Review: Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey is bottled at barrel strength to capture every nuance. The Uncle Nearest brand honors the first known African American Master Distiller, Nathan Nearest Green. Fawn Weaver founded and launched the brand July 2017, and is still the CEO. Nearest Green Distillery sits on 432 acres in Shelbyville Tennessee, and it is already the worlds seventh most visited distillery. Uncle Nearest Whiskey has earned over 1000 awards including Double Gold Medal’s in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Wine Enthusiast also named Uncle Nearest The Spirit Brand of the Year in 2020. Uncle Nearest Single Barrel is barrel aged for 5 years and triple filtered through sugar maple charcoal before bottling at barrel strength. The aroma leads with vanilla, dried cherry and oak. Additional time brings out cinnamon, caramel, almond, roasted peanut, and orange peel. The sweet cherry and oak entry has a creamy mouth feel. Vanilla arrives building to an spiced orange peel, caramel, and oak peak. It fades with cherry, biscuit, chocolate, and white pepper, and finishes with vanilla, milk chocolate cherry cordial, orange peel, and a warm peppery sting. Bottled and reviewed at 122 proof I get the flavor intensity of a whiskey bottled at barrel strength without the heat or burn I would expect from a 61% alcohol spirit. While I reviewed and enjoyed Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey at full barrel strength I will serve and finish this bottle with a large round ice cube made from filtered water swirled several times in a crystal rocks glass to soften this impressive 122 proof whiskey without damaging it’s DNA from a splash of tap water.
Made in Tennessee
61% Alcohol
Score: 91
Award: Gold Medal