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American

Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition

$140.00

OVERALL
RATING

10

Whiskey Review: Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition

Tasting Notes:

About:
59.2% ABV (118.4 Proof). Blend No. 005. Blended with hand selected barrels. About $140/750 ml. Shelbyville, Tennessee.
Appearance:
Dark, rich amber.
Nose:
Pleasant orange peel, fresh spices, and maple.
Palate:
I get strong elements of orange peel, like when you bite into an orange to start it (am I the only one?). The whiskey isn’t too sweet, but has gorgeous notes of cinnamon, coffee, and chocolate with a peppery heat finish.
Finish:
Comments:
I loved this tasting, in fact it’s one of my favorites so far. The complexity of the whiskey is both enjoyable and challenging, and I enjoyed the intensity of a neat tasting, as well as the opening of the whiskey that came with a bit of added water. There’s not a single sip that didn’t deliver and I highly recommend checking it out when possible!

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by Uncle Nearest. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link towards the bottom of this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

It’s always nice when a truly delicious whiskey comes with interesting origins, and Uncle Nearest definitely provides an enticing backstory. One of the first Black master distillers in the U.S. and the man who is believed to have taught Jack Daniel how to distill, Nathan “Nearest” Green was a key player in the development of the Lincoln County Process, “the sugar maple charcoal filtering method used to make most Tennessee Whiskey.”

The Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand was launched in 2017. Since its inception it has garnered awards including the Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 Spirit Brand of the Year. The company’s CEO, Fawn Weaver, was instantly drawn to the historical significance of Nathan “Nearest” Green and went out of her way to speak to his ancestors to get a deeper and more intimate history of the man behind the legend. Upon talking to his family, she agreed with the consensus that he should have his own brand and his own name on a bottle, instead of simply being known as the man who helped Jack Daniel.

Of the company’s success, Weaver spoke with The Whiskey Wash and says, “a part of what we attribute the success to, is the whiskey in the bottle is incredibly good. The other part, I think, that we contribute the success to is we have, hands down, the most diverse team this industry has ever seen. When you have everybody around the table coming up with ideas, that’s Black, white, Asian, Latino, when everyone is around the table, then you think outside of the box naturally. I think a lot of what we have done is think outside of the box.”

Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition has been released as a part of the current portfolio with new packaging and branding, and Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler has developed a distinct flavor profile. The batch was distilled, aged, and bottled with their own premium Tennessee whiskey, as opposed to earlier expressions that were sourced.

I absolutely loved my tasting and was blown away by the slow moving but powerful flavor profile of Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition. The whiskey is delicious with a nip of water or straight, but it is a strong, high proof spirit, so most drinkers may want to add a bit of ice to really open the whiskey up to its full complexity.

Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition review
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition (image via Jerry Jenae Sampson)

Tasting Notes: Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition 

Vital Stats: 59.2% ABV (118.4 Proof). Blend No. 005. Blended with hand selected barrels. About $140/750 ml. Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Appearance: Dark, rich amber.

Nose: Pleasant orange peel, fresh spices, and maple.

Palate: I get strong elements of orange peel, like when you bite into an orange to start it (am I the only one?). The whiskey isn’t too sweet, but has gorgeous notes of cinnamon, coffee, and chocolate with a peppery heat finish.

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