Cinnamon bark | Light caramel | Fresh oak | Peppercorn | Tobacco leaf | Cinnamon toast | Earthy opening

Syrup | Corn oil | Black pepper | Heavy oak | Leather | Nutty | Heavy earthy notes layered with syrup

Nuts | Dash of dark maple syrup | Leather | Peppercorn spice | Charred oak | Dry earthy notes | Suiting way to end the sip

Uncle Nearest has been making a name for themselves since they came to market with their namesake brand in 2017. With a fascinating backstory, the brand has captured the attention of both whiskey and non-whiskey drinkers alike. The brand has previously sourced the whiskey they used in previous Master Blend Edition batches, however, for Batch 005 the company has blended their own distillate for this limited release. 

Right off the bat it’s hard to miss how earthy this whiskey is. Peppercorn spice, nuts, and leather dominate along with a supporting cast of tobacco and oak. On top of that dabs of cinnamon and syrup are further mixed in. Its spicy earthy notes can be a tad overwhelming at times, however, it’s impressive to see a young brand putting out this level of in-house distilled whiskey in such a short amount of time. Given a few more years of both aging their whiskey and time to continuously hone their blends, I have no doubt that future high proof Uncle Nearest Master Blends will be able to go head to head with established high proof Tennessee and Kentucky whiskeys alike.