Founded in 2017 by entrepreneur Fawn Weaver, Uncle Nearest has become a sensation in the whiskey world. The Black-owned brand is named after Nathan “Nearest” Green, the enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to distill; It's a piece of whiskey history that went unrecognized until Brown-Forman, owner of Jack Daniel's, finally acknowledged it. Since then, Uncle Nearest's popularity has exploded, selling more than $100 million worth of whiskey by 2022 and opening his own distillery in Shelbyville, TN in 2019.
The core lineup consists of sourced and contract distilled Tennessee whiskey, bourbon, and rye, but there are some new additions that whiskey fans should consider seeking out. One of these is the new 777 Anniversary Blend, which debuted earlier this fall as part of the brand's new Lost Chapter series; It coincides with Weaver's best-selling book. Love and Whiskey: The Extraordinary True Story of Jack Daniel, the Closest Master Distillery to the Green, and the Improbable Rise of the Closest Uncle.
777 Anniversary Blend is a seven-year-old Tennessee whiskey. This means it meets all the qualities of bourbon in terms of puree consistency and maturation. However, the new brand spirit is filtered through charcoal before being put into the barrel; this is also known as the Lincoln County process.
The source of the whiskey is not disclosed, but the 36 barrels in the blend were selected by master blender and Nearest Green descendant Victoria Eady Butler. There are notes of chocolate, spice, tobacco, citrus and vanilla on the palate, and since the whiskey is bottled at a cask strength of 110 to 120 proof, depending on the bottle you handle, there's some warmth on the finish.
Another new Uncle Nearest release falls at the other end of the spectrum; a much more accessible and affordable Tennessee whiskey, appropriately named Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey.
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This is an 84-proof whiskey, which is even lower than base-rank expressions, intended for use in cocktails like the Manhattan or old fashioned. In terms of price point, it is aimed more at consumers looking for a bottle in the range of something like Elijah Craig or Four Roses. Closest Green Tennessee Whiskey isn't the most complex or assertive whiskey on the market, but that's not the point. It is intended to be an easy sipper and a reliable cocktail ingredient.
You can currently find the 777 Anniversary Blend for $139 per bottle and the new Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey for just $30 per bottle online and at retailers nationwide.
Related: The 15 Best Rye Whiskeys to Flavor Your Sazerac or Manhattan