Carey Bringle Has Quietly Built an Award-winning Whiskey Brand

Most Nashvillians know Carey Bringle, aka the Peg Leg Porker, from his empire of beloved barbecue restaurants: the original Peg Leg Porker BBQ location in the Gulch; Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, a Texas-inspired smoked meat emporium in the Nations; and Pig Star at the Nashville International Airport. Along the way, the serial entrepreneur has also created an award-winning line of whiskeys under the Peg Leg Porker Spirits brand.

Carey’s entry-level product, Peg Leg Porker Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, was named the world’s best bourbon at the 2023 Tasting Alliance World Championship, besting famous brands from Kentucky and earning double gold medals along the way at preliminary competitions in San Francisco, New York City and Singapore. In addition to his fantastic white label 4- to 6-year-old bourbon, Carey also offers an 8-year-old gray label whiskey, a premium 12-year-old black label bourbon, and an 8-year-old silver label rye whiskey.

To offer the chance for fans to sample all of his spirits, Carey has opened a tasting room in Berry Hill at 2700 Eugenia Ave., where he also blends and bottles his products. The facility features an attractive bar area and bottle shop along with Peg Leg Porker souvenirs, and the space can be rented out for private tastings, parties and bottle-signing events. Listed as an official stop on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, the Peg Leg Porker tasting room has become a destination for whiskey tourism, but Carey considers it one of the best-kept secrets in town.

“Some brands build their businesses around their tasting rooms,” he explains. “But ours is primarily a production facility. I see it as a convenience for our customers, where they can taste through our entire product line and find bottles that aren’t necessarily available at every liquor store.”

While Carey’s whiskey is distributed in 14 states and multiple countries — with five to 10 new states on the horizon for expansion in the near term — some of his most precious products are only available from the bottle shop at his tasting room. He offers single barrel and full-proof expressions of his bourbon, along with a special release named “The Teddy” in honor of Carey’s sponsorship of the annual Friends of Ted Rhodes golf tournament at the beloved and venerable North Nashville golf course.

Carey has never taken on investors, a rarity in the capital-intensive spirits industry, and he’s proud of what he has accomplished. He deservedly boasts, “I’ve spent my money and time on building a brand and laying down an inventory of outstanding whiskey.” 

Carey has constructed his business to last and has plans for major growth in the future. “We’re building a legacy, not a chain,” he says. “We have to make money every year, and that’s the definition of entrepreneurship. Most of all, we want to be authentic and never compromise.”

Anyone who has spent time with Carey or visited his tasting room knows he stays true to those goals every day that he works — which is every day. 

To reserve the space, call 615-583-7465 or email contact@tealhollowdistilling.com.