Swift & Moore's Uncle Nearest masterclass

Last Tuesday 26 March, Swift & Moore invited trade to partake in an exclusive masterclass designed to educate about the Uncle Nearest American whiskey brand. The event was hosted by Lucile Rose, bartender and co-owner at the Nashville-inspired Sydney venue Jolene’s, and Brand Development Manager at Swift & Moore.

The presentation started by exploring the nuanced and long history of the brand’s namesake Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green, who was both the first African-American master distiller in the United States and the first master distiller for the Jack Daniel Distillery. Nearest Green was both a friend and mentor to Jack and played a pivotal role in establishing the brand that is known today.

The presentation then jumped to the 2017 launch of the Uncle Nearest brand by African American entrepreneur Fawn Weaver. Weaver went on to hire Nearest’s great-great granddaughter, Victoria Eady Butler, to be Master distiller, continuing the family legacy. 

The event culminated, naturally, in trying the two Uncle Nearest whiskies in Swift & Moore’s catalogue, the 1884 Small Batch (46.5%) and the 1856 Premium Whiskey (50%). Uncle Nearest has claim to being the most awarded bourbon or American whiskey for the past five years in a row, providing some indication to the quality of the drinks.

More information can be found here.