Nashville, Solo: Pizza, a Museum, and the Bourbon Stop I Didn't Plan For

A few months back I took a solo trip to Nashville, and honestly, there wasn't much of a reason behind it. I hadn't been in a while, and I used to work in that area back in the day, so I figured I was overdue to just enjoy the city for what it actually offers instead of blowing through it. I'd flown in with Chattanooga Whiskey and Jack Daniel's on the radar, but this particular day wasn't about either of those. It was just about the city.

That doesn't mean bourbon stayed out of it entirely. Of course I stopped at every place along my path — Mac Doogal, 12th & Pine, a few others. I'm sure there were better spots to hit if I'd actually planned a bourbon day, but that wasn't the point. I started with pizza from Slim & Husky's, made my way downtown to the National Museum of African American Music, and somewhere in there I got thirsty. A quick Google search later, Nashville Barrel Company's tasting room popped up, and making my way over there turned out to be the best decision I made all day.

What Nashville Barrel Company Actually Is

Worth knowing before the tasting notes make sense: Nashville Barrel Company doesn't distill anything themselves. They source barrels — from MGP, Heaven Hill, and a few distilleries they don't disclose — age them in their own warehouse, and blend and bottle everything in Nashville. Their Single Barrel Experience walks you through a flight of whatever's currently in their inventory, and at the end you pick one to have bottled with your own label.

I went in wanting to be surprised. I know my way around bourbon well enough that I could've picked based on what I usually reach for, but that's not why I was there. Each pour came out lined up on a flight board with a full flavor wheel built right into the wood — tannic, herbal, woody, spicy, vanilla, toasty, fruity, nutty, earthy, and a handful more — so if a note was on the tip of my tongue and wouldn't land, there was a cheat sheet built into the table. Here's what I tasted.

Nashville Small Batch — Nose: vanilla, brown sugar, bread. Taste: apricot, cinnamon, citrus. Finish: pepper, anise, marmalade. Loved it.

Seize the Grey — Nose: tobacco, green apple. Taste: French toast, berries, honey. Finish: popcorn, allspice, warmth. Solid.

Heaven Hill — Nose: coffee, molasses, butterscotch. Taste: oak, nutty, custard. Finish: cherry, baking spice, sweet corn. Solid.

MGP — Nose: medicinal, molasses, malt. Taste: toffee, maple, candy apple. Finish: clove, kettle corn, red hots. Loved it.

Two out of four landing as favorites isn't a bad ratio for a blind-ish flight. When it came time to pick, I went with the Nashville Small Batch — not necessarily because it beat the MGP pour on paper, but because I wanted to taste what Nashville Barrel Company thinks represents them. That felt like the more honest souvenir to walk out with.

The storefront itself has a genuinely cool vibe, low-key but dialed in, and it's already on my list as a staple stop for whenever I'm back in Nashville. Funny how that works — a trip with no bourbon agenda, and the best pour of the day still found me anyway.