Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
Typeprivate
FoundedJuly 2017 (Lynchburg, Tennessee)
FounderFawn Weaver
Keith Weaver
Headquarters
Shelbyville, Tennessee
,
US
Area served
Worldwide
Key people

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced by Uncle Nearest, Inc., headquartered in Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States. The whiskey is named after the formerly enslaved man, Nathan "Nearest" Green, who taught a young Jack Daniel the craft of distilling.[1]

As of 2023, eight brand variants have been produced.[2][3] According to the IWSR, Uncle Nearest is the fastest-growing whiskey brand in the United States,[4] and is recognized as the most successful Black-owned distillery in the world.[5]

Uncle Nearest was named one of the 100 Reasons to Love America by People magazine in 2021,[6] and one of Inc.'s 5000 fastest-growing US companies from 2019 to 2022.[7]

History

Uncle Nearest, Inc., launched the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand in July 2017 and subsequently announced plans to expand into domestic and international markets, debuting its first whiskey, Nathan Green 1870 Single Barrel, in October 2018.[8] It is the first spirit named after an African-American.[9][10][11] As of September 2019, it is sold in all 50 states and twelve countries, and reached $100 million in sales in October 2022.[12][13]

In 2019,[14] Uncle Nearest announced Victoria Eady Butler, a descendant of Nathan Green, as master blender, becoming the first known African-American female whiskey master blender.[15][16] She was named Master Blender of the Year by Whisky Magazine, VinePair, and The Spirits Business in 2021,[17][18] and became Whisky's first back-to-back winner in 2022.[19]

In June 2020, the Nearest Green Foundation (co-founded by Fawn and Keith Weaver) and the Jack Daniel Distillery announced the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative.[20] Each company contributed $2.5 million to create the Nearest Green School of Distilling at Motlow State Community College, which includes the Leadership Acceleration Program for apprenticeships, and the Business Incubation Program, which provides expertise and resources to African-Americans entering the spirits industry.[21]

On June 1, 2021, Uncle Nearest formed the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund, a $50 million initiative to invest in minority-founded and owned spirits brands.[4] The company announced the Uncle Nearest HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge in January 2023 to raise $1 million for HBCU's.[22]

In October 2023, Uncle Nearest announced the acquisition of Domaine Saint Martin, a 100-acre estate and vineyard in the Grande Champagne district of Cognac.[23][24]

Nathan "Nearest" Green

Known as Uncle Nearest, Nathan "Nearest" Green was acknowledged in 2016 as the first African-American master distiller on record in the United States.[25] He taught Jack Daniel to make Tennessee whiskey and served as the first master distiller – formerly called "head stiller" – for the Jack Daniel Distillery as a free man after the Civil War.[26] He was instrumental in developing the Lincoln County Process, the sugar maple charcoal filtering method used to make most Tennessee Whiskey.[1][27]

Nearest Green Distillery

In 2017, a rezoning proposal was approved by the Bedford County board to accommodate a whiskey-themed business at the former Sand Creek Farms in Shelbyville, Tennessee.[28] On September 14, 2019,[29] the first phase of the Nearest Green Distillery opened, which included the Welcome House, a bottling house, a working horse and cattle farm, and the Toppy's Copper Skies Bar.[30] It was the first distillery in the United States named after a Black person.[31]

After a year-long closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the distillery re-opened its doors on Juneteenth 2021, adding a single-barrel rickhouse, an improved Welcome Center and Family Tasting Room, a restaurant, a non-alcoholic speakeasy,[32] and the Master Blender House.[33][34] That month, the distillery purchased an additional 53 acres for further expansion, and announced plans to dedicate 100 acres to grow organic corn for its blends.[35]

On March 23, 2023, the distillery opened Humble Baron, a 202-seat entertainment venue featuring a 518-foot long horseshoe bar (designed by Death & Co.), named the longest in the world by the Guinness World Records.[36][37] The distillery's second phase will complete with the future opening of the Still House.[38]

The company announced the purchase of an additional 109 acres in Shelbyville in May 2023.[39]

Whiskeys

1856 Batch

The recipe behind the Uncle Nearest Tennessee whiskeys dates back to the whiskeys made in the late 1800s in Lincoln County. According to Weaver, "[the recipe] was saved from a fire just behind the square in Lynchburg, and is now under lock and key at the Farmers Bank in Lynchburg, the bank Jack Daniel founded in 1888."[25] The recipe includes corn malt, a former whiskey ingredient long missing from Tennessee whiskeys.[25]

The Uncle Nearest brand originally included a silver and an aged whiskey, both distilled from locally sourced grains and bottled in Tennessee.[40] The silver whiskey takes 25 days to make, using an 11-step process that includes a triple charcoal mellowing system designed for the brand.[41] The company added a single-barrel whiskey in July 2018.[9]

