Uncle Nearest Whiskey’s founder has a word of advice for Beyoncé as she plants herself in the spirits industry.
As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the “Cowboy Carter” singer released SirDavis in August 2024. The American whisky brand was launched in partnership with Moët Hennessy, and its inaugural product is inspired by Japanese and Scotch whiskies with promises to maintain “the robust and deep flavors typical of classic American rye,” a press release mentioned.
The venture is inspired by Beyoncé’s paternal great-grandfather Davis Hogue, who was a farmer and worked as a “moonshiner” in the midst of the Prohibition era.
“Our whiskey’s legacy dates back over 200 years to a Black man in Alabama in the 1800s… a man who was a businessman and an entrepreneur, but would have never had the opportunity to create a mainstream whiskey back then. Systemic barriers would not have allowed it,” she mentioned, according to GQ. “But it turns out that my great-grandfather’s hands planted the seed that laid the groundwork, and we honor him in the most profound way. This is more than just a business; it’s a fulfillment of a legacy.”
Amid Beyoncé’s foray in the industry, she is being embraced by Fawn Weaver, who leads Uncle Nearest, the fastest-growing whiskey brand in U.S. history, which surpassed a $1 billion valuation in 2024, per Forbes. The company has served as a spotlight on Nearest Green, a formerly enslaved man who educated Jack Daniel on whiskey making.
Weaver recently took to Instagram to acknowledge both Beyoncé and NBA star LeBron James, who launched a limited collaboration with Moët Hennessy in September 2024, and encouraged them to further dominate in an industry where 12% of consumers are Black but their ownership remains disproportionately low, noted Diageo.
“So many of you have been asking me, how do I feel about Beyoncé ‘s new whiskey partnership with Moët Hennessy? And how do I feel about LeBron’s new Moët Hennessy partnership on cognac? Y’all around these parts in Tennessee, we have nothing but love for the king and for our queen, but since y’all are entering the industry, I do have one piece of advice. If you would like to take it, take all their money,” she said in a video shared on Instagram.
Beyoncé previously acknowledged the contributions of Weaver and Victoria Eady Butler, Green’s great-great-granddaughter, who serves as a master blender in American whiskey, and emphasized the importance of increasing representation in the sector.
“Now, there’s a delicious whiskey, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, named after him, that is run by two women—Nearest Green’s great-great-granddaughter, Victoria Eady Butler, alongside Fawn Weaver. Victoria, in true legacy form to what Mr. Nearest started, is one of the first Black female master blenders in American whiskey. Hopefully, this story, along with others like Victoria’s and Fawn’s, and now mine, will continue to open more doors,” Beyoncé told GQ.
