I recently uncovered a “transparency” page on Uncle Nearest’s website, but what I found only deepened my suspicions about their marketing practices. For a brand that touts honesty, their actions seem to tell a different story.
I have long felt Uncle Nearest has been deliberately vague about their product’s true nature. They oscillate between labeling themselves as “bourbon” or “Tennessee whiskey” for awards, yet their bottles consistently bear the generic “whiskey” designation (Class Type 140) – a catch-all for spirits that don’t fit established categories.
I toured their “distillery” last year further fueled my skepticism. While acknowledging the powerful historical narrative of Uncle Nearest, I found the operational aspects of the tour to be a facade. A pointed-out still was non-functional, and the barrel storage facility was largely populated by empty props. This suggests a deliberate effort to create an illusion of a fully operational, independent distillery.
The “transparency” page attempts to explain away the lack of a “Tennessee whiskey” label, offering a carefully constructed narrative that, upon closer inspection, appears to be a half-truth. I suspect the real reason lies in the restrictions imposed by their initial whiskey suppliers, a crucial detail seemingly omitted from their “transparent” explanation.
Uncle Nearest claims to have transitioned to distilling their own whiskey at DSP-TN-21144 in Columbia, TN, starting in 2021. However, looking into that DSP number reveals it shares an address with Tennessee Distilling Ltd. – a company whose primary business model is supplying bulk whiskey to other brands. While Uncle Nearest can technically claim to have their own DSP number, sharing an address with a known bulk supplier on a page dedicated to “transparency” strikes me as deliberately misleading. This isn’t transparency.
TRANSPARENCY – Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey – 100 Proof from Tennessee Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey – 100 Proof from Tennessee
Uncle Nearest Transparency?
