Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey

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Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
Typeprivate
FoundedLynchburg, Tennessee
FounderNathan "Nearest" Green, Fawn 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. The whiskey is named after the formerly enslaved man, Nathan "Nearest" Green, who taught a young Jack Daniel the craft of distilling.[1] The brand's producer is Uncle Nearest, Inc., also located in Shelbyville.

As of 2020, five brand variants have been produced: Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Silver Whiskey, Uncle Nearest 1820 Premium Aged Whiskey (Nearest Green Single Barrel Edition), Nathan Green 1870 Single Barrel (UK), and Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Tennessee Whiskey.[2][3][4]According to the IWSR, Uncle Nearest is the fastest-growing whiskey brand in the United States.[5] In June 2021, Uncle Nearest was named one of the 100 Reasons to Love America by People magazine.[6]

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.[7][8] It is the first spirit named after an African-American.[9]As of September 2019, it is sold in all 50 states and twelve countries.[10][11]

The company's first 11-year-old, single-barrel whiskey premiered in October 2018 via the British Bourbon Society under the name Nathan Green 1870 Single Barrel.[2][3][12]

In June 2020, the Nearest Green Distillery and the Jack Daniel Distillery announced the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative.[13] 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.[14]

On June 1, 2021, Uncle Nearest announced the formation of the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund, a $50 million initiative to invest in minority-founded and owned spirits brands.[5]

Nathan "Nearest" Green[]

Known as Uncle Nearest, Nathan "Nearest" Green has been acknowledged since about 2016 as the first African-American master distiller on record in the United States.[1][15] 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.[7][16] He was reportedly instrumental in developing the Lincoln County Process, the sugar maple charcoal filtering method used to make most Tennessee Whiskey.[1][15][16]

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.[17]On September 14, 2019,[18]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.[19]It was the first distillery in the United States named after a Black person.[20]

After a year-long closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, re-opened its doors on Juneteenth 2021, debuting its second phase, which added a single-barrel rickhouse, an improved Welcome House and Family Testing Room, a restaurant, a non-alcoholic speakeasy,[21] and the Master Blender House.[22][23]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.[24]The distillery's second phase will complete with the future opening of the Still House and Humble Baron, an entertainment venue featuring the world's longest bar (designed by Death & Co.).[25]

Whiskeys[]

1856 Batch

The Uncle Nearest brand originally included a silver and an aged whiskey, both distilled from locally sourced grains and bottled in Tennessee.[7] The silver whiskey takes 25 days to make, using an 11-step process that includes a triple charcoal mellowing system designed for the brand.[26] The company added a single-barrel whiskey in July 2018.[9] Whiskey makers in Nashville – not the Jack Daniel Distillery – are producing the Uncle Nearest whiskeys for the company until renovations are complete for a distillery in Shelbyville.[27]

The recipe behind the Uncle Nearest Tennessee whiskeys dates back to the whiskeys made in the late 1800s in Lincoln County. According to Fawn Weaver, co-founder of the Nearest Green Foundation, "It 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."[15] The recipe includes corn malt, a former whiskey ingredient long missing from Tennessee whiskeys.[15] Victoria Eady Buttler, Green's great-great-granddaughter, is the brand's Master Blender.[28]

Awards and ratings[]

Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey 2017 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition[29] Gold Medal
2017 World Spirits Competition (Cigar & Spirits Magazine)[30] 95 Points
2018 Cigar & Spirits Magazine[31] Top 5 Whiskies in the World
2018 World Spirits Competition (Cigar & Spirits Magazine)[32] Gold Medal
2018 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition[33] Gold Medal
2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition[34] Gold Medal
2018 China Wine & Spirits Awards[35] Double Gold
2019 World Whiskies Awards (Whisky Magazine)[36][37][38] World's Best Tennessee Whiskey
2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge[39] 92 Points, Finalist
2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition[40] Silver Medal
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Silver Whiskey 2018 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition[33] Gold Medal
2018 World Spirits Competition (Cigar & Spirits Magazine)[32] Silver Medal
Uncle Nearest 1820 Nearest Green Single Barrel Edition US-1 2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge[39] Chairman's Trophy
2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition[40] Gold Medal
Uncle Nearest 1820 Nearest Green Single Barrel Edition US-2 2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge[39] 92 Points, Finalist
2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition[40] Silver Medal

