The Duke Club - April 2021
Just A Taste Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Duke Club.
Uncle Nearest
Premium Whiskey
Distillery: Uncle Nearest
Region: Tennessee, USA
Mash Bill: “high-rye” (95% corn & rye)
Aging: between 8 - 14 years ye)
Filtering: charcoal and bentonite filtering
Nose: dried fig, cherry, tree bark, vanilla, clove, cola
Palate: caramel, toffee, burnt sugar and maple
Finish: rich and vibrant with rising heat in the finish showing the proof
Recommended serving: serve with splash of water or on a small cube
ABOUT Uncle Nearest
Uncle Nathan “Nearest” Green was the unsung hero who taught Jack Daniels how to distill. This story first came into the spotlight in a 2016 New York Times article, which in turn inspired researching Fawn Weaver to uncover the full story. Previously, the story went that Jack Daniels was taught by a local preacher on how to distill, but it turns out whitewashing replaced the true mentor, the preacher’s slave, Nearest Green. After years spent researching the truth, Weaver established the Nearest Green Foundation, and a new brand of whiskey, Uncle Nearest, was started, inspiring a long-time distiller at Jack Daniels, Sherrie Moore, to come out of retirement.
“Before we ever launched the brand, more than 2,500 hours had gone into researching the story of Nearest Green... it became a challenge to make sure that our whiskey exceeded, or at least matched the story... and to make sure it honored not only Nearest, but his family members that are still alive.”
Consulting distiller Sherrie Moore spent 31 years at Jack Daniels and retired as Director of Whiskey Operations. While at Daniels, Moore improved the Lincoln County Process (charcoal filtering) with a proprietary system which helped enhance and expedite the process. Additionally, she introduced bentonite filtering, a system used more often in wine processing, into the mix. The collaboration between Weaver and Moore created both a distinct whiskey and uncovered the source of some of our American distilling traditions. Weaver helped uncover an old recipe used Green’s time, and the source of the praised “Lincoln County Process” came into question. Distilling practices in the US stemmed from Ireland, Scotland, and France; however, none of these countries utilized charcoal filtering until after it became commonplace in the Americas. If you look back at the cultural practices in Africa, charcoal filtering was used to purify their food and water for centuries.
Today, the Uncle Nearest distillery is being built, so the whiskey in the bottle comes from a series of undisclosed distilleries, yet the process is what creates this unique spirit. Moore overseas the sources and blending of spirits before they are aged and sent to Kentucky for bentonite filtering. What you end up with is an extremely exceptional pour dedicated to honoring the true history of the American distilling tradition.