Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey

Nose: Waves of fresh churned butter and honey on toast fill my nose. Brown butter on stove, rice crispy treats. Palate: Dry with flashes of smoked wood. The sugar maple process gives it a crisp, smooth, agave-like sweetness. Fresh baked vanilla cupcakes, spring wildflowers.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is inspired by the best whiskey-maker the world never knew, the first known African-American master distiller, Nathan “Nearest” Green. The Uncle Nearest brand, wholly owned by Uncle Nearest, Inc., an all minority-led business, encompasses a premium aged whiskey with a blend of 8- to 14- year old, an 11-year-old minimum age single barrel, and a 7-year-old small batch offering, all mellowed using the Lincoln County Process, a unique filtering of bourbon through sugar maple charcoal. This process has been confirmed to have been brought to Tennessee by enslaved people and taught by Nearest Green to the most famous Tennessee Whiskey maker of all time. Uncle Nearest is distilled, aged, bottled and hand-labeled in Tennessee.

The company built its brand on its knack for sourcing the best of Tennessee whiskies and bourbons, and using its own non temperature-controlled aging process and unique post-aging double filtration method that significantly changes the characteristics and profile of the original whiskies. Uncle Nearest is the most awarded new American premium whiskey brand in United States history, garnering 75 awards since its July 2017 debut, including being one of two brands named “World’s Best” at Whisky Magazine’s 2019 World Whiskies Awards, and earning 15 Best in Class. Cigar & Spirits Magazine also named Uncle Nearest one of the “Top 5 Whiskies in the World.” Distillery Notes

46.5% ABV

Victoria Eady Butler The great-great-granddaughter of Nathan “Nearest” Green, the first-ever Black master distiller and the man who actually taught the Jack Daniels how to distill, Victoria Butler left a career in the Department of Justice to carry on the family legacy. Serving as master blender (and the first Black female whiskey master blender) of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey in Nashville, Tennessee, Butler is committed to making sure people remember her ancestor, who was almost overlooked by history until Jack Daniels finally acknowledged Green’s invaluable contributions in 2016 and Uncle Nearest co-founder, CEO, and historian Fawn Weaver committed to widely sharing his story. And although she didn’t have any background in distilling, she’s taken to it with passion and ingenuity, producing high-quality Tennessee whiskey in both small batch and premium aged options. And blending whiskey is definitely in her blood, as, since joining the company in 2019, her batches have gone on to win awards and quickly build a solid reputation for excellence.