Uncle Nearest hits $100m in sales

American whiskey brand Uncle Nearest has exceeded sales of US$100 million and is on track to more than double revenue by the end of 2023.

The Tennessee whiskey brand, founded by CEO Fawn Weaver in 2017, surpassed US$100m in sales in October this year.

Last year, Uncle Nearest said it had become the best-selling Black American-founded, owned and led spirit brand in the US. This sales milestone means the company is now the world’s largest, it claimed.

“To reach this and every other milestone on our horizon, we continue to push nonstop,” said Weaver.

“Every penny this company has earned has gone back into the business, as well as to put Nearest Green’s college-age descendants through college and to invest in minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs through our Black Business Booster programme (BBB), the Nearest and Jack Advancement Initiative (NJAI) and Uncle Nearest Ventures.

“Every cent we make in the future will continue to do the same. We have an entire generation of women and people of colour, who represent 70% of our country but still feel marginalised and underrepresented, counting on us.”

In June 2021, the expanded Nearest Green Distillery opened to the public, a project that has cost approximately US$50m.

The distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee, has welcomed more than 100,000 guests and that number increases ‘significantly’ every week, the brand said.

“I joined the team this year with one mission in mind: to make Nearest Green Distillery one of the top three most visited distilleries in the world,” said Brielle Caruso, chief marketing officer (CMO) for Nearest Green Distillery, who became the first Asian-American female CMO in the spirits industry two years ago.

“I have no doubt we will achieve that milestone even faster than we crossed the US$100 million sales mark.”

Last month, the brand unveiled three new additions to the portfolio, including its second rye expression.

Uncle Nearest revealed a packaging redesign at the start of this year.