Brandon O’Daniel of Copper & Kings and now Nelson’s Inexperienced Brier Distillery
After Charlie and Andy Nelson bought their majority stake of their household’s namesake enterprise, Nelson’s Inexperienced Brier Distillery, to Constellation Manufacturers in 2019, the brothers subsequently left the enterprise to pursue new alternatives. After Andy exited the pinnacle distiller position — he joined beverage advertising and consulting agency Massive Thirst earlier this yr — the operation had been ably run by a workforce of proficient distillers aware of NGB’s course of and merchandise. However now a brand new head distiller has been named, one who brings loads of expertise to the job.
That newcomer is Brandon O’Daniel, who has one in all my prime three names for a distiller in your complete business. I first met O’Daniel nearly a decade in the past once I visited him at Louisville brandy and absinthe distillery Copper & Kings, the place he managed the distilling course of on three attractive brass pot stills. In actual fact, he nonetheless does, as a result of NGB dad or mum firm Constellation additionally owns Copper & Kings, and so they have requested O’Daniel to supervise each manufacturing operations.
Inexperienced Brier bottle store
Whereas that is bit uncommon, it’s solely little greater than a two-and-a-half-hour drive between the amenities, and O’Daniel will achieve an hour of clock time every time he involves Nashville. Copper & Kings is a comparatively small specialty operation, and Nelson’s Inexperienced Brier already has a reasonably deep bench of distilling and mixing expertise, so I anticipate the one difficulties may come from throughout the O’Daniel family. As Brandon informed The Spirits Enterprise web site, “The spouse raises some eyebrows every so often about the place I’m at. However no, it’s good.”
O’Daniel’s skilled hand as a grasp distiller ought to solely enhance the standard and consistency of Nelson Greenbrier’s merchandise, each the spirits manufactured in home and people sourced from contract distillers. I stay up for welcoming O’Daniel to city and discovering out what he has deliberate subsequent for the distillery. (So long as his spouse is cool with him getting dwelling for supper a bit of later.)
