Whiskey Revelation at Nearest Green Distillery

Tennessee is home to the fastest-growing and most-awarded Bourbon American whiskey in 2019–2022. The distillery is just a stone’s throw from Nashville, 30 miles south in the rolling hills of Shelbyville.

It’s also one of the nation’s few Black-owned distilleries. CEO, entrepreneur and author Fawn Weaver unearthed the story behind Nathan "Nearest" Green (Uncle Nearest) and founded the distillery in 2017. The tale is one for the history books: Nearest Green was a former slave who taught Jack Daniels how to distill and is thought to have perfected Tennessee’s heralded sugar maple charcoal filtration process. The whiskey brand is led by a mostly-female executive team and Nearest Green’s descendants.

And they made more history this spring when they opened Humble Baron, an attached bar hangout and music venue with, literally, the world’s longest bartop. (Guinness World Records made it official.) At 518 feet, it swirls around the establishment and sweeps up 202 bar stools, 3,048 glasses and 17 bartenders. Signature cocktails include the “Queen’s Gambit,” made with Uncle Nearest 1856 Tennessee whiskey, sorrel liqueur, apple blossom bitters, pineapple gomme and lemon juice; “Dear Fawn,” a whiskey version of an espresso martini, subbing out vodka for Uncle Nearest 1884; and “Honey I’m Home,” mixing Uncle Nearest 1884, Equiano rum, citrus mix and Nashville hot honey. You can also order non-whiskey drinks and, of course, any Uncle Nearest product you desire. Humble Baron also has an extensive Southern-inspired food menu, curated by executive chef Jay Craddick, which includes Nashville hot shrimp and grits and penne pasta with short rib ragout. And with indoor and outdoor music stages hosting a litany of talent, a good time is sure to be had.