided whiskey tour with transport. Our guide to Nashville tours compares the whiskey tours that pick up downtown, and day trips from Nashville covers what else is on the way.

A Wine and Whiskey Day South of Nashville

If Lynchburg feels too far, a shorter loop south of the city pairs wine and whiskey with a walkable town. Start at Company Distilling’s Thompson’s Station tasting room, about 35 minutes from Broadway (check its hours first); drive about 20 minutes to Arrington Vineyards for a $16 flight and a carry-in picnic lunch; and finish on Franklin’s Main Street, where the Civil War sites at Carnton and the Carter House sell a combined guided-tour ticket. You’re back in Nashville for dinner, and no single drive of the day is much more than half an hour, which makes the designated driver’s job a lot easier.

Nashville’s Beer Scene

Nashville has a real craft beer scene, just a quieter one than its whiskey, and beer is the cheap way to drink here: it pays only the 9.75% sales tax, while cocktails, wine and spirits served at a bar pay 24.75% once the state’s 15% liquor-by-the-drink tax is added. Taprooms open, close and change owners often, so rather than a list that ages badly, here’s where they cluster and how to do them.

• The Nations: the old industrial district off 51st Avenue, about 13 minutes west of Broadway, is the visitor bureau’s pick for craft breweries, with taprooms in converted warehouses and a giant painted silo as the landmark.
• Lafayette and SoBro: the Nashville Downtown Partnership lists breweries among the draws of Lafayette, the district just south of SoBro, and Ole Smoky’s Sixth and Peabody distillery pours YeeHaw beer flights alongside its moonshine.
• Charlotte Avenue: the corridor running west from the Capitol mixes craft beer and coffee with vintage shops, and Marathon Village adds Corsair’s taproom.
• East Nashville: the bar scene here runs to dive bars and cocktail lounges as much as beer, but it’s the best area for a drink with live local music after a brewery visit.

A brewery crawl works best inside one neighborhood, on foot or with a designated driver, because the clusters are 10 to 15 minutes apart by car. If you book a party vehicle for a brewery tour, know Nashville’s rules: riders must be 21 wherever alcohol is on board, and BYO drinks are limited to beer of 8% ABV or less, with no wine or liquor. Our guide to Nashville’s neighborhoods shows where each cluster sits.

Nashville-Area Wineries

Middle Tennessee isn’t Napa, but two wineries near Nashville are worth your time, and a third is really a concert venue.

10. Arrington Vineyards

Arrington, co-founded by Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, sits on rolling hills about 25 miles, or 35 minutes, south of downtown, and on a warm weekend it’s the most relaxed afternoon within reach of Nashville. A self-guided tasting flight is $16 with no reservation, a seated bar tasting is $40 (bookings of up to six), and a food and wine pairing is $65 on Fridays to Sundays. From April to October it opens Monday to Thursday 11am to 8pm, Friday 11am to 9pm, Saturday 11am to 8pm and Sunday noon to 8pm, and in season there’s free music on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm and Sundays from 2pm to 6pm.

You can carry in your own picnic, but not delivered picnics, charcuterie set-ups or outside alcohol. Verdict: the best winery trip from Nashville; go on a weekday or arrive early on weekends, and bring a designated driver for the country roads back.

11. Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery

The old thoroughbred farm in West Nashville has its own winery, and a complimentary tasting for anyone 21 and over comes with the $32 mansion ticket, which also covers a 45-minute guided tour and the 30-plus acres of grounds. Youth 5 to 17 pay $20, and the site is open daily from 9am to 5pm, about 18 minutes from Broadway. Verdict: the best-value pour in Nashville, because the history tour is the main event and the wine is a bonus. Our guide to Nashville attractions has the full Belle Meade details.

12. City Winery Nashville

City Winery is a restaurant, wine bar and concert venue in one, just south of downtown, where you eat and drink at tables while touring songwriters and bands play. It’s a dinner-and-a-show night rather than a winery visit, so check the calendar and book a table for the show you want. Verdict: good for a seated concert with dinner, and not a substitute for a vineyard afternoon.

Which Nashville Distilleries Are Worth It?

