Andy Nelson, Belle Meade Bourbon head distiller, will be the featured guest for the 13th Annual Carson Center Distiller’s Dinner on
Oct. 28, in Paducah. Roof Brothers Wine & Spirits has sponsored all 13 dinners, which raise funds for the Carson Center, the regional nonprofit performing arts center in historic downtown Paducah. The event takes place on stage at the center. Reservations are required; early reservations are encouraged. Tickets and tables may be purchased by calling (270) 443-9932 or visiting thecarsoncenter.org.
Throughout the evening, the Eddy Grove Trio will provide live music – including folk, Bluegrass, roots, and Americana. Guests will mix and mingle at a reception with Nelson before dinner. During the evening, he will make remarks, offer Q&A time, and visit tables. Executive Chefs Karla Lawrence and David Jones of Artisan Kitchen will make remarks about the four-course dinner, which is a culinary salute to the Volunteer State. Beverage options will include Belle Meade Bourbon, house wine and beer, coffee and tea. Event partners include the Paducah Bourbon Society, Flower + Furbish, Midtown Market, Chris Colson Auction & Realty, Paducah Life, WKMS 91.3 FM (NPR station), and Horizon Media Group.
The story of Belle Meade, the “South’s newest best bourbon” (Forbes), began in the 1800s with Charles Nelson, then America’s foremost whiskey producer. In 2009, great- great- great- grandsons Andy and Charlie Nelson re-established Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, Tenn., a century after it closed during Prohibition. Belle Meade Bourbon honors include Double Gold Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.