The photo I chose for Uncle Nearest is in recognition of Juneteenth, wherein after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, the slaves were given freedom and “the door was finally opened”. One door that opened was that of Nathan Green, who had been a slave under the Lutheran Minister Dan Call, for whom Green was the Master Distiller of the Reverend’s back yard still. When the still was objected to by the Reverend’s parish, Rev. Call placed a subordinate in charge, who kept Mr. Green on as Master Distiller. When Green was freed, he decided to stay on as Master Distiller, and took his earnings to a property outside of Lynchburg, where he bought his own house.
Green is credited with “perfecting” the Lincoln County Process, which is to slowly drip the distilled whiskey through charcoal made from sugar maple wood, which filters the whiskey for smell and taste, and “mellows” the whiskey. Green even mentored a young Jack Daniels, teaching him the whiskey making art and the filtering process which Jack Daniel’s distillery (and many other Tennessee-made whiskeys) use to this day. It’s said that some Uncle Nearest whiskeys (namely the 1884) is triple-filtered through the sugar maple charcoal, which would lend to the sweetness in the bottle.
This was my review:
On the nose, it definitely has a defined sweetness unlike other whiskeys made in Tennessee. Yes, it certainly has some of the familiar notes, like butter and toasted cereal, but they were secondary to the fruit-forwardness, the ethanol, honey, cinnamon and honey that surprised me on the first nosing. The cereals came through more on the palate as well as the sweetness, with notes of cotton-candy, sugary-caramel, and vanilla, but still it wasn’t as sickeningly sweet as I was led to believe it might be. Upon adding water, the spices revealed themselves more than when tried neat, but even neat this is a great whiskey for new drinkers, especially if they have a palate for sweet wines and mixed cocktails.
The 100-proof 1856 presented itself as a much more typical Tennessee whiskey, with notes of toasted cereal, butter, and baking spices, and upon adding water did the same as the 1884, becoming even more spicy. On ice, I wasn’t as much of a fan, with both bottles leaving behind a finish that was bitter and not as flavorful as the previous tries.
~ KC Allen, July 01, 2021
I was making a set of recommendations for my mother, who likes Kahlua when she comes to visit, and of the three I pulled out for her, the 1884 was her choice (mixed with 7-Up, of course). These were a delightful surprise for a drinker than doesn’t care so such for the typical Tennessee Whiskey, and I can easily keep Uncle Nearest on my bar for guests to try, hopefully not for the first time.
🥃
Cheers