Skip to main content

The Best American Bourbon of 2018

belle meade bourbon best bourbon 2018
Dan Baker/The Manual

The Manual Spirit Awards 2018 recognize the best damn booze in America. Across nine categories — Bourbon, Rye, Single Malt Whiskey, Unaged Rum, Aged Rum, Vodka, Flavored Vodka, Gin, and Brandy — we blind-tasted multiple products from around the country to determine our champions. Each of the winning bottles was judged on appearance, aroma, palate, finish, and how well the product represented the category as a whole. Our focus on smaller craft distillers in the U.S. allowed us to highlight spirits that, we hoped, our readers have not tried yet.

Best Bourbon

Belle Meade Bourbon

Bourbon whiskey is “America’s spirit.” To be considered bourbon, the liquor must be composed of at least 51 percent corn (the remainder is usually a combination of rye, malted barley, and/or wheat); housed in a new, charred American oak barrel; and aged at no more than 125 proof. Like Scotch whisky, the designation is also locational; true bourbon can only be crafted in the United States.

Dan Baker/The Manual

Although 95 percent of all bourbon is made in Kentucky, we found our winner outside the Bluegrass State. Belle Meade Bourbon is produced by Nashville-based Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in an effort to resurrect a brand started by the triple-great-grandfather of the distillery’s founders, Charlie, and Andy Nelson.

Recommended Videos

Each batch is created from four barrels of high-rye bourbon aged between six and eight years and bottled at 45.2 percent alcohol by volume. Belle Meade Bourbon blends the best caramel, oak, and vanilla flavors of oak aging with the baking spice of a high-rye mash bill for a spirit that stands up to a neat pour or any number of cocktails. It is available primarily in the southeast U.S., with distribution in select other states as well.

Tasting Notes

  • Appearance: Belle Meade Bourbon is a golden amber.
  • Nose: Oak notes are the predominant scent, with hints of vanilla, maple syrup, and fresh orange underneath. At first, it smells like the exterior of a barrel, but the sweet hints come alive with the addition of some water droplets.
  • Palate: The high rye content is the first thing you notice, with baking spice notes right up front. This spiced backbone is ensconced by vanilla and caramel flavors and supported by a bready end.
  • Finish: Medium-long, with hints of oak and caramel.

About the Distillery

The story of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery reads like a great American novel: Charles Nelson and his family came to America from Germany in the 19th century on a voyage that claimed his father’s life. Charles had to rebuild his family’s fortune in the New World, so he became a successful merchant and eventually established one of the most prosperous distilleries in Tennessee. Although Prohibition closed down the original Nelson’s distillery, a century later, his descendants decided to rebuild their family legacy and revive Charles Nelson’s recipes for 21st-century drinkers. In addition to Belle Meade Bourbon, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery puts out Louisa’s Liqueur (a coffee, caramel, pecan liqueur named after Charles’s Nelson’s wife), a Tennessee white whiskey, and Nelson’s First 108, a limited-edition Tennessee whiskey.

How to Enjoy It In a Cocktail

Old Fashioned

How could we not talk about the Old Fashioned? There is perhaps no cocktail that is more representative of all bourbon drink than this particular tipple. With only a few ingredients other than the bourbon — all of which are added to enhance the different elements of the whiskey — what you get is the ultimate expression of the spirit. For step-by-step instructions, check out our detailed video on how to make an Old Fashioned.

Glass: Old Fashioned glass
Tools: Muddler, stirring spoon, large ice cube maker

  • 2 oz Belle Meade Bourbon
  • 3-4 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1-2 dashes water
  • 1 sugar cube
  • Orange peel

Method: Add sugar cube, bitters, and water to Old Fashioned glass. Muddle together. Add bourbon and a large cube of ice. Stir. Express orange peel over the top of the glass and drop in.

Best Bourbon Runners-Up

Stein 5 Year Aged Bull Bourbon Cody Road Bourbon Whiskey
Stein Distillery Mississippi River Distilling Company 
Joseph, Oregon Le Claire, Iowa
tein 5 Year Aged Bull Bourbon
Oak and dry spice flavors predominate, with a nice sweetness in the middle. The time spent in barrels shows in a lovely way. A younger bourbon, the caramel and corn flavors are fairly light in Cody Road. A little bit of heat on the beginning and end wake up the senses.

Credits

Article by Sam Slaughter

Additional reporting by Will Nicol

Copy editing by Nicole Raney

Photography by Dan Baker

Video by Dan Baker and Riley Young

Art direction and page layout by Genevieve Poblano

Creative team: Will Hawkins, Hanif Jackson, and Chris DeGraw

Shot on location at Grand Army Tavern in Portland, Oregon

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
The best bourbon over $100 you won’t regret splurging on
These bottles of bourbon are definitely worth it
Whiskey glass

Bourbon whiskey is a unique spirit. Not just because it’s America’s “native” spirit but because if you really get into it, you can find enjoyment in both $30 bottles and $100 (and above) bottles. There are myriad well-made value options as well as many not-so-budget-friendly choices.

Let’s take a look at the bargain bourbons first. One prime example is Buffalo Trace. This outstanding, award-winning whiskey can be yours for around $30. It’s a great sipper and a mixer for your favorite cocktails. It, along with the likes of Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey 101, and a few other bourbons, is a must-have when stocking your home bar or bar cart. But, for every bargain bottle of bourbon, there are just as many expensive bottles. Some aren’t worth your time, but many are. Sometimes, you just have to splurge, right?

Read more
Bourbon, rye whiskey, Scotch whisky, and more: These are the best whiskeys under $35
You can get some quality whiskey without breaking the bank. Here are the brands to look out for
Whiskey shot cheers

Whiskey is a galaxy full of delicious and still undiscovered frontiers. Sure, you can shell out an arm and a leg for the stuff, especially if you're a collector or hunting for a rare release. But there's much to enjoy on the bottom shelf too, in the sub-$35 per bottle department.

The best whiskeys are attractive not only because they don't put a huge dent in our bank accounts, but they cover the entire spectrum of the stuff. Turns out, you can get some decent rye, bourbon, Canadian whisky, and more for $35 or less. These are excellent options for home consumption and do well enough to be enjoyed both neat or in something like a classic Manhattan cocktail.

Read more
This $80 bottle of straight bourbon whiskey just won an award as the best spirit in the South
Old Dominick Straight Bourbon Whiskey wins best in the South
whiskey Glass

When you think of the best spirits in the American South, your mind likely immediately goes to bourbon whiskey. This form of whiskey is commonly associated with Kentucky (although it can be produced anywhere in the US) where around 95% of the sweet, corn-based whiskey is made.

Also, if you’re a fan of America’s “native spirit”, you probably assume the best of the best comes from big names like Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve, or one of the other juggernauts of the American whiskey landscape. You wouldn’t think about an $80 expression from a little-known, smaller distillery.

Read more