Uncle Nearest 777 Anniversary Blend Tennessee Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

In June, Uncle Nearest co-founder Fawn Weaver launched her long awaited book about the slave who taught a teenaged Jack Daniel’s how to make whiskey, and whose descendants have worked at making Jack Daniel’s whiskey ever since: Nathan Green. That book, Love and Whiskey, instantly became a best-seller. Uncle Nearest was founded on the Green legacy; a fifth-generation Green descendant, Victoria Eady Butler, is their Master Blender. So, it only follows that Uncle Nearest has a tie-in to support the release of Love and Whiskey. After all, if Weaver had not been researching that book, Uncle Nearest might never have come into existence. The two projects are very much intertwined.

That support comes in the form of Uncle Nearest 777 Anniversary Blend, the first in a new “Lost Chapter” series. The series is so named because folks who buy the bottle get access to download a “lost chapter” from the book. That will be later extended to those who buy a bottle of Uncle Nearest Single Barrel, after this release runs dry.

This latest release is labeled a Tennessee Whiskey, not a bourbon or a rye, which makes the sourcing behind it especially interesting (while remaining undisclosed). What is in the 7,000 bottles of the consignment is listed as seven years old and bottled at cask strength (my sample was a hair over 120 proof), but keep in mind that Tennessee Whiskey has had a legal mandate since 2013. That means the sourcing behind this must not just come from Tennessee, but also must use the Lincoln County Process (unless it is Prichard’s). Keep in mind the standard Uncle Nearest releases are all bourbon or rye. The list of suspects for where the liquid came from is therefore quite short and does not include any of the usual suspects.

The Whiskey
My pour of Uncle Nearest 777 had a clear, middle amber look to it. The whiskey was just over 120 proof, so of course I put a splash of water in. I found the nose bright orange zest and vanilla, coming hand in hand with a current of cinnamon graham cracker. Further nosing brought out a curiously beefy note, like a trace of what emanates from my kitchen when I am doing a tenderloin steak. The palate hangs onto many of those elements, but turning a touch woody and peppery with one hand, while reaching out to some earthy cocoa with the other. I believe it is that beefy note I picked up in the scent that turned earthy on the palate. The finish ran mildly woody and peppery.

The peppery note is the truly peculiar part, as Tennessee Whiskey is mostly associated with the mellow George Dickel and the even mellower Jack Daniel’s. As enjoyable as the whiskey was, I am having more fun wracking my brain about the sourcing.

The Price
A bottle of Uncle Nearest 777 will set out back $139.