The fast-growing American whiskey brand Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has closed a $2.1-million deal to purchase an additional 53.12 acres of land, abutting its Nearest Green Distillery in Tennessee.
The additional land brings the distillery’s total acreage to 323.12, extending its frontage to over half of a mile along the highway.
With this expansion, Uncle Nearest will dedicate 100 acres of its property to plant and grow its own non-GMO, organic corn.
Called the “Field of Dreams,” this corn will be used solely to create the brand’s portfolio of whiskeys.
“When we broke ground, we made history as the first distillery in America to be named after a Black person,” says Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder of Uncle Nearest. “Every day, our brand continues to make history, and we are finding more and more people wanting to celebrate this history with us at record numbers.”
“Expanding our distillery allows us to increase our production capabilities, as well as to continue to enhance the guest experience, so every person who visits has a reason to return again and again,” she adds.
Nearest Green Distillery — home of the legacy of Nearest Green, the first known African American master distiller — reopened its doors on June 19, 2021. After a more than year-long pandemic-related closure, the distillery unveiled its Phase Two additions.
This includes a Welcome Center; Philo + Frank’s, a non-alcoholic speakeasy; a single barrel rickhouse; and Family Tasting Room.
The current 270-acre footprint will continue to build out to provide much-sought-after tourist experiences, as American consumers increasingly flock to distilleries as vacation spots.
“Every weekend, when Nearest Green Distillery opens its doors, we welcome guests from all over the country,” says Weaver. “At any given time, we have guests from more than 20 states represented, who have all come to Tennessee to experience the cementing of the legacy of Nearest Green.”
Tours at Nearest Green Distillery currently run on Saturdays and Sundays, and can be booked at unclenearest.com/distillery.
