Uncle Nearest Debuts Commercial on Superbowl Sunday

Premium Whiskey from Tennessee Debuts Powerful Jeffrey Wright Narrated Spot During "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Post-Super Bowl Special

Do you know the story of Uncle Nearest??

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is inspired by the best whiskey-maker the world never knew, the first African-American master distiller on record in the United States, Nathan "Nearest" Green. Nathan "Nearest" Green, known by those in his hometown of Lynchburg, Tenn., as Uncle Nearest, was the first African-American master distiller on record in the United States. He was also the first head stiller, now commonly referred to as master distiller, for Jack Daniel Distillery. He is now recognized by the distillery as having taught a young Jack Daniel how to make Tennessee Whiskey. Green is also thought to have helped perfect the Lincoln County Process, a special sugar maple charcoal filtering method required to be considered Tennessee Whiskey, named after the county in which he lived and made whiskey.

The Why

The commercial "The Why" follows the lives of Uncle Nearest team members as they crisscross the country, reviving the story of the first known African-American master distiller, in bars, restaurants and on streets nationwide. The unscripted commercial is groundbreaking and utterly original, yet risky in an advertising world that often chooses formula over heart. Weaver reached out to Nashville-based director David Poag, and Lamar Brothers lead producer Steve Lamar to create the campaign.

I was apart of the production crew that gathered at Uncle Nearest's farm on a cold day in January. The farm on a bottle is a real place.Many don't realize the home on our bottle is a real place," The home sits on a farm, in the hills above Lynchburg, Tennessee, and looks today just as it did when Uncle Nearest distilled his premium whiskey there more than 160 years ago.

The powerful spot was narrated by Jefferey Wright of Westworld and Hunger Games. After learning about Green, Wright was so inspired that he reached out to the brand himself to help tell the world about Uncle Nearest. The commercial is the prelude to a 7-minute short film, starring Jeffrey Wright, that will debut digitally later this month.

Watch The Why