• Worth it for almost anyone: Nelson’s Green Brier for the best in-town tour and story, Jack Daniel’s once for the scale and the setting, and Uncle Nearest for the history it tells.
• Worth it for enthusiasts: Nashville Barrel Company for barrel picks and blending, George Dickel for a quieter, more traditional distillery, and Corsair for spirits you won’t find elsewhere.
• Fine for a quick, cheap group stop: Ole Smoky, where $10 buys a walk-in tasting a short walk from Broadway.
• Best non-whiskey afternoon: Arrington Vineyards on a fall weekend, with a picnic and the free music.
• Skip: three distilleries in one day, driving yourself to Lynchburg and tasting, and any list that still sends you to Nashville Craft Distillery.

When to Go

Distillery tours run year-round, but the calendar still matters:

• Weekends are busiest everywhere, so book Saturday tours several days ahead; weekday mornings are the calmest.
• Wednesdays rule out George Dickel, which is closed that day; plan Jack Daniel’s and Uncle Nearest instead.
• Holidays close the big names: Jack Daniel’s and Uncle Nearest both shut on New Year’s Eve and Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• Summer makes barrelhouses sweltering, so take morning tours from June to August.
• Fall is the best season for the drive to Lynchburg and for Arrington, when the hills turn and the weekend music is still on.
• Winter is quiet and easy to book; check Arrington’s off-season hours, since its posted schedule covers April to October.

For weather and crowds month by month, see the best time to visit Nashville.

What a Whiskey Weekend Costs

A self-guided day in town is cheap by Nashville standards. Nelson’s Green Brier’s tour ($25), an Ole Smoky premium tasting ($13) and a Nashville Barrel Company flight (from $35) come to about $73 a person, plus short rideshares between them, which is less than a few rounds of cocktails on Broadway once the bars add 24.75% in taxes to every drink. A Lynchburg day costs more: the big distilleries price tours by type on their booking pages, and you’ll add lunch, a bottle or two from the shop, and either a sober driver or the price of a guided tour with transport. Serious collectors should budget separately for a barrel pick ($150 at Nashville Barrel Company) or a blend-your-own session ($200).

Groups, Private Tastings and Bachelorette Parties

Distilleries are one of the easiest group activities in Nashville, but groups need planning:

• Book early and ask about private slots. Public tours fill on weekends, and a party of 10 or more is easier to place in a private or group booking, which most producers handle separately from public tours.
• Arrington’s private rooms start at $450 for up to 10 guests, plus an 18% gratuity, and suit birthday and bachelorette groups who want their own space.
• Party vehicles have rules. Nashville’s must be enclosed, may run only from 9am to 11pm and must stay out of downtown from 4pm to 6pm on weekdays; riders must be 21 wherever alcohol is on board, and BYO is limited to beer of 8% ABV or less.
• Bring the non-drinkers. Nelson’s Green Brier and Corsair both sell non-drinker tour tickets, at $20 and $10, so the designated driver still gets the tour.

If You Don’t Drink

You can still enjoy most of this guide. Nelson’s Green Brier sells non-drinker tour tickets for $20 and Corsair for $10, so the designated driver still sees the stills and hears the story. Belle Meade’s $32 ticket is mainly a history tour of a famous horse farm, with the wine tasting as an optional extra. Arrington’s grounds, carry-in picnics and free weekend music work just as well with a soda, and in Lynchburg the town square and the drive through the hills are half the appeal. When you book, ask whether the bar serves non-alcoholic drinks, because offerings vary from place to place.

Getting There and Drinking Smart

• In town: Marathon Village is a short rideshare from downtown, and Ole Smoky and Nashville Barrel’s Church Street room are walkable. Don’t drive between tastings; rideshares are cheap over these distances.
• Out of town: Lynchburg, Tullahoma and Shelbyville need a car or a tour. Tennessee’s drunk-driving limit is 0.08% blood alcohol, and a few tasting pours add up quickly.
• ID and age: bring a photo ID; you must be 21 to taste. Policies for under-21s differ: Nelson’s Green Brier charges them $20 and lets children 10 and under in free, and Corsair charges $10 with 12 and under free.
• Bottles: distilleries sell their own bottles, often including releases you won’t find in stores, so this is where to buy gifts. Flying home, pack them in checked bags; federal rules allow up to 5 liters per person of drinks between 24% and 70% alcohol in unopened retail packaging, and nothing stronger.
• Costs: after the tour, cocktails in Nashville bars carry 24.75% in combined taxes, so a distillery shop bottle is often the better value.

