Victoria Eady Butler is the master blender for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and one of our Imbibe 75 People to Watch for 2021. In this episode, we catch up with her on her work at Uncle Nearest, the brand’s move into Cognac, and the Uncle Nearest HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge.
In 2021, we recognized Victoria Eady Butler as one of our Imbibe 75 People to Watch for her work as the master blender for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. For this episode, we catch up with her on her ongoing work at Uncle Nearest; get a glimpse into future plans for the brand as it looks toward Cognac; and talk about the Uncle Nearest HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge, which aims to raise up to $1.4 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
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Episode 93: Victoria Eady Butler from Uncle Nearest
Paul Clarke
Hey, everybody. Welcome back to Radio Imbibe from Imbibe magazine. I'm Paul Clarke, Imbibe’s editor in chief.
And a few years ago, at the outset of 2021, we brought you our annual list of the Imbibe 75 people and places that will change the way we drink. One of the people on that list was Victoria Eady Butler. Not very long ago at all, she was working in law enforcement, managing a team for the Department of Justice in Nashville. But everything changed when she was contacted by Fawn Weaver, who was researching the story of Nearest Green on the way to establishing the Uncle Nearest distillery and its whiskey. Nearest Green, as we know by now, was a formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniels the craft of distilling whisky, and was also Victoria's great great grandfather, which brought her into the modern Uncle Nearest story.
Today, Victoria is the master blender at Uncle Nearest, a brand that's shown enormous growth in recent years, and now, Uncle Nearest is adding to the whiskey team with investments in Cognac. And they're also looking to the future, with the ongoing Uncle Nearest HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge, which has the goal of raising $1.4 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. For this episode, we're checking in with Victoria Eady Butler to catch up on what she's been doing at Uncle Nearest, what prompted the move into Cognac, and the HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge.
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Paul Clarke
Victoria, welcome to Radio Imbibe.
Victoria Eady Butler
Thank you. I'm glad to be with you this afternoon.
Paul Clarke
Absolutely. And you know, it is such a pleasure to talk to you again and to have you on the podcast, and I wanted to have you on for a few particular reasons. First off, you know, I'll start at the top. We've had you in the magazine before as part of our Imbibe 75 in 2021 for your role at Uncle Nearest, where you’re currently the master blender, but your connection with Nearest Green and with the story of Uncle Nearest actually goes back much further than that. For people who may not be familiar with that story, could you fill us in just a little bit?
Victoria Eady Butler
Oh, absolutely. Nearest Green, the first African American master distiller, is my great great grandfather. His granddaughter is my grandmother, and I am just thrilled to be kind of walking in the same vein as he did in regards to the spirits industry. Whereas he was the master distiller, I am the master blender, now, for the brand that honors him.
Paul Clarke
Fantastic. And there's also a very timely aspect to me reaching out to you for the podcast. And that's because at the time that we we’re talking, in February, we are right in the middle of a fundraising project that you’re part of, the Uncle Nearest HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge. For people who may not have yet come across this, what is the Old Fashioned Challenge and what's the ultimate aim here?
Victoria Eady Butler
The ultimate goal is to raise $1.4 million where Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey will be funding a scholarship at every accredited HBCU in the country. This is our second annual HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge. Last year, we raised $1 million and we have up the ante this year to $1.4 million because we do want to ensure that we have enough to cover a scholarship at every HBCU in the country.
Paul Clarke
And explain to us a little bit more, what can this scholarship do and especially for the HBCU, for folks who are figuring this out, what is the significance of this for the students at these universities and for these schools themselves?
Victoria Eady Butler
Oh, it’s extremely significant because we all know that our HBCU are underfunded, have been. And so we felt the need actually, our CEO and founder, Fawn Weaver, felt the need to try to bridge the gap in the financial woes of those students having the desire to continue their education at an Historically Black College or University. So this is all our help. We are trying our best to be a helpmate to our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and this is our way to do it.
Paul Clarke
And so this effort for this year started in January, and it's going to continue on into June, to June 19th.
Victoria Eady Butler
Yes.
Paul Clarke
For people who want to get involved, whether they're a bar owner or a bartender or just a consumer out there, what can they do? How can they find out more?
Victoria Eady Butler
Well, of course, you can always go on to UncleNearest.com to get more information. But basically what it is, in a nutshell, is every bottle sold until June 19th, until Juneteenth, $1 will go towards our HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge. If you make an Old Fashioned cocktail at home and tag Uncle Nearest, use HBCU challenge, an additional dollar will go towards the challenge. If you go to one of our accounts, one of the bars or restaurants that is supporting the HBCU challenge and order an Uncle Nearest Old Fashioned there, $1 will go towards the challenge from that restaurant or bar as well. So I think we pretty well got it covered at, you know, all of our accounts, on and off premise, who are participating with us. So there's an opportunity, even if you do it at home, to make your cocktail at home and tag on HBCU challenge, you can participate.
