Uncle Nearest Fans Voted to Bring This Whiskey to 5 States

Tennessee whiskey producer Uncle Nearest announced the results of a campaign that began in July, called “Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Showdown: America’s Choice,” the brand announced Thursday.

The brand informed its fans it would release and distribute its Single Barrel Whiskey to the winning states starting Sept. 5.

Uncle Nearest aimed to let its fans have a say in which states would first get access to the hotly anticipated release by putting it up to a vote.

The results are in, and the following states will be the first to see Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey hit the shelves of retailers: Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois and Idaho.

“When you give America the choice, everyone has an equal shot,” Uncle Nearest said in a news release.

Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey has a suggested retail price of $90 and is bottled at barrel strength.

Uncle Nearest is named for Nearest Green, a formerly enslaved distiller who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey.

“The positive response to our Single Barrel whiskey from both esteemed judges at spirits competitions and from those who have visited us at Nearest Green Distillery is overwhelming, and I know that we’re making Nearest so proud with every bottle of this whiskey,” Victoria Eady Butler, Nearest Green’s great-great-granddaughter and Uncle Nearest’s master blender, said in the news release.

Butler is the first known Black woman master whiskey blender in history.

Reception of Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey has been positive, and the spirit won a gold medal at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Read our review here.

“Like all our other whiskeys, I have no doubt our partners will have a hard time keeping this Single Barrel in stock,” Butler concluded.

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Cynthia Mersten is a writer/editor for Whiskey Raiders and has worked in the Beverage Industry for eight years. She started her career in wine and spirits distribution and sold brands like Four Roses, High West and Compass Box to a variety of bars and restaurants in the city she calls home: Los Angeles. Cynthia is a lover of all things related to wine, spirits and story and holds a BA from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. Besides writing, her favorite pastimes are photography and watching movies with her husband.