When The 404 Kitchen moved across 12th Avenue from its shipping container-sized home to the former Watermark space, two great things happened. First, chef Matt Bolus finally got a kitchen worthy of his prodigious talent instead of the microscopic one in the old space. And second, Bolus got to build the whiskey bar of his dreams.
Because Gertie’s sits below 404’s kitchen, the original plan was to have a simple bar menu that didn’t require servers to navigate a set of stairs. And while things like Frito pie were delicious, the masses wanted Bolus’ main menu downstairs at the gorgeous wood bar. Now you can enjoy his pork ragout or Anson Mills cornbread skillet while sipping a cocktail.
And while the excellent bartending staff can mix up some of the best drinks in the city, the reason to head to Gertie’s is for a 30-page-or-so list of brown water that can best be described as “whiskey porn.” It’s not just that Gertie’s has hard-to-find bottles, like a Kavalan from Taiwan that was named the best single-malt in the world in 2015, or a WhistlePig Boss Hog Black Prince IV that makes rye fans swoon. No, because of Bolus’ aggressive barrel program and relationships with some of the best distilleries, Gertie’s has bourbons you won’t find anywhere else because he got to hand-select them, including brands like Weller, E.H. Taylor, Elijah Craig, Garrison Bros. and more. It’s a collection unbeaten in Nashville, and it puts Gertie’s in the same league as some of the best whiskey bars in the nation. STEVE CAVENDISH