Paul Clarke
And if folks are making this at home or at their bar, they have quite a range of options in working with Uncle Nearest whiskeys at this point because you've been very busy as a master blender. What are some of their best options for the selections that you have out there for people to make an Old Fashioned with?
Victoria Eady Butler
Oh, my goodness. So one of my favorites now is an Old Fashioned made with Uncle Nearest rye. It's 100 percent rye, it makes a really good Old Fashioned. My go to before that had been the 1856, so there are options, it just depends on your palate and what you enjoy. The 1884 makes a really good Old Fashioned as well. 1884, of course, as you know, is very dear to me because that is the expression that I first blended, you know, after joining the team in 2019. So that is my go to always, but of late that rye Old Fashioned has captured my heart.
Paul Clarke
Well, I'm right there with you because, you know, I love the expression that you first introduced several years ago, but I'm also a big rye whiskey fan and an Old Fashioned fan. So, you know, really, I think what people need to do is kind of sample their way across the spectrum over the course of this challenge into June and lend their support to this effort as well.
Victoria Eady Butler
Absolutely.
Paul Clarke
Now, we’ll connect people to the website OldFashionedChallenge.com in this episode’s notes so they can just click right through and find out a little bit more. But while I have you here, I need to catch up with you on a couple of other things. First off, Uncle Nearest obviously makes whiskey. You're a whiskey brand, but recently the company is also turning its attention in the direction of Cognac. I understand you can't tell us a lot about the project yet, but what can you fill us in on it? And why are you looking to move in this direction into brandy?
Victoria Eady Butler
Well, it's Cognac and we are excited about it. Our CEO and founder of course, Fawn Weaver, is extremely excited about it. She and her husband, Keith, they purchased the largest and I think the oldest vineyard in Cognac. And we're excited to be restoring a beautiful chateau there. And hopefully next year we will be bringing out an awesome story in regards to Cognac and the African American connection to it. Just like the beautiful story that Fawn unearthed about my great great grandfather, Nearest Green, there is just a compelling, beautiful story that will be shared about the Cognac as well.
Paul Clarke
That's fantastic. I look forward to finding out more about that in the year ahead. And also, you know, we do like to touch base with people we featured in our Imbibe 75 in the past to catch up a little bit. Also to see what else they have planned in the months and years ahead. We mentioned Cognac, we mentioned the Old Fashioned Challenge. Is there anything else we need to know about what you're doing at Uncle Nearest that we can keep an eye on or that we can anticipate as we get deeper into the year?
Victoria Eady Butler
Well, of course, you know, we're always planning and thinking, considering adding more expressions to our portfolio. One thing that has us all excited right now, and it really doesn't have anything to do with me other than being in the book, is a book that our CEO has finally finished and we are really excited about that. The pre-sales started yesterday, the preorder started yesterday. I am extremely proud of the work that Fawn put into that, it's called Love and Whiskey and it is the true, transparent story of Jack Daniels, Nearest Green, and the improbable rise of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. It is a beautiful story written by a very dynamic woman, and so I'm excited for everyone to read that and get their feedback. And it is, you know, it's filled with a lot of history, but it's not a history book. Fawn’s story entwined really, with bringing Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey to life. And so it's just it's just an awesome read, one that I encourage everyone to read.
Paul Clarke
So this book is coming out in June, if I remember correctly.
Victoria Eady Butler
It is.
Paul Clarke
And we will have more about that in Imbibe magazine and imbibemagazine.com. So we'll keep folks posted on that and we'll look forward to that coming up.
Victoria, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me for the podcast. And I'm looking forward to everything that you and Uncle Nearest have planned in the years ahead.
Victoria Eady Butler
Thank you. I always enjoy talking to you and I look forward to the next opportunity that we get to do that.
Paul Clarke
Thank you very much.
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Paul Clarke
Head to UncleNearest.com to find out more about everything at Uncle Nearest. And the Uncle Nearest HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge is running through June 19th in honor of Juneteenth. You can find out more at oldfashionedcocktail.com.
And that's it for this episode. Be sure to subscribe to Radio Imbibe on your favorite podcast app to keep up with future episodes. We've got plenty of recipes, stories, and our full back catalogue of podcast episodes on our website at imbibemagazine.com. Keep up with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Threads for all of our social media activity. And if you're not already subscribed to the print and or digital issues of Imbibe, then here is your opportunity to change that. Just follow the link in this episode’s notes and we'll be happy to help you out.
I'm Paul Clarke. This is Radio Imbibe. Catch you next time.