Whiskey Wednesday: Uncle Nearest to Open First Phase of Shelbyville Distillery

Visitors are welcome beginning this weekend

After a couple of years of developing its brand using purchased whiskey, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is getting closer to distilling its own product as an homage to the brand’s namesake Nearest Green, the African-American who legendarily taught Jack Daniel how to make corn liquor. The owners of the distillery have been working hard to develop their own facility — which is in the former site of Sand Creek Farms, a Tennessee Walking Horse farm and event center in Shelbyville — into a destination distillery where they can tell their story.

They are proud to announce that Phase One of their construction will be officially open to the public starting this Saturday, Sept. 14. While there’s still plenty of work to do over the next few years to convert the 270-acre site into the Malt Disney World that they envision, here are the sorts of buildings and experiences visitors can expect as part of the full Phase One project:

● A Tennessee Walking Horse experience, where visitors will learn the history of the Walking Horse, and where more than 50 championship walking horses, and horses they sire, will continue to reside at the property.
● The Welcome House, complete with a custom-made horseshoe bar, where visitors will learn about and sample Uncle Nearest’s award-winning whiskeys. It will be the only place in the world with tastings of all four expressions: Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey, Uncle Nearest 1884 Premium Small Batch Whiskey, Uncle Nearest 1820 Premium Single Barrel Whiskey and Nathan Green 1870 Premium Single Barrel Whiskey, an expression previously sold only in the U.K. A second-story Awards Mezzanine was built out to showcase some of the 50 awards the brand has already won.
● A Copper Skies Experience, where guests can sit in rocking chairs under a covered patio to see the most beautiful sunset in Tennessee. Visitors can sip on Uncle Nearest cocktails from Toppy’s, a connecting bar named after the CEO’s own horse, while watching the colors of the sunset.
● A Full Retail Store, where visitors can purchase custom apparel, rare bottles of Uncle Nearest and just about anything else Uncle Nearest makes.
● The Bottling House open to the public, allowing visitors to take part in labeling the whiskey sold in the retail store. All four Uncle Nearest offerings will be bottled here.
● A Hardhat Tour, offered with every premium tasting. This experience walks visitors through the spaces under construction that will open in 2020, such as the single barrel warehouse and tasting room, as well as Heritage Hall, an impressive collection of all things invented in Tennessee, with a special focus on Tennessee Whiskey, Walking Horses and country music.