If whiskey is part of a bigger night out, our guide to Nashville’s honky tonks covers the bars on Broadway, and the Nashville bachelorette party guide has group-friendly tasting ideas.

Nashville Distilleries FAQ

What is the best distillery to visit in Nashville?

Nelson’s Green Brier in Marathon Village, for most people. Its 45-to-60-minute tour costs $25 for adults, covers a genuine family history and ends with a tasting of its Tennessee whiskey and Belle Meade Bourbon. It opens daily from 11am, and children 10 and under go free, which few distillery tours allow.

How far is Jack Daniel’s from Nashville?

About 75 miles southeast, roughly an hour and a half by car, in Lynchburg. Buy tour tickets online, check in 30 minutes early, and note it closes on seven holidays, including Easter and Thanksgiving. George Dickel is about 30 minutes away, so many visitors pair the two in one day.

Can you visit a distillery in downtown Nashville?

Yes. Ole Smoky at Sixth Avenue and Peabody Street takes walk-in tastings daily for $10 or $13, Nashville Barrel Company has a tasting room at 425 Church Street near the Ryman, and Big Machine Distillery has a location at 122 Third Avenue South. Nelson’s Green Brier and Corsair are seven minutes away in Marathon Village.

Do you need reservations for Nashville distillery tours?

For tours, it’s wise, especially on weekends: Nelson’s Green Brier and Corsair sell timed tours, Jack Daniel’s sells tickets online, and Dickel strongly encourages reservations. Ole Smoky’s regular and premium tastings are walk-in, though its guided tours need a booking. Arrington’s self-guided flight needs no reservation.

Can kids go on distillery tours in Nashville?

At some. Nelson’s Green Brier admits children 10 and under free and charges non-drinkers and under-21s $20, and Corsair charges $10 for children and non-drinkers, with kids 12 and under free. Tastings are 21 and up everywhere, so check each distillery’s family policy before you book.

Is Nashville Craft Distillery still open?

No. Nashville Craft Distillery on Hagan Street closed permanently on March 30, 2025, although some older lists still include it. For a similar small-batch visit, Corsair in Marathon Village makes experimental spirits and runs 30-minute tours daily.

Are there wineries near Nashville?

Yes. Arrington Vineyards, 35 minutes south, is the best, with a $16 self-guided flight and free weekend music in season. Belle Meade Historic Site includes a wine tasting with its $32 mansion ticket, and City Winery downtown pairs wine and dinner with concerts.

Related Nashville Guides

• Nashville Tours: whiskey tours with transport, plus trolleys and walking tours.
• Day Trips From Nashville: Lynchburg, Franklin, Mammoth Cave and more, with drive times.
• Nashville Honky Tonks: the Broadway bars, ranked, for after the tasting.
• Nashville Neighborhoods: where Marathon Village, The Nations and SoBro sit.
• Where to Eat in Nashville: dinner near the distilleries, from hot chicken to tasting menus.
• Things to Do in Nashville: the rest of the city, once the tasting’s done.

Sources and verification

Details in this guide were checked on September 25, 2026 against the producers, agencies and trail listings below; the guide is based on that research and doesn’t claim first-hand visits. Drive times are our estimates for off-peak traffic.

• Tennessee Whiskey Trail: distilleries
• Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery: visit
• Corsair Distillery: Marathon tours and tastings
• Ole Smoky: Nashville tasting
• Nashville Barrel Company: tours
• Jack Daniel’s: tours and tour FAQ
• George Dickel: visit Cascade Hollow
• Uncle Nearest: tours
• Arrington Vineyards: tasting experiences
• Belle Meade Historic Site: mansion tour admission
• Tennessee Department of Revenue: alcohol tax manual
• Metro Beer Board: beer laws
• Nashville Downtown Partnership: neighborhoods
• FAA PackSafe: what you can fly with

Photo credits

• Jack Daniel's barrelhouse, Lynchburg: photo by Gatorfan252525, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• George Dickel distillery, Cascade Hollow: photo by Brian Stansberry, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
• Nearest Green Distillery, Shelbyville: photo by 9tynite, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
• Lynchburg town square: photo by Brian Stansberry, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
• Arrington Vineyards: photo by P. Hughes, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Nelson's Green Brier Distillery, Marathon Village (featured image): photo by Myshelle39, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and have been resized for the web. The chart is our own, drawn from the figures in this guide.