The brand's first three releases are named after the year Nearest was born (1820), the year he was credited with perfecting the Lincoln County Process (1856), and the year he retired (1884).[42]

As of 2023, five additional variants have been produced; 1870 Single Barrel (UK), Master Blend Edition, and three rye whiskeys: Straight Rye Whisky, Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey and Single Barrel Rye.[43][3]

Awards and ratings

Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey New York World Wine & Spirits Competition 2021 Best in Class - Best Tennessee Whiskey[44]

2023 - Double Gold[45]

2022 Chinese Wine & Spirit Competition CWSA Whiskey of the Year[46]
2023 L.A. Spirits Awards Best Tennessee Whiskey[47]
Uncle Nearest 1820 Nearest Green Single Barrel Edition 2021 International Whisky Competition[48] First Place
2021 Ultimate Spirits Challenge[49] Chairman's Trophy
San Francisco World Spirits Competition Gold Medal - 2019[50]

Double Gold - 2020,[51] 2021,[52] 2022[53]

Uncle Nearest 1884 Premium Small Batch Whiskey Ascot Awards[54] Best American Whiskey - 2021, 2023[55]
2021 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition[56] Gold Medal
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition Wine Enthusiast 2021 Spirit Brand of the Year[57]
2021 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition[56] Best Tennessee Whiskey
2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition[53] Double Gold
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Rye Whiskey 2023 International Whisky Competition Best Rye Whiskey[58]
Uncle Nearest Uncut & Unfiltered Rye Whiskey 2023 Whiskies of the World Awards Gold[59]

