A few months ago, as I drove down I-24 and eventually U.S. Highway 231 on my way from Nashville to Shelbyville, I was filled with both pride and curiosity. I was on my way to visit Nearest Green Distillery on the eve of the debut of the world’s longest bar, Humble Baron.
I grew up in Shelbyville, where “world class” was not often used to describe anything in town. Sure, the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration attracted people from all over the country during its heyday, but the event has long been a shadow of its former self. So when I pulled into the parking lot of America’s fastest-growing whiskey brand, located just a few miles down the road from my parents’ house, it felt like I had come upon an alien spacecraft.
This part of Middle Tennessee is no stranger to whiskey distilleries. Jack Daniel’s is located about 30 minutes away in Lynchburg, while George Dickel resides in Tullahoma, a little further to the east. Now Shelbyville finds itself completing the local whiskey triangle.
Uncle Nearest and Humble Baron co-founder Keith Weaver
“Because we’re located where we are, which I love, but we’re not in Nashville, we’re not in Huntsville, and as it pertains to whiskey, we’re not in Kentucky,” Uncle Nearest and Humble Baron co-founder Keith Weaver tells the Scene, “We were imagining, ‘What are the things that would cause people to come from where they are to here?’”
Due to its sprawling campus full of attractions, Nearest Green Distillery was described early on as “Malt Whiskey World.” So Keith and his wife Fawn — CEO of Uncle Nearest and the first Black woman to head a major spirits brand — decided to fully lean into the nickname with the goal of creating an “accessible upscale” destination.
The menu at Humble Baron, described by Weaver as “if you were trying to get a Michelin star for bar food,” was conceived by James Beard Award-nominated chef Gerry Garvin. The audiovisual setup was designed by the team behind Paisley Park, Prince’s famed home base in Minnessota.
Ahi tuna crudo
“I wanted this space to feel like everyone has a seat at the table and can feel welcome here,” Weaver says. “It’s why the music’s going to be diverse, it’s why the menu’s diverse. And I want it to all be unpretentious.”
With Barrel House BBQ, distillery tours, tastings and more already in operation at Uncle Nearest, the addition of Humble Baron puts an even brighter spotlight on the facility. And the plans don’t stop there, with concert grounds, a miniature golf course, and even a downscaled version of British tourist attraction the London Eye on the potential wish list. But even with the theme park-esque attractions, the Weavers wanted to make sure the property’s history as a horse breeding and training facility isn’t left behind.
“I also want to incorporate the horse experience, because that’s the foundation of the property,” Weaver says. “And if you can create an experience where people can see the showcase and connect us to what’s happening at the Celebration grounds, I think that that presents some nice opportunities.”
Above all, the Weavers want to continue the legacy of the company’s namesake, Nathan “Nearest” Green, who taught his distilling techniques to Jack Daniel himself. Green was named the first master distiller at Jack Daniel’s, making him the first African American master distiller on record in the United States.
“Part of the reason why we feel like this is purposeful work is Nearest and Jack themselves,” Weaver says. “The reason we know of Nearest now is because Jack told us about him in his biography. I think that’s an important point, because of their connection, that relationship, that friendship, and the intentionality about talking about it.
“Nearest wasn’t the highest-paid Black employee [at Jack Daniel’s] — he was the highest-paid employee,” he continues. “I think we as Tennesseans should be really proud of that. I think that the divides that we have societally are bridged by knowledge and experience, and we hope more people can have experiences here.”
A day before a standing-room-only opening bash headlined by American Idol runner-up HunterGirl, we sipped on Old Fashioneds — made by the bar’s master mixologist DeAndre Jackson with Uncle Nearest 1856, of course. I still couldn’t get over the uncanny feeling of seeing all this take place in my rustic hometown. Yes, the amount of space plays a factor. There is room for the grounds to grow in a way that would not be possible in Nashville, or even Murfreesboro. Shelbyville is also less than an hour from Jack Daniel’s — there’s even a sign out front that shows how close to Lynchburg you are. But the community is an important part of the location, too.
“How cool is it that all these different people from all over the world are sitting around the same bar together, in Shelbyville?” Weaver asks.
I think Jack and Nearest would have been proud.
