Uncle Nearest Announces 7-Year-Old 1884 Small Batch Whiskey

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch. Photo Courtesy Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has announced the nationwide launch of their new 1884 Small Batch Whiskey.

The brand is named for Nathan “Nearest” Green, the first known African-American Master Distiller in the nation. Nearest, a slave who taught distiller Jack Daniel his famous charcoal filtration method, has had his story brought back to life by historian and author Fawn Weaver. She launched Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey in 2017, and this month announced their new 1884 Small Batch.

The new release is age-stated at 7 years and bottled at a light-bodied 93 proof, and is distilled, aged, and bottled in Tennessee. The “1884” name of the Small Batch expression commemorates the last year Nearest barreled his own distillate before retiring from distilling.

Each batch of 1884 Small Batch is being curated by a different descendant of Uncle Nearest. The first batch to hit shelves is specially chosen by Green’s great-great-grandaughter, Victoria Eady-Butler. “If my great-great-grandfather were alive today, I know how proud he would be to see us keeping his legacy alive through the continued growth of this brand,” said Eady-Butler in a press release.

“When Fawn first agreed to shine a light on our ancestor by putting his name on a bottle, we never could have imagined where Uncle Nearest would be two years later, with people around the world knowing the name Nearest Green. I speak for our entire family when I say we’re thrilled to be a part of his legacy,” added Eady-Butler.

“We set out to cement Nearest’s legacy and to ensure his contributions to the Tennessee Whiskey industry would never again be forgotten,” said Fawn Weaver in a press release. “With every bottle containing the signature of the descendant who created it, Nearest’s family is picking up where he left off. More than one million glasses of Uncle Nearest have been raised around the world in salute of this great innovator. This ensures millions more will be raised over the next year.”

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey will be hitting shelves in all 50 states in the coming weeks at a suggested retail price of $50.

Caroline Paulus
Caroline Paulus is the Senior Editor for The Bourbon Review. She lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow her on Instagram @misswhiskeyhistorian to keep up with her latest in bourbon news - and a few old finds, too.