Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey announced that it has closed a $2.1 million deal to purchase an additional 53.12 acres of land on Highway 231 North that abuts its Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn. The additional land will bring the distillery’s total acreage to 323.12 and extend its frontage to over half of a mile along the highway.

Uncle Nearest will dedicate 100 acres of its property to plant and grow its own non-GMO, organic corn, calling it the “Field of Dreams.” The corn will be used solely to create the brand’s portfolio of whiskeys.

“When we broke ground, we made history as the first distillery in America to be named after a Black person,” Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder of Uncle Nearest, said. “Every day, our brand continues to make history and we are finding more and more people wanting to celebrate this history with us at record numbers. Expanding our distillery allows us to increase our production capabilities, as well as to continue to enhance the guest experience, so every person who visits has a reason to return again and again.”

Nearest Green Distillery, named for the first known African American master distiller, reopened its doors on June 19, 2021. After a more than year-long pandemic-related closure, the distillery unveiled its Phase Two additions, including: a Welcome Center; Philo + Frank’s, the world’s first non-alcoholic speakeasy; the first single barrel rickhouse; and Family Tasting Room. The current 270-acre footprint will continue to be built out to provide the best tourist experience possible.

Tours at Nearest Green Distillery are currently available on Saturdays and Sundays, and can be booked at unclenearest.com/distillery.