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.
The history of American whiskey is a complex tapestry. For some newer companies, distilling is a passion project turned full-time career.
I know of one case of a local distillery in my home state whose founders were teachers and administrators before quitting to open a distillery. However, when we look at the big picture of whiskey history, we are missing very important parts of that tapestry. I believe representation matters, and Uncle Nearest Whiskey is doing its part in weaving the missing pieces.
Uncle Nearest Whiskey – Rewriting Whiskey History
If you aren’t familiar with the history of Uncle Nearest (or Nathan Green), you should get acquainted with the legacy of the emancipated African American man who taught Jack Daniels to distill. Uncle Nearest is literally rewriting the history of whiskey in the United States. At the very least the brand is shining a light on an overlooked or intentionally forgotten part of Tennessee whiskey. I won’t dive too deeply into that here. Better writers than me have done an incredible job capturing the beautiful legend of Nearest Green and his relationship with Jack Daniels, and Tennessee Whiskey.
“Today, we continue celebrating the legacy of Nearest Green, the godfather of Tennessee whiskey, with the newest addition to our Master Blend Edition Portfolio: Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey, our first rye expression,” says Fawn Weaver, founder and CEO. “This rye represents the favorite barrels of Victoria Eady Butler, our master blender and fifth generation Nearest Green descendant and four-time Master Blender of the Year recipient.”
Under the tutelage of Fawn Weaver, Uncle Nearest has accumulated over 550 awards since its inception in 2017. You will find two standard offerings, a small batch, and an aged Uncle Nearest whiskey. Recently the whiskey brand has launched its Master’s Blend series. A distillery exclusive, this release is an uncut and unfiltered rye whiskey.
Curiously, Tennessee is apparently terrible for growing rye grain. The bottle says: “Product of Canada, aged in New York and Tennessee.” The whiskey is aged for four years in New York before being transported to Tennessee for further aging and bottling. Victoria Eady Butler is quoted as saying, “My great-great-grandfather was known for his whiskey filtration method. But this 100% rye is so spectacular, we dared not cut or filter it.” If Ms. Butler didn’t want to disturb this whiskey, it doesn’t need to be disturbed.
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“For those unable to make it to Shelbyville, there will be more rye to come from Uncle Nearest in the coming months, including a Straight Rye and Single Barrel Rye,” says Weaver. With that, we turn to the glass.