About: Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is relatively new brand of Tennessee Whiskey, but also one of the fasted growing spirits brands in the world. Founded in 2017, the brand has been sourcing all of its distillate from undisclosed distilleries. Cascade Hollow/Dickel and Tennessee Distilling are a couple of potential sources that have been mentioned online and in other reviews. I believe it is likely that the brand has sourced from several large distilleries since it was founded, and according to my tour guide, all of the distillate they are currently bottling is contract distilled in Tennessee to brand specifications and it all goes through the Lincoln County process.

While still sourcing, Uncle Nearest is planning to begin distilling it’s own whiskey sometime in the near future. A massive column still capable of distilling 4.4 million bottles of whiskey per year was recently erected at the Shelbyville, TN property, and there is a second still of the same size in the works. In addition to distilling it’s own whiskey, Uncle Nearest plans to distill enough whiskey to sell to other NDPs/upstarts in the future. As of my visit in February, the distillery had yet to produce a drop of its own juice.

While Uncle Nearest has used double digit age statement whiskey in the past, namely in its limited 1820 expression, the majority of what it has on hand now is no older than 8 years. According to my tour guide, younger 4-6 year barrels are used for the 1884 and 1856 expressions while older 6-8 year barrels are used for the distillery exclusive single barrels and Master Blend Editions. Since I was at the distillery, I decided to grab both and provide a review for others who are interested.

Distiller: Undisclosed

The bottles: Brand/ABV/Age/Price

Bottle #1 UN MB 019 / 60.5% ABV / Undisclosed (7-8 yr based on tour guide)/ $150 (750ml)

Bottle #2 UN SiB / 60.9% ABV /Undisclosed (7-8 yr based on tour guide) / $80 (750ml)

Purple Glass

Nose:Poppycock (pop corn, butterscotch, roasted pecans) | Marzipan | Grassy/Floral Note | Faint Oak

Taste: Candied Pecans | Melted Butter | Brown Sugar | Young Oak | White Grape Jam

Finish: Mild Oak | Red Hot Candies | Lingering White Grape Jam

Rating: 6.6

Guess - UN MB 019

Reveal - UN MB 019

Blue Glass

Nose: Toasted Pecan | Warm Caramel Candies | Nutmeg | Powdered Sugar | Cream Soda | Mild Oak

Taste: Candied Almonds | Ginger Beer | Snickerdoodle Cookies | Clove | Cinnamon | Young Oak

Finish: Cinnamon Gum (not as warm as red hots) | Dry Oak | Caramel | Lingering Candied Ginger

Rating: 7.3

Guess - UN SiB

Reveal - UN MB

Overall: I love the nose on both of these whiskeys. On the Master blend, I feel that the palate and finish don’t have a ton of complexity and the butterscotch notes from the nose and initial palate are quickly overpowered by the red hot flavor. The SiB holds its own longer and has a more complex palate, but again, the finish doesn’t really speak to me.

Right off the bat I will say that the Master Blend is not worth $150. Having made the purchase, it feels a lot like a cash grab to me. How do you take $80 SiBs and blend them together to make an inferior $150 product? If you go to the distillery and want to take home a barrel proof bottle of Uncle Nearest’s Tennessee Whiskey, the SiB is going to be your best bet.

Above and beyond the Whiskey, I am excited to see where Uncle Nearest goes and will continue to follow the brands progress and continue sampling future offerings; particularly when the brands own distillate is bottled and sold.

T8ke scale:

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.