Nelson Brothers Reserve Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

NelsonBros. Reserve Bourbon and an Old Fashioned made with it.
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Even though Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery of Nashville has released it’s own fully developed, flagship in-house whiskey, that doesn’t mean they have abandoned the idea of sourced whiskey. Far from it. Not only does their starting, sourced brand of Belle Meade endure, the company added a new sourced brand to the mix, Nelson’s Brothers Bourbon.

The new brand currently has two expressions. Both are blends of sourced bourbon, and the main distinction is proof. The “Classic Blend of Straight Bourbons” is bottled at 93.3 proof, while the Reserve Bourbon is bottled at cask strength. The sourcing is from Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana (a cluster familiar to fans of Barrell Bourbon for years now), and the press material from Nelson describes the Classic Blend as being based on high-rye bourbon, while the Reserve is drawn from especially aged barrels in the company inventory.

So, when I referred to the “main distinction,” I did not mean these two products are merely the standard and cask strength version of the same recipe. However, without more information about the sourcing and maturation, we can’t really know just how far apart they are.

I received samples of both, and started by snagging one without looking at which I had. Thus, we’re starting with Nelson Bros. Reserve, bottled at 107.8 proof.

The Bourbon
The scent that rose from my Glencairn was sitting very much in the candied bourbon zone, with notes of vanilla, marshmallow and butterscotch, only thickly so from the relatively high proof. The palate comes across as a crust of cinnamon toast, so think butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg all melted together, but without the bread. Instead, add some vanilla and ginger. The finish rolls off that before turning a little nutty and a little woody.

Overally, I thought Nelson Bros. Reserve was a pleasant enough sipper, sitting very much in this place where it packs some heft without being a ball breaker. That makes it a natural bottle for folks who like their whiskey stronger, but are honest enough with themselves to admit that 120+ proof whiskey often requires some dialing down with water. It’s just strong enough, stopping short of always smacking you. That said, what I discovered was that it really shines as a base for bourbon cocktails, especially if you want to take your home cocktail game up a notch.

The Price
Officially, a bottle of Nelson Bros. Reserve is $59.99.