One-On-One with Carey Bringle

Since he began catering in 2013, Carey Bringle has become a pioneer in Nashville’s rise in the world of barbecue. Between receiving accolades, cooking twice at the James Beard House, and routinely dominating barbecue competitions, Bringle made his first foray into the distilling world. As the only bourbon label owned by a pitmaster, Peg Leg Porker Spirits extends Bringle’s knowledge of smoke and flavor to the region’s other most prominent culinary tradition.

Fresh from taking home eight awards earlier this summer at renowned distilling events—including the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the American Spirits Council of Tasters Awards—Bringle sat down with The Pamphleteer to talk about barbecue traditions, making bourbon, and navigating the restaurant business’s post-pandemic hurdles.

How long have you been interested in distilling liquor as opposed to barbecue? 

I've been making barbecue for over 35 years. When I was in college, I became a bourbon drinker. So, I always had an interest in bourbon. And bourbon and barbecue kind of go hand in hand. When I started my barbecue team, I wanted to get a bourbon sponsor, and I was able to pick up Jim Beam Black. So, I started working with them. And that was a big thing for us. It was fun, and we enjoyed the relationship. We still have a relationship with Jim Beam. 

But I always wanted to do my own brand. Then, the opportunity presented itself within about six or eight months of us opening the restaurant. I jumped at that opportunity and bought a batch bourbon and was able to develop my own process and start my own brand. We are still a nondistilling producer; we contract still and we work with a distiller that has a larger operation. We lay down a certain number of barrels per year per our specifications and then age those until they reach maturity. Now, we have a blending and bottling facility where we handle it, bottle it, blend it, and proof it. It also has a tasting room and bottle shop attached to it that we just opened up.

👯‍♀️ Designated Buddy System Metro has officially partnered with Red Frog, an Australian nonprofit, to ensure the safety of downtown partiers by creating a “chill zone” at 2nd and Broadway every Friday night. Starting today, the group will provide cell phone charging stations, water, sunscreen, snacks, and escorts for those who need help getting home, among other things. The initiative comes on the heels of both Riley Strain’s death and the disappearance of Alexandra Chmiel, who was separated from her group while enjoying the downtown bar scene a month ago. (Thankfully, Chmiel was found alive on the banks of the Cumberland River within seven hours of her disappearance.) 

“The aim of these programs is to provide a positive peer presence in alcohol-fuelled environments where young people gather, educate young people on safe partying behaviors, and promote and provide alcohol-free and/or diversionary activities that engage young people in these environments,” reads the organization’s website.

Earlier this year, we wrote about the culture of inebriation that has become the calling card of the Broadway tourist experience. Along with overflowing drunk tanks and crocked mugshots, Mayor O’Connell also addressed an increase in sexual assaults back in May: “We have started to see multiple initiatives underway that aren't just the police department, but have partnerships like the Office of Nightlife, the Nashville Downtown Partnership, [and] organizations like Red Frogs coming online.” MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

📄 Notes From The Mayor’s Office During this morning’s roundtable, O'Connell updated us on NDOT's never-ending battle against potholes. "[The department] has filled more than 29,000 potholes since January of this year," he shared. “They are also continuing their paving program, and they’ve paved 130 million miles of local roadways in Nashville between October of last year and July of this year.”

The mayor also made reference to the jobs his transit plan (affectionately referred to as “Chime” internally and among transit stans) may create if enacted. “More than 850 people are employed by WeGo and, with the passage of Choose How You Move, that number would grow to nearly 1300,” he said.

Later during the Q&A, Scene reporter Eli Motycka asked O’Connell about his relationship with certain NGOs, including Stand Up Nashville and the Equity Alliance, and whether his office has encouraged them to get involved with his transit campaign. The mayor said he did speak with Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition leadership “about a broad collection of issues,” but clarified that transportation was naturally “of interest to their members and the people that they serve.”

As for his administration's conversations with other nonprofit groups, O’Connell was elusive: “I haven't had any conversation with Stand Up Nashville or the Equity Alliance,” he said. “I mean, I haven't looked at the full calendar of Michael Briggs or Kendra [Abkowitz] or anybody else on our transportation team or departments.” MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🏘️ Rent Rage In a bipartisan effort to pursue antitrust violations, General Skrmetti joined the DOJ and seven other states in a lawsuit against RealPage last Friday. “My office has been looking at RealPage since 2023 following concerns about the company’s efforts to keep rents artificially high in cities across Tennessee,” Skrmetti said in a press release. “We’re glad to be part of this bipartisan effort to protect consumers and hold RealPage accountable.”

RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software has raised questions about transparency, market fixing, and accountability when it comes to steering AI regulations. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

DEVELOPMENT

• Gulch developer pays $10.6 million for Broadway parking lot (NBJ)
• Food writer, cook to open The Yellow Table Café in Nashville (NBJ)
• Developer buys again near its tower housing Whole Foods (Post)
• Alcohol-free beverage shop, Killjoy, eyed for east side (Post)
• Proposed Germantown project progresses (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Musicians Corner @ Centennial Park, 5p, Free, Info
+ feat. Real Estate, The Criticals, Jill Andrews and more

🎸 Mose Wilson @ Dee's Lounge, 9p, $10, Info

🎸 Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins & Rancid @ GEODIS Park, 5:30p, $73+, Info

🎸 WMOT Presents Finally Friday @ 3rd and Lindsley, 12p, Free, Info
+ feat. India Ramey, Kanude & Mitch Grainger

🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info

🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

✹ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: August 30-September 5

The latest releases and special screenings hitting Music City this week. For a complete list of upcoming releases, check out our 2024 Film Guide.

Reagan (Dir. Sean McNamara; Starring Dennis Quaid and Jon Voight) Quaid takes on the role of Ronald Reagan in this biopic from the director of faith-based hit Soul Surfer. Now playing in theaters.

Good One (Dir. India Donaldson; Starring Lily Collias, James Le Gros) A 17-year-old girl goes on a hiking trip with her dad and best friend that, according to the raves at Sundance and Cannes, veers into one masterfully tense psychological thriller. Now playing at the Belcourt.

Boogie Nights in 35mm (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson; Starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore) Few movies hold up as well as PT Anderson’s American epic about the highs and lows of the late-70s porn industry in the San Fernando Valley. A stone-cold masterpiece that begs to be seen in a theater on film. Playing Friday and Monday at The Belcourt.

Twister and Twisters in 4DX Not only was Twisters the movie of the summer, but experiencing it along with shaky seats, wind gusts, and water of questionable origin is hands-down one of the most memorable movie experiences one can have. See the original and its more-than-worthy sequel during this special Labor Day weekend presentation. Now playing at Regal Opry Mills and Regal Hollywood 27.

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.