Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is a brand built on the solid foundations of a rich whiskey history, but it hasn’t rested on its laurels. Since it was launched in July 2017, Uncle Nearest has gone from strength to strength, creating the 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, 1884 Small Batch, Master Blend Whiskey, and 1820 Single Barrel Edition — garnering numerous awards for its work along the way.

The brand is named after Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green, the first known African-American master distiller, whose story was forgotten for many years. Through the retelling of his story, the brand has picked up an increasingly growing fanbase and construction is currently ongoing at its new distillery home in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

One of the central pillars of this success is Victoria Eady Butler, master blender and great-great granddaughter of Nearest Green. Eady Butler initially joined the team as VP of Administration in March 2019 — it was later that year that her irrefutable talent landed her in the role of master blender.

In the years since, Eady Butler has made history as the first person to win the award for Master Blender of the Year, back-to-back, at Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky Awards — and now it’s her time to shine in the UK.

During her first trip to London last month, Eady Butler met with Phoebe Calver, editor of American Whiskey Magazine to discuss her whiskey journey and celebrate this next phase across the pond.