I’ll be honest, when I was invited on the PR trip for Uncle Nearest I had never tried their product. I did very little research and investigation into the brand so that I could go into the experience with an open mind and an unbiased opinion. I knew that the brand was based near Lynchburg, TN and that it was a MBE. Before I arrived I kind of just assumed that it was a Jack Daniel’s product or brand that was being marketed as a minority owned company. It is not that. At all.

The things that Fawn Weaver and her team at Uncle Nearest is doing is extremely impressive. This isn’t just a marketing gimmick. The brand has purchased the 313 acre Dan Call Farm where Nathan Green lived as a slave and first taught Jack Daniels the process of filtering distillate through sugar maple charcoal. The brand has also been responsible for the cleanup, restoration, and renovation of the African American cemetery where Nathan Green is buried. It is located right next to the Lynchburg City Cemetery. They’ve added lights, a stone entryway, a fence, and cleaned and restored headstones at this historic site. They have not only received permission from Nathan Green’s family to use his name on their brand, Fawn and her team have involved and employed some of his remaining family and involved them in company. Most notably Miss Victoria Eady Butler, Nathan Green’s great-great-granddaughter as their Master Blender. Another amazing thing that the Uncle Nearest brand has done for the Lynchburg community is establish the Nearest Green Foundation which provides scholarships that are available to all of Nearest Green’s descendants. It’s extremely impressive and incredibly admirable that Fawn and her team have set out to involve the community and give back before their own production facility was even completed.

The new Nearest Green Distillery is a currently in Phase 1 and set on a 270 acre walking horse farm located in Shelbyville, TN on the way to Lynchburg at the former Sand Hill Creek location. The site currently has a retail store, a bottling house, and the Tennessee walking horse experience where guests can learn the history of the walking horse. There is also a tasting area called the Welcome House as well as the Copper Skies Experience where you can enjoy a craft cocktail on the covered porch in one of the numerous rocking chairs while enjoying an unobstructed view of the sunset. The distillery currently offers a Tasting and Hard Hat Tour as well as a weekly Founder’s Tour.

As a final take away from my experience with the Uncle Nearest brand, their team, and Fawn herself, I have to say that the thing that impressed me the most was their complete transparency and honest answers to every single question I asked. They are not hiding the fact that their product has been sourced while they are currently laying down their own barrels as they’ve been contract distilling off site while their distillery gets built. They have been up front about their entire process and don’t have anything to hide. It’s refreshing to see when so many new brands seem to create a story and hope the public buys in. No matter what, this brand deserves a try based on what they are doing for the local community alone.