When globally recognized whiskey critic, Fred Minnick, unveils his yearly Top American Whiskeys picks … industry folks and the general public tend to pay attention. He’s a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and whiskey reviewer known for his exquisite palate. So when, during his annual live stream, he blind tasted 35 whiskeys and chose Uncle Nearest’s 1820 Single Barrel Whiskey his third top pick … well, glasses were raised in Shelbyville.

After he’d revealed his pick, even Minnick himself seemed surprised stating, “That is kind of an upset … It’s a whiskey out of Tennessee and they are absolutely pushing the needle…” 

1820 Single Barrel was the only non-Kentucky whiskey among the select group, surprising a lot of industry insiders who’ve long sworn that the best whiskeys hail from the Bluegrass State.

It’s one of several awards.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey spent the entire year of 2019 quietly racking up top awards in spirit competitions and industry publications around the globe, including 10 Best in Class and Best in Show, and 25 Platinum, Double Gold and Gold medals. Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible rated 1820 Single Barrel Whiskey a 94.5, the highest score for a Tennessee whiskey or bourbon. He is joined by the more than 10 other industry leaders who rated Uncle Nearest’s three labels – 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, 1820 Single Barrel Whiskey and 1884 Small Batch Whiskey – between 90-96, with an overall industry-wide rating of 92.6.

For the third year in a row, Cigar & Spirits Magazine named Uncle Nearest its No. 1 whiskey from Tennessee, awarding the brand a Double Gold medal for its 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, a Double Gold medal for its 1820 Single Barrel and a Gold medal for its 1884 Small Batch expression. The Ultimate Spirits Challenge awarded the brand a Chairman’s Trophy, its highest honor.

At the New Orleans World Bourbon Festival, in a room full of the most elite American whiskey brands, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was crowned Best American Whiskey. The World Whiskies Awards hosted by Whisky Magazine named the brand an Icon of Whisky, bestowing its highest honor of World’s Best (a title it shared with a top Kentucky Bourbon).

The SIP Awards, the only internationally recognized consumer judging spirits competition, handed Uncle Nearest two Double Gold medals, a Best in Class award, a Gold medal and a Consumers’ Choice award. At the China Wine & Spirits Awards, 1884 Small Batch Whiskey took home a Double Gold medal making it the Top American Whiskey at the biggest and most prestigious wine and spirits competition in China. Uncle Nearest 1884 also took home a Double Gold medal at the 2019 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition hosted by Robert Whitley. For the North American Whiskey Tasting, powered by the Beverage Testing Institute, Uncle Nearest 1856 took home a Platinum medal, the competition’s biggest award.

“When my great-great-grandfather, Nearest Green, was alive, his whiskey was known to be the best,” said Victoria Eady Butler, master blender for Uncle Nearest. “We know this because in all the Nashville papers, the distributors would discount every whiskey from Tennessee and Kentucky on Fridays to drum up business. The only whiskey that was never discounted, and I mean never from what we have found, was the whiskey my great-great-grandfather was making.” •

{The Lynchburg Times is an independently owned and operated newspaper that publishes new stories every morning. Covering Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}