Uncle Nearest creates its first rye whiskey
Tennessee-based Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has bottled its first rye expression.
Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey is available now exclusively from the Nearest Green Distillery. Bottled at 52.9% ABV, the whiskey is priced at RRP US$149. Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, said: “As with our inaugural Master Blend Edition, this Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey represents the favourite barrels of Victoria Eady Butler, our master blender, fifth-generation Nearest Green descendant, and four-time ‘master blender of the year’ recipient. “Born in the north – in Canada according to the exact American specifications required to be a straight rye whiskey – and raised in New York for a minimum of four years before moving down to Tennessee, this rye is crafted and blended by Victoria. “As she puts it: ‘My great-great-grandfather was known for his whiskey filtration method. But this 100% rye is so spectacular, we dared not cut or filter it.’” Tastings notes for the rye whiskey include classic rye spice, with “Uncle Nearest smoothness”, Weaver said. Earlier this year, Uncle Nearest named Mangrove as its distribution partner in the UK, taking over from Rusty Rabbit International. At the start of the year, Uncle Nearest revealed its new whiskey range and a packaging redesign. The newly released rye whiskey is the first of two expressions due to launch in 2022. In 2020, Nearest Green Distillery and Brown-Forman-owned Jack Daniel’s joined together to create the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative (NJAI), pledging US$5 million to encourage diversity within the American whiskey sector.
