Fawn Weaver has been a serial entrepreneur for over 25 years, but has most recently made a name for herself here in Tennessee, as Founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. In March, she made international headlines breaking records alongside her husband, Keith Weaver, by opening the world's longest bar, Humble Baron, located in Shelbyville at Nearest Green Distillery.
Her journey began when she visited Tennessee as an author in 2016, looking to visit Nearest Green's ancestors for a book project. From there, Fawn's research helped reveal that Nearest Green was a part of Jack Daniel Distillery, involved as its first master distiller and mentor to young Jack Daniel. This research inspired Fawn to launch the Nearest Green Distillery and the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand in 2017. She was the first African-American woman to head a major spirits brand, and also the first American spirit brand with an all-female executive team. In 2019, she was the first African-American featured on the cover of American Whiskey magazine. By 2018, her "little" whiskey brand had expanded into all 50 states and 12 countries, and is now the best-selling African-American owned spirit ever produced. In September 2019, Uncle Nearest opened its first distillery, set on a 270-acre ranch in Shelbyville. Weaver was named one of Food & Wine's Drinks Innovators of the Year in 2022, alongside Uncle Nearest master blender Victoria Eady Butler.
Fawn is also the founder of the Nearest Green Foundation, which honors the legacy of Green with a scholarship program, a museum, a memorial park, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and a book. The foundation also provides full college scholarships for any of Green's descendants to attend the school of their choice.
Humble Baron was officially declared "The World's Longest Bar" by the Guinness Book of World Records on March 23, 2023. The showpiece bar is a whopping 518 feet long, featuring 17 stations, wrapped around the indoor stage. That's 100 feet longer than the current record holder for the longest permanent continuous bar in the world. The record-breaking restaurant, bar, and live music venue serves elevated fare and creative cocktails and non-alcoholic drink options. The bar program was crafted in partnership with Gin & Luck, the hospitality company behind renowned cocktail institution Death & Co., with Black-owned spirits taking center stage.
Humble Baron's Grand Opening Weekend included American Idol's country music artist, HunterGirl, and international DJ BOVA, and future events will welcome all genres of music, and weekly themed occasions like a Friday DJ Night and Sunday Gospel Brunch
Audio and visual for the state-of-the-art music venue, with an indoor and outdoor stage, was designed by the former technical director and engineer for Prince's Paisley Park. The indoor stage, separated by a glass garage door from its mirroring outdoor stage, will allow live concerts hosting more than 15,000 guests.
"Although the vision of Humble Baron comes from the incredible mind of my favorite person on earth, I had the great honor of naming it," said Fawn Weaver of her husband and partner. "Keith's storied career as an executive vice president for one of the largest movie studios in the world and one of the highest-ranking Black executives in Hollywood for more than 20 years, causes people to look at him as a baron. But he's remained the humblest person I've ever known throughout his impressive career."
CL: You’re such an inspiration to many. What advice would you give to a woman starting it with a dream of creating her own brand and business as you have?
FW: Fail faster and harder, because if you are trying to play it safe, you're never going to reach any true dream that makes a difference for anybody else. Failure isn't failure unless you give up before you succeed.
Humble Baron is a gathering place where everyone has a seat at the table, bringing people together over premium spirits, exceptional food, and lively music.
humblebaron.com
unclenearest.com