UNCLE NEAREST, INC. LAUNCHES NEAREST GREEN TENNESSEE WHISKEY

Uncle Nearest, Inc., the makers of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the most awarded bourbon and American whiskey for six years running, announces the arrival of Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey. While Uncle Nearest's current premium whiskeys boast proof points starting at 93, Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey is bottled at 84 proof. With this lower proof and approachable price point of $29.99, Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey was created with inclusivity and versatility in mind—an everyday bourbon that bars and restaurants can confidently pour as their first choice for cocktails or when reaching for a bottle to satisfy any call for bourbon.

Crafted by four-time Master Blender of the Year and 5th-generation Green descendant, Victoria Eady Butler, Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey is designed as the perfect companion for bartenders and at-home mixologists alike. Whether mixing a classic—like a Manhattan, Whiskey Smash or Hot Toddy—or experimenting with a fresh take—like a whiskey spin on a Sidecar, Victoria's personal recommendation—this new whiskey delivers. Its standout taller, slimmer bottle ensures an easy pour, while fitting seamlessly into the Uncle Nearest portfolio with the same signature front label shape.

"Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey captures the spirit of my great-great-grandfather, Nearest Green, while still upholding our pillars of excellence and unmatched quality," said Victoria Eady Butler. "With this new brand, we're not just expanding our offerings—we're expanding the Uncle Nearest family, reaching new consumers who may not consider spending more than $50 on a bottle. Our goal is simple: To make Nearest Green a household name, bringing people together to honor our past while embracing the future of Tennessee Whiskey."

Starting today, Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey is available for order on the Uncle Nearest website via their e-commerce partner ReserveBar. Beginning Saturday, October 5, it will also be available for purchase at the Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee­­—the 7th most-visited distillery in the world—where Fawn Weaver, Uncle Nearest founder and CEO, and Victoria Eady Butler will celebrate its release with their community. Shortly after, Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey will begin rolling out to stores, bars, and restaurants, starting with Uncle Nearest's home state of Tennessee.

As Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey rolls out nationwide this fall, the brand will launch its newest guerilla marketing campaign "Nearest vs. Everybody Part II." Aiming to ignite excitement around the new release, the campaign will host a series of blind taste tests in bars across the country. Starting in Tennessee, Uncle Nearest team members will challenge patrons in bars to taste Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey alongside the bar's well bourbon—without knowing which is which. This competition draws inspiration from Jack Daniel, Nearest's mentee, who in the late 1800s would walk into bars, place a silver dollar on the counter, and offer it to anyone willing to taste his whiskey against their usual pour, confident that none would surpass liquid made by his master distiller, Nearest Green. There is one caveat to 'Nearest vs. Everybody Part II': Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey will not compete against Jack. As it was in their lifetimes, Nearest and Jack won't compete today.

"The 'Nearest vs. Everybody Part II' challenge is our way of inviting people to experience firsthand the legacy and craftsmanship of Nearest Green," said Fawn Weaver. "By going bottle to bottle blindly with the best in the market, we're confident that Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey will shine through, just as Nearest himself did over a century ago. This is a celebration of excellence and an open invitation for everyone to taste history in the making."

The launch of Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey follows the release of Fawn Weaver's best-selling book Love & Whiskey. The book provides a deeper understanding of Nearest Green's impact, recounting the true story of the master distiller and his mentee Jack Daniel, while also delving into the unprecedented rise of Uncle Nearest. Since its release in June, Love & Whiskey has captivated readers, debuting as an instant New York Times best-seller, and remaining on the list for two consecutive months. The book currently holds a 4.8 star rating on Amazon. 

To celebrate the launch of Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey, Uncle Nearest is offering a special online promotion. Customers who order their bottles can email NGTW@unclenearest.com to enter a raffle for a chance to win one of 50 signed copies of Love & Whiskey, along with exclusive swag. Entries must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on October 30.

For more information about Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey, or to find it at a store, restaurant or bar near you, visit www.unclenearest.com or follow @unclenearest on Instagram.

About Uncle Nearest
Uncle Nearest pays tribute to the world's first-known African American master distiller, Nearest Green. It was the pioneer spirits brand to bear the name of a Black American. The brand's portfolio boasts the Most Awarded Bourbon and American Whiskey titles for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, amassing over 1,300 awards and accolades since its launch in 2017. This includes an impressive 710 Gold medals or higher, which includes 125 Best in Class honors and an average critic's score of 92.1. Uncle Nearest is currently available in all 50 states and 26 countries, with a presence in more than 45,000 stores, bars, hotels, and restaurants. Uncle Nearest is also available at its 458-acre Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., now the seventh most visited distillery in the world. For more information, please visit the website, and follow on Instagram @unclenearest.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Becomes Best-Selling African American Owned And Founded Spirit Brand Of All Time

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the most award-winning American whiskey - including Bourbon - brand of 2019 and 2020, announces it has now become the best-selling African American owned and founded spirit brand in history, selling nearly 1.5 million bottles of its sought after super premium whiskey. The company's whiskey portfolio, available in more than 21,000 locations, is currently made up of its small batch whiskey (SRP $49.99), its rare single barrel whiskey (SRP $119), and its core aged whiskey offering (SRP $59.99).

"The spirits industry has never seen anything like this in all the years that data has been tracked through the three major data collection agencies for the industry," said Donn Bichsel, founder of 3 Tier Beverages, a spirits data collection and analyzation company. "No African American founded and led spirit brand has ever come close to what the Uncle Nearest brand and team have done. We analyzed every piece of credible data and Uncle Nearest is undoubtedly the top seller of all time, with the rest of the top 10 being so far behind, that they barely registered."

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey debuted in July 2017 and expanded into all 50 states in less than two years. Built on its knack for sourcing the best of Tennessee Whiskeys and Bourbons, the whiskey is made using a non- temperature-controlled aging process and a unique post-aging double filtration method, which is then blended to perfection by fifth generation Nearest Green descendant and Uncle Nearest's master blender, Victoria Eady Butler. This process, in part, has led to the whiskey garnering more than 160 awards in its first three years, including Double Gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirit Competition and back-to-back honors of "World's Best" at Whisky Magazine's World Whiskies Awards, who last month presented Butler with their coveted Icons of Whisky award for Master Blender of the Year. Additionally, the groundbreaking company was a 2020 Inc. Magazine Best in Business honoree, and earlier today was named one of the top ten Most Innovative Companies in the North America category on Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the Most Innovative Companies for 2021.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Uncle Nearest was forced to throttle its growth, according to Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder of the brand. "Our bottling and distilling partner did an incredible job of ensuring every area of the distillery was socially distanced and followed the strictest COVID-19 guidelines, which meant we could only move so quickly and had to cap our third full year at 120,000 cases sold," said Weaver. In spite of that, the company recently announced to investors its ninth quarter in a row of more than 100% growth over the same time the previous year, and is on track to make that ten.

This month, Uncle Nearest greatly increased its shipping and bottling capabilities at its Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., with the company on track to sell 250,000 cases this year, only its fourth full year since their debut.

"I couldn't be more excited that this announcement is coming on the heels of International Women's Day, given that we are the only major spirit brand with an all-female executive team," said Victoria Eady Butler. "Reaching this achievement at this moment in time is important as it reminds folks that whiskey is the great equalizer. The support this brand has received has been across every race and gender. As it turns out, people just care that it's a damn good whiskey, only matched by the remarkable legacy of my ancestor."

Learn more about Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey at its website.