‘We Have More In Common Than What Will Ever Separate Us’: Uncle Nearest Celebrates Music, Whiskey, and Diversity With National Commercial

The Nearest Green Distillery in Tennessee (Photo: Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey/Facebook)

Uncle Nearest announced the launch of a national commercial on Tuesday. The 30-second spot is set to hit the airwaves on August 16 and is dubbed “My Sugar Baby.”

“My Sugar Baby” is set to the music of Motown Records songwriter, singer and record producer Frank Wilson — who happens to be the father of Uncle Nearest CEO and founder Fawn Weaver, and the brand claims the spot highlights the diversity and passion of the team at Nearest Green Distillery. Weaver chose the song after she discovered it in a rare compilation of Motown records.

“My father never released a song, choosing to focus on writing and becoming one of the top producers in the nation, but he recorded a couple of songs that made it into the vault,” Weaver said in a news release. “We had no idea this song existed until two weeks before we filmed, but once it was discovered, I knew hands down it needed to be the backdrop for our next commercial.”

The spot was produced by Steve Lamar and directed by Nashville-based filmmaker David Poag. Emmy Award-winning actor and Uncle Nearest investor Jeffrey Wright narrated the spot. Wright is known for roles in “Westworld,” “The Batman” and “Shaft.”

“The calling card of the Uncle Nearest brand is authenticity. Our company has one of the most diverse employee populations in America, and the fact that we’ve built that in the heart of Middle Tennessee will be surprising for so many to see,” Weaver continued. “In these past few years, more than ever, our country needs a reminder that we all have more in common than what will ever separate us, and a great Motown tune does better than anything to remind us of that.”

Uncle Nearest was named after Nearest Green, an enslaved black man who taught Jasper “Jack” Daniel — the man behind the Jack Daniel’s brand — how to make whiskey. It was Nearest Green who perfected what is now known as the “Lincoln County Process,” or the technique of charcoal-filtering whiskey, which all whiskeys under the category “Tennessee whiskey” must undergo.

Historians believe the process of sugar maple charcoal filtering was brought by slaves, who used it during the distillation process, according to the New York Times.

The Uncle Nearest brand launched in 2017 and has won multiple awards since its inception. With favorably reviewed expressions like Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey (Barrel #7), the brand continues to grow in popularity. The new commercial will air in all 50 states.

“Millions will be joyously dancing together – somewhere in this country – every time this commercial plays, Weaver concluded.

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