References

  1. 1 2 Risen, Clay (2017-08-15). "When Jack Daniel's Failed to Honor a Slave, an Author Rewrote History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  2. ↑ AmericanWhiskeyMag (2020-01-23). "Uncle Nearest – 1884 Small Batch Tennessee Whiskey". American Whiskey Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  3. 1 2 Hurt, Jeanette. "Uncle Nearest Adds Rye To Its Whiskey Lineup". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  4. 1 2 Dunn, Elizabeth G. (2021-06-01). "A Black Whiskey Entrepreneur Will Help Bankroll Others Like Her". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  5. ↑ Taylor, DeAnna (2022-12-12). "Uncle Nearest Is Officially the Most Successful Black-Owned Distillery in the World". EBONY. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  6. ↑ "PEOPLE's List of 100 Reasons to Love America in 2021". People. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "1st Uncle Nearest Rye Whiskey Arrives". Whiskey Raiders. 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  8. ↑ "Uncle Nearest 1856 Whiskey Expands Team with Spirits Industry Exec And Lifestyle Specialist Kenny Burns". Distillery Trail. 2018-03-17. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  9. 1 2 Issuewire (2018-06-28). "Uncle Nearest Debuts Tariff-Free Cocktail In London". IsStories. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  10. ↑ Minnick, Fred. "Whiskey Legacy: New Single Barrel Honors Forgotten Whiskey Godfather". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  11. ↑ Malt, Master of (2018-10-05). "The Nightcap: 5 October". Master of Malt Blog. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  12. ↑ "Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey preserves the legacy of master distiller Nearest Green". Bizwomen. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  13. ↑ Trail, Distillery (2022-12-10). "African-American Owned Uncle Nearest Distillery Whiskey Sales Exceed $100 Million and "It's about damn time." [VIDEO]". Distillery Trail. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  14. ↑ AmericanWhiskeyMag (2019-11-12). "Uncle Nearest announces new master blender, Victoria Eady-Butler". American Whiskey Magazine. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  15. ↑ "The First African American Woman Master Blender Is Here to End the White-Washing of American Whiskey". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  16. ↑ McKirdy, Tim (2021-10-21). "Victoria Eady Butler Continues a Forgotten Whiskey Legacy, 160 Years On". VinePair. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  17. ↑ "Uncle Nearest Releases Slate Of New, Home-Grown Whiskeys". The Whiskey Wash. 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  18. ↑ "Uncle Nearest Is Officially the Most Successful Black-Owned Distillery in the World". Ebony. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  19. ↑ Benton, Levi (2 March 2022). "Uncle Nearest's Eady Butler Becomes First to Win Back to Back Master Blender of Year Awards". Fred Minnick.
  20. ↑ "TN Whiskey Companies Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniel's Pledge $5 Million to Advance African American Leadership in Whiskey Industry". Distillery Trail. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  21. ↑ Paulus, Caroline (2020-06-11). "The Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative Pledges $5 Million to Further Diversity in the Whiskey Industry". The Bourbon Review. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  22. ↑ Taylor, DeAnna (18 January 2023). "Uncle Nearest Whiskey Raising $1 Million for Underfunded HBCUs". Ebony. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  23. ↑ Browley, Jasmine (12 October 2023). "Black Woman-Owned 'Uncle Nearest' Whiskey Brand Makes History Again—Purchases Largest Grande Champagne Vineyard In Cognac, France". Essence. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  24. ↑ Bowes, Lauren (11 October 2023). "Uncle Nearest to expand into Cognac". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  25. 1 2 3 "Uncle Nearest is a Whiskey Named After the First African-American Master Distiller in U.S." www.themanual.com. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  26. ↑ "Nearest and Jack Team Up Again with $5 Million Whiskey Diversity Initiative | WhiskyCast". whiskycast.com. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  27. ↑ "The Whiskey Brand That's Highlighting How Black History Shaped American Spirits". Yahoo. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  28. ↑ "Plans unveiled for Sand Creek whiskey facility | The Walking Horse Report". The Walking Horse Report Online. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  29. ↑ Cioletti, Jeff. "Phase 1 of Nearest Green Whiskey Distillery Opens 9/14". Craft Spirits Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  30. ↑ "Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey to Open First Phase Of Distillery". The Whiskey Wash. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  31. ↑ Swartz, Kyle (2021-07-28). "Uncle Nearest Expands Distillery | Beverage Dynamics". beveragedynamics.com. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  32. ↑ "'Field of Dreams': Black-Owned Distillery Named After Former Enslaved Man Who Taught Jack Daniels to Make Whiskey Expands to More Than 320 Acres". Atlanta Black Star. 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  33. ↑ "Uncle Nearest Distillery Celebrates Juneteenth with Grand Reopening – Welcoming 10k Fans". Distillery Trail. 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  34. ↑ Sherrill, EDITOR Duane. "Nearest Green reveals $50M build out at Shelbyville distillery". Tullahoma News. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  35. ↑ Dingwall, Kate. "Nearest Green Distillery Expands With Major Land Purchase". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  36. ↑ Report, T.-G. Staff. "Crowds cram into the world's longest bar: Humble Baron hosts grand opening". Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  37. ↑ WZTV, Sydney Keller (2023-03-23). "Guinness World Records names Tennessee distillery's 518-foot bar longest ever". KATV. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  38. ↑ "Uncle Nearest Whiskey Opens Tennessee Visitors Center". Whisky Advocate. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  39. ↑ Carruthers, Nicola (2023-05-03). "Uncle Nearest expands distillery". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  40. ↑ Dunn, Dan (2018-05-17). "Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey Honors the Emancipated Slave Who Helped Launch a Brand". Robb Report. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  41. ↑ "Whiskey News: Four More to Pour". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  42. ↑ "Uncle Nearest Is the Most Important Story in American Whiskey History". InsideHook. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  43. ↑ Kilgore-Marchetti, Nino (2022-10-07). "Uncle Nearest Releases Its First Ever Rye Whiskey". The Whiskey Wash. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  44. ↑ "Results – New York World Wine & Spirits Competition". www.nywscomp.com. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  45. ↑ "An Exclusive Look At The Best Bourbons From This Year's NYWSC". UPROXX. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  46. ↑ "CWSA 2022 Results | CWSA". CWSA. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  47. ↑ "2023 Results – L.A. Spirits Awards". Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  48. ↑ "2021 RESULTS". INTERNATIONAL WHISKY COMPETITION®. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  49. ↑ "2021 Ultimate Spirits Challenge Results | Spirit Product Awards". www.ultimate-beverage.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  50. ↑ "Spirits Winner Search – San Francisco World Spirits Competition". sfspiritscomp.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  51. ↑ "2020 Winners" (PDF). San Francisco Worlds Spirits Competition. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  52. ↑ "2021 Winners" (PDF). San Francisco Worlds Spirits Competition. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  53. 1 2 Admin, FLEX (2022-04-08). "SFWSC 2022 Results | The Tasting Alliance". The Tasting Alliance. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  54. ↑ "2021 ASCOT Awards Category Winners & Championship Round Competitors – ASCOT | Awards". Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  55. ↑ "best in category 2023 – ASCOT Awards". Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  56. 1 2 "Results – New York World Wine & Spirits Competition". www.nywscomp.com. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  57. ↑ Enthusiast, Wine (2020-11-11). "Uncle Nearest, Our Spirit Brand of the Year, Explores Whiskey's Overlooked History | Wine Enthusiast's 2020 Wine Star Awards". Wine Enthusiast. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  58. ↑ Thompson, Seth (2023-07-14). "TOP RATED BOURBONS Per 2023's "International Whisky Competition". One Distillery Swept It. | The Bourbon Review". Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  59. ↑ "2023 Awards | Whiskey Tasting Events". www.whiskiesoftheworld.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
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