References[]

  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Minnick, Fred. "Whiskey Legacy: New Single Barrel Honors Forgotten Whiskey Godfather". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  3. ^ a b "The latest whisky releases from Yorkshire to Tennessee". Imbibe. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  4. ^ AmericanWhiskeyMag (2020-01-23). "Uncle Nearest – 1884 Small Batch Tennessee Whiskey". American Whiskey Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  5. ^ a b 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.
  6. ^ "PEOPLE's List of 100 Reasons to Love America in 2021". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b c 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.
  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. ^ a b Issuewire (2018-06-28). "Uncle Nearest Debuts Tariff-Free Cocktail In London". IsStories. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  10. ^ "Uncle Nearest Is the Most Important Story in American Whiskey History". InsideHook. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  11. ^ "Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey preserves the legacy of master distiller Nearest Green". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  12. ^ Malt, Master of (2018-10-05). "The Nightcap: 5 October". Master of Malt Blog. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ a b c d "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.
  16. ^ a b "The Whiskey Brand That's Highlighting How Black History Shaped American Spirits". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  17. ^ "Plans unveiled for Sand Creek whiskey facility | The Walking Horse Report". The Walking Horse Report Online. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  18. ^ Cioletti, Jeff. "Phase 1 of Nearest Green Whiskey Distillery Opens 9/14". Craft Spirits Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  19. ^ "Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey to Open First Phase Of Distillery". The Whiskey Wash. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  20. ^ Swartz, Kyle (2021-07-28). "Uncle Nearest Expands Distillery | Beverage Dynamics". beveragedynamics.com. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  21. ^ "'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.
  22. ^ "Uncle Nearest Distillery Celebrates Juneteenth with Grand Reopening – Welcoming 10k Fans". Distillery Trail. 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  23. ^ Sherrill, EDITOR Duane. "Nearest Green reveals $50M build out at Shelbyville distillery". Tullahoma News. Retrieved 2021-08-06.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Dingwall, Kate. "Nearest Green Distillery Expands With Major Land Purchase". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  25. ^ "Uncle Nearest Whiskey Opens Tennessee Visitors Center". Whisky Advocate. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  26. ^ "Whiskey News: Four More to Pour". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  27. ^ "Distillery, music venue slated for Tennessee walking horse farm". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  28. ^ "The Whiskey Brand That's Highlighting How Black History Shaped American Spirits". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  29. ^ "Nearest Green Distillery to Be Built at Historic Tennessee Walking Horse Site in Shelbyville". www.businesswire.com. 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  30. ^ Randy Mastronicola (2018-01-19). "2017 World Spirits Competition Ratings". Cigar & Spirits - The Gentleman's Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  31. ^ kateweimer (2019-02-22). "Who Is Uncle Nearest? The Best Whiskey Maker The World Never Knew". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  32. ^ a b Admin, Cigar (2019-01-09). "2018 World Spirits Competition Ratings". Cigar & Spirits - The Gentleman's Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  33. ^ a b "2018 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition" (PDF). Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  34. ^ "2018 Medal Winners" (PDF). San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  35. ^ "CWSA 2018 Results | CWSA | China Wine & Spirits Awards". CWSA | China Wine & Spirits Awards. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  36. ^ Magazine, American Whiskey. "Uncle Nearest CEO Makes History On American Whiskey Magazine". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  37. ^ "World's Best Tennessee Whiskey – Uncle Nearest 1856 / Premium Aged Whiskey – World Whisky awards 2019". www.worldwhiskiesawards.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  38. ^ Nash, Brad (2019-04-04). "These Are The World's Best Whiskies For 2019". GQ. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  39. ^ a b c "2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge Results | Spirit Product Awards". www.ultimate-beverage.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  40. ^ a b c "Spirits Winner Search – San Francisco World Spirits Competition". sfspiritscomp.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.

External links[]

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