Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Tennessee Whiskey Review

By Father John Rayls

Rating: B+

Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey shows where Tennessee Whiskey is headed as a category. Defined by law as, essentially, bourbon with the added step of filtration in sugar maple charcoal undertaken before maturation, the category has spread from Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel to a host of craft distilleries in the Volunteer State. As a result, one can expect more sourced Tennessee Whiskeys, like this one, in the future.

Like many new whiskey companies, Uncle Nearest is relying on sourced whiskey while their in-house spirits mature, and in this case they intend to wait until they have a seven year old (at least 2024) before releasing an aged whiskey. In the meantime, Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium is based on Tennessee Whiskeys sourced through two separate distilleries, aged at least six years and bottled at 100 proof. Their commitment to making that in-house release is clear enough, though: in addition to owning the original 313 acre farm where the original Jack Daniels Distillery was located, a new 270 acre Sand Creek Farms was purchased as the future home of the Distillery. It will also serve as a major tourist destination after being restored to it’s original historic glory.

The enterprise is named for Nearest Green, a slave who ran the whiskey end of the business owned by Lutheran minister, Dan Call. This is the same Dan Call who gave Jack Daniels his start in the whiskey distilling business.  Apparently, Nathan Green taught Jack the “how to’s” of whiskey making and helped develop and perfect the Lincoln County Process. As a slave, his reputation and skills remained part of the local lore, never getting far from Lincoln County until recent times.

The Whiskey
The whiskey appears slightly darker in the bottle with an orange tinted dark gold to light copper or even caramel color in the glass. The highlights are gold to a muddled brass appearance. The legs are runny with a sustained ring maintained around the glass near the top.

The nose is light to medium intensity, with no alcohol burn present, but with some light tingling noticeable. It’s filled with caramel, vanilla, oak and a very light maple on top.

This is a very smooth whiskey that is easy sipping and flavorful. There is a slightly oily mouthfeel that leads into a whole mouth experience. It begins as a mid-mouth tasting but quickly spreads front and back and top and bottom.  The noticeable flavors are caramel, vanilla, oak with some sweet spice that quickly transitions to pepper. The flavors remain for the duration and it’s a fairly long experience profile.

While all of this is going on, the finish gradually kicks in with a growing white pepper experience. It remains sweet but brings some heat in multiple waves. However, it never reaches a level of drinking hot. It simply announces its presence with some politeness and never offends.

The Price
You can find it being offered anywhere from $52.99 to $59.99 across the US.