Uncle Nearest Just Dropped a New Limited-Edition Tennessee Whiskey

Uncle Nearest, founded by entrepreneur Fawn Weaver in 2017, 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—a piece of whiskey history that wasn’t recognized until Brown-Forman, the company that owns Jack Daniel’s, finally acknowledged it in 2016. Since then, Uncle Nearest has exploded in popularity, selling more than $100 million worth of whiskey by 2022, and opening its own distillery in Shelbyville, TN, in 2019.

The core lineup consists of sourced and contract distilled Tennessee whiskey, bourbon, and rye, but there have been some recent additions that whiskey fans should consider seeking out. One of those is the new 777 Anniversary Blend, released earlier this fall as part of the brand’s new Lost Chapter series—to coincide with Weaver’s best-selling book, Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest.

777 Anniversary Blend is a seven-year-old Tennessee whiskey. That means it meets all of the qualifications of bourbon as far as mash bill and maturation are concerned. But the new make spirit is filtered through charcoal before barreling—also known as the Lincoln County process. 

The source of the whiskey is undisclosed, 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 some heat on the finish, as the whiskey is bottled at cask strength between 110 and 120 proof—depending on which bottle you get your hands on.

Another new Uncle Nearest release falls on the opposite end of the spectrum, a much more accessible and affordable Tennessee whiskey called, appropriately, Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey. 

It's an 84-proof whiskey—lower even than the core lineup expressions—that's meant to be used in cocktails like a Manhattan or old fashioned. It’s geared more towards consumers who are looking for a bottle in the range of something like Elijah Craig or Four Roses, as far as price point. Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey is not the most complex or assertive whiskey on the market, but that’s not the point. It's meant to be an easy sipper and dependable cocktail component.

You can find the 777 Anniversary Blend available now for $139 per bottle and the new Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey for just $30 per bottle online and at retailers around the country.

Related: 15 Best Rye Whiskeys to Spice Up a Sazerac or Manhattan