It probably seems like a bit of an exaggeration to refer to Nashville distilleries Pennington Distilling Co. and Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery as “upstarts” since both businesses have been in operation for several years now. But in the world of whiskey, they’re both just young'uns. That’s what makes it even more remarkable that both distilleries racked up some pretty significant accolades at the recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition. And Shelbyville-based Uncle Nearest is so new that they haven’t really even distributed any of their own distillate yet, but some of their sourced products are already starting to make waves, including at the SF competition.
Jeff Pennington is especially proud of his team’s achievement in winning “Best Tennessee Whiskey” for their initial bottling of their small-batch Davidson Reserve Tennessee Straight Sour Mash Whiskey. This product also won a Double Gold Medal from the judging panel, meaning every single judge on the panel awarded it their highest award in a blind tasting. Pennington also medaled for several of its other products including a Gold for the single barrel expression of their Tennessee whiskey, a Silver for their Davidson Reserve Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey, a bronze for their bourbon and for their Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream and two awards in the always competitive vodka category. Local barroom stalwart Picker’s Vodka brought home another gold medal, and the rarer Walton’s finest Vodka made with 100 percent Tennessee-grown red winter wheat was awarded another coveted Double Gold in competition with dozens of other entries in the category.
Pennington shared the credit with his entire distillery staff, saying: “The entire PDC team has worked extremely hard for years to produce a high quality grain-to-glass TN Whiskey we could be proud of. This accomplishment really is a culmination of those efforts and a testament to the drive and determination of our PDC family. We are extremely honored and proud of our products and all of the awards, but this one was definitely a pinnacle for us!” Not to brag, but I’ve already told you how amazing I thought Pennington’s first Tennessee whiskey was, back to the time I first tasted it even before it ever entered a barrel.
Ironically, Pennington’s has shifted some of its production to a public service of late, manufacturing critically needed hand sanitizer for the government that will be shipped to COVID-19 testing facilities around the country. They haven’t forgotten about their local fans though, offering a special service at their facility at 900 44th Ave. N., where they are passing out hundreds of gallons of sanitizer to Nashvillians who bring their own containers. (Don’t try to drink it though. The government makes them add poison to it to make sure they’re not moonshining to avoid paying taxes. You’ve been warned!) There’s a one-gallon limit per person per day, and hundreds of cars pulled through their drive-thru from Pennington’s side parking lot when they first announced availability on Facebook earlier this week. They plan to try to make this a regular service for the time being, but availability is based on production and the needs of the medical facilities that are the first priority. Follow Pennington on Facebook to find out when the sanitizer is flowing.
Andy and Charlie Nelson also had an impressive showing in San Francisco, winning a Gold for their first wide release of Tennessee whiskey under the Nelson’s Green Brier label. While current bottlings of their initial flagship product Belle Meade Bourbon are still filled with whiskey made at a contract distillery, the Nelson brothers have consistently demonstrated real talent for blending and finishing this product to make it something special that stands out from other sourced whiskeys. They continued their streak with an impressive Double Gold in the Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon category for one of their coveted cask-finished versions of Belle Meade Bourbon, in particular a powerhouse 118.4-proof edition finished in Spanish brandy casks.
Uncle Nearest has also been picking out some fine cask-strength whiskeys from contract distillers, and their 117.2-proof 1820 Single Barrel Whiskey won a Double Gold in the competitive Single Barrel Bourbon: 11 Years and Older category, besting the favorite from Elijah Craig. Uncle Nearest also received two more Gold medals for their everyday sipper, 100-proof 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, and for their 1884 Small Batch Whiskey -—V. Eady Butler Batch.
In another Nashville-adjacent sip of news, nationally known bartender/consultant/distiller Simon Ford won a Double Gold for his London Dry Gin and a Bronze for his high-proof Officers Reserve Gin at the SF competition. This is a huge deal, because gin is one of the most glamorous categories in the competition, mainly because the variety of aromatics that are allowable in gin make for a wide variety of aromas, flavors and frankly, quality levels. While Ford’s gins are distilled in England, he has been a Nashville resident at least part of the time for a while now, and a longtime supporter of our cocktail community. So we’re happy to claim him.
Cheers!
