Giavonni Whitener’s Honors Retreat Blog Post : Everything but the Whiskey (The Uncle Nearest Experience)
Everything But the Whiskey (The Uncle Nearest Experience)
When visiting the Uncle Nearest Distillery in Tennessee, I realized that this trip was not only about whiskey or the story of Nearest Green himself. It is about the importance of storytelling and legacy. Reading Weaver’s Love & Whiskey laid the foundation, but being at the distillery allowed me to see how history is carried through time. The distillery served as both a time capsule and a brand.
One of my photos was of a wall of 85 images of contributors to the Uncle Earnest brand over the years. This representation of workers illustrated the “love story” that emphasizes friendship, harmony, and legacy. It is a powerful reminder to all that the Uncle Nearest brand is not only about whiskey but about a legacy passed down through that fosters community. This ties to Allen’s Our Declaration, which emphasizes the importance of equality in democratic life because, in a way, this wall illustrates equality. By showcasing all contributors regardless of race or gender, the people who were once kept throughout history are remembered together.
Another image I have chosen to highlight is the unused brewing building to represent a complication. This building has been present for years, yet has remained inoperable due to many different excuses. This may seem like a logistical issue, but it has raised another question: What else remains incomplete or unresolved? Seeing this building reminded me that even successful businesses have unfinished projects that seemed to evoke a sense of frustration from our tour guide. This highlights that growth is ongoing and reminds me of Kelley’s Freedom Dreams, where he states that liberation often remains unfinished, just like that building.
The third and final image I showcased is the now-welcome center that once served as a horse ranch, which directly overlapped brand and history. The repurposed and redesigned center was homey yet polished and had a definite marketing shift, but it remained in stature externally. Despite its new and sleek interior, the exterior was a time capsule of old southern culture, with my favorite aspect being the long line of classic white rocking chairs. I wondered how much of this design is about highlighting the ranch’s history versus appealing to consumers by selling it as a “brand”? This overlapping makes me think of Walker’s Turn Me Loose, where poems highlighted the gaps between public narratives and first-hand personal truths/experience. The distillery has some of those very gaps, where truth and the brand coexist.
Being in Tennessee rather than just reading about this history enhanced my perspective. Getting to see the distillery in itself carried a lot of weight, as I am not from a rural area, so my imagination never quite measured up. The spacious rural setting contrasted with the city dynamic I was used to, and reminded me just how much legacy is tied into this place. Standing on the grounds where Weaver was able to make this business skyrocket in just a couple of years was inspiring.
Ethically, the distillery conflicted with me as Weaver’s successful entrepreneurship feels double-edged. On one hand, she is reclaiming a story that went missing for a long time, giving Nearest Green his rightfully earned flowers. On the other hand, she sells whiskey and profits from his legacy. At what point does the retelling of history become commercializing it?
Stepping outside the classroom greatly added to the experience. At the distillery, history felt alive, not like something that had merely happened. It was a reminder that the honors program is not just about reading texts but about letting them shape how we engage with the world.
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