Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is making history once again. The distillery, named after the first known African-American master distiller Nearest Green, recently announced that “Phase One” of its Nearest Green Distillery will open next Saturday (Sept. 14) in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
During Phase One, visitors to the distillery will see the first of what is to be built on the 270-acre property including a Tennessee Walking Horse experience, its retail store, the bottling house — visitors to take part in labeling the whiskey sold — and the Welcome House, complete with a custom-made horseshoe bar. This bar will be the only place in the world with tastings of all four expressions of Uncle Nearest: Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey, Uncle Nearest 1884 Premium Small Batch Whiskey, Uncle Nearest 1820 Premium Single Barrel Whiskey and Nathan Green 1870 Premium Single Barrel Whiskey.
Once fully open, it will not only serve as a working distillery, but will pay homage to Green and the many other innovators and innovations from Tennessee. The new distillery is the first in the United States to commemorate an African-American whiskey maker.
“When I went to write the invitations for the distillery opening, tears began to stream down my face,” said Fawn Weaver, co-founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest. “I’m not a person who cries often, but something about this history just chokes me up. When I wrote the opening line, ‘If Nearest Green could have owned his own distillery, would he have?’ I could only think of this incredible master distiller that likely never had the chance. And posthumously, we are working to ensure his name is cemented in the hearts and minds of people around the world for generations to come. The Nearest Green Distillery is his legacy and that of his descendants. Being able to bring that to life, quite frankly, still blows my mind.”
To build out the distillery, Weaver has brought together a team of the most reputable designers and builders in the business. The overall design and visitor experience for the Nearest Green Distillery is being overseen by Peggy Noe Stevens & Associates. Stevens is the first female master bourbon taster, founder of Bourbon Women and co-founder of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Thom Meek of GHP Environmental + Architecture and former Tennessee Walking Horse champion was brought on in 2017 to help bring this distillery vision to life and continues to serve as the architect on the project.
