As one story goes, sometime in the 1950s, a young Jack Daniel went to work for a local preacher named Dan Call. Dan, who owned a small distillery as a side gig, was the supposed mentor that passed all the ins and outs of Whisky making to Jack. But the official story is, as per usual, a little different. The man doing the distilling and the knowledge-passing was actually an African-American slave named Nathan Green. To all the people near and dear to him, he was also known as Uncle Nearest. He was the one who taught young Jack the charcoal filtering process, now used to make most of the Tennessee Whiskey.
When Fawn Weaver learned of this story, she decided to tip her toes in the Whiskey-making world and honor the life of Uncle Nearest by preserving his legacy. And thank the Spirits, for Uncle Nearest now stands as the fastest-growing Whiskey brand in the United States, receiving a ton of awards, including “World’s Best” at the prestigious 2020 World Whiskies Awards.
Adding to their marvelous Whiskey portfolio, Uncle Nearest now premiers its first-ever Rye expression. Crafted with a 100% rye mash bill sourced from Canada, the Straight Rye Whiskey is aged in New York before returning to its Tennessee Mountain Home, where it matures fully in used Uncle Nearest Whiskey barrels. Hand-selected by Victoria Eady Butler who is the great-great-granddaughter of Nearest and bottled at 100 proof, this Rye unquestionably upholds its legacy of excellence, already winning its very first gold medal.
