Nestled in West Nashville lies a tranquil oasis where art thrives at every turn: OZ Arts. Here, the realms of performance and visual arts converge to engage the senses. On a recent September evening, all the senses were awakened as guests gathered for the eighth annual Beyond Bourbon. Last year, event organizers altered the format by introducing a wildly popular VIP tasting, merging two fabulous events to create one incredible evening. This year’s co-chairs — Alice Farquhar and Max Goldberg, Amanda Church and Cesar Gueikian, Tracy and Don Hardin, and Kelly and Mark Lombardi — continued this model, contributing to another successful year for the nonprofit.
The evening commenced with small tasting vignettes — featuring Pappy Van Winkle, Willett Distillery, Belvedere Vodka and select Napa Valley wines — which were poured and discussed by experts in the fields of wine and spirits. Belvedere Vodka’s Alice Farquhar, global brand education and training manager, led a captivating discussion on James Bond, the mystique surrounding Belvedere and the absence of gluten in most distilled spirits. At the Pappy tasting, bourbon and whiskey expert Jason Eskind — founder of The Eskind Foundation and executive vice president of Best Brands Inc. — along with Bret Moore, president and CEO of Cool Springs Wine & Spirits, presented guests with a vertical tasting of Pappy throughout the years. Mark Lombardi selected wines from his private cellar, showcasing America’s most celebrated wine region, and Whiskey House Nashville’s John G. Brittle Jr. conducted an exclusive tasting of eight premium Willett Family Estate bottles.
Following the VIP tastings, all guests converged in the main space, where they were greeted with a seemingly endless array of spirits to taste and auction items ripe for the bidding. As guests mingled, the team from Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint made a ceremonial entrance with a smoked whole hog for dinner, a perfect complement to the spirits. OZ Arts — set to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2024 — has worked tirelessly to bring international performing arts to Nashville and to provide performing arts experiences to schoolchildren throughout the region. The funds raised through Beyond Bourbon continue to support this crucial mission of bringing the arts to a wider audience.