Stacy Preston Photography
You’d almost be forgiven for driving past Shelbyville, a small, bucolic town located about 60 miles south of Nashville, where rolling pastoral lands give way to a place best known for Tennessee Walking Horses and pencil manufacturing. But now, the city is the gatekeeper for an important piece of Tennessee’s storied distilling history — the legacy of America’s first and only African American master distiller, Nathan “Nearest” Green.
Nearest Green Distillery, which produces the award-winning Uncle Nearest whiskey, is the result of historian and bestselling author Fawn Weaver’s passion for a good story. In 2016, her curiosity was piqued by a New York Times piece that credited slave and master distiller Nearest Green with teaching a young Jack Daniel the art of making whiskey. A mission to uncover the full story for a detailed biography turned into a calling for Weaver, who made the decision to produce Uncle Nearest whiskey upon the wishes and requests of Green’s descendants.
Stacy Preston Photography
Fawn Weaver
The 270-acre distillery — which officially opened its doors this past September — not only honors Nearest Green’s legacy, but serves as a celebration of all things Shelbyville and Tennessee.
“Everything here is Tennessee. There is nothing here that we’re pulling in from anywhere else. For us, it is bringing together the three pillars of Tennessee: music — like country and Memphis blues — walking horses and whiskey,” explains Weaver.
Paying homage to the local community is Nearest Green’s location at the former Sand Creek Farms, a renowned Tennessee Walking Horse facility that’s slated for a four-year, four-phase distillery build out.
“We’re not changing the front portion of Sand Creek,” adds Weaver. “We have literally restored it so that it is a Tennessee Walking Horse farm. When people are driving by here, they’re not seeing a distillery. They’re seeing a farm that’s been in this community for decades and decades.”
The first phase, most of which is already open to the public, includes the Welcome House, where guests can sample Uncle Nearest whiskey at a horseshoe-shaped bar, a retail shop, and the Bottling House, which provides visitors with the opportunity to label actual product. Afterwards, whiskey aficionados are invited to enjoy a cocktail on the Copper Skies patio as they watch the sun set over middle Tennessee — thee very natural wonder that earned the space its name.
Stacy Preston Photography
The property will also feature the Tennessee Walking Horse experience, where visitors can immerse themselves in the history of the storied equines while getting face-to-face with the 50 championship walking horses that reside there.
Future plans include a miniature golf — a Tennessee invention — and a venue for hosting live music acts. But one of the aspects Weaver is excited about is the ability to age and bottle the entire Uncle Nearest line on site for both the distillery’s retail shop and vendors all around the world. “At some point we’d love to be bottling all of our whiskey, but not while we’re going through construction.”
“The most important thing I want visitors to walk away with is that they are keepers of the story,” says Weaver. “They are the stewards of the story of Nearest Green, making sure that after we’re all gone, his story is fully cemented for every future generation.”