Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey
(Credit: Uncle Nearest)

Uncle Nearest is named for one Nathan “Nearest” Green, a slave emancipated by the Civil War who is, at present, the first documented African-American distiller. He became the focus of some media buzz a couple of years ago, when research connected Green during the 1850s, when Jack Daniel was just a boy and doing odd jobs for a local grocer and still-owner named Dan Call. Call’s distiller was Nathan Green.

Given that the earliest suggestion of Daniel distilling on his own dates to 1866 (when Daniel was still just a teenager), the existing evidence suggests that it was Green who taught Daniel how to make whiskey, working on Call’s still.

The brand Uncle Nearest is the creation of best-selling author Fawn Weaver (daughter of Motown legend Frank Wilson), who was the person most responsible for publicizing the role Green played in laying the foundation for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Weaver is currently at work on building a distillery, but at present is building the brand by following the well-trod path of selling sourced whiskey.

Although it is their most recent release, Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch is definitely the entry-level expression of the company. The current version is said to be 7 years old, but the labeling doesn’t bear an age statement; that is often a recipe for the age to change in the future. What is known as a certainty about the whiskey is that it was made and aged in Tennessee, and it is bottled at 93 proof.

The Whiskey
Uncle Nearest has a gold coloring in the glass, which in my mind is suggestive of used barrel aging (ala Early Times or Barrell Whiskey). However,  I didn’t find much in the rest of the experience that yelled “not aged in new white oak,” and frankly I think the color of a whiskey is the least indicative part of it. So, don’t assume it’s used barrel whiskey (and there would be nothing wrong with it if it were) just because it’s named “whiskey,” not bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey, and it has a gold coloring. Maybe it does, but it’s hard to tell from sipping on it.

A sniff is reminiscent of a graham cracker with caramel drizzled over the top, plus shavings of candy corn. The flavor follows in that vein, only now all of that is put on top of a cinnamon graham cracker. The finish starts sweet, then turns a little cinnamon spicy as it fades away.

Uncle Nearest Small Batch is pretty nice stuff, and makes for fine, pleasant, but ultimately simple sipping. It’s the kind of whiskey you just plain enjoy, rather than consider. I’m looking forward to finishing my sample up with an ice cube, what with this hot August weather.

The Price
Expect to pay between $45 and $50 for a bottle.