# Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey: Fawn Weaver (2021)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2024-03-04
- Length: 1h 12m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021

## Summary

Fawn Weaver, founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, explains how she pivoted from writing books to building a whiskey brand after discovering that Nearest Green, a formerly enslaved man, taught Jack Daniel how to distill. Weaver details the challenges of entering a market dominated by five multinational corporations, including securing distribution by leveraging the brand's unique story and sweeping major spirit competitions. She also discusses the operational hurdles of sourcing aged whiskey, managing a three-tier distribution system, and raising over $60 million to build a new distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=0) Introduction: Fawn Weaver and the Uncle Nearest Story
- [5:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=307) Weaver's Background and Early Career
- [24:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=1442) Discovering Nearest Green and Buying the Farm
- [41:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=2469) Deciding to Launch a Whiskey Brand
- [47:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=2841) Navigating Jack Daniel's and IP Concerns
- [53:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=3224) Overcoming Distribution and Gender Bias
- [1:03:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=3786) Marketing Strategy and Scarcity Tactics
- [1:08:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-03-04-uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver-2021#t=4132) Scaling Production and Building the Distillery

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey (product)
- Jack Daniel (product)
- Brown-Forman (company)
- Diageo (company)
- Sazerac (company)
- LVMH (company)
- Pernod Ricard (company)
- Jim Beam (product)
- Johnny Walker (product)
- Nearest Green Distillery (product)

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- [343 - Returning guest, Manya Rubinstein on her new BIG venture!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-03-17-343-returning-guest-manya-rubinstein-on-her-new-big-venture) (People of Packaging)
- [16 - Ogden's Own CEO Steve Conlin](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-04-27-16-ogdens-own-ceo-steve-conlin) (People of Packaging)
- [The Founder Fundraising Journey: Karl Franz Williams, Founder of Uncle Waithleys](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-12-06-the-founder-fundraising-journey-karl-franz-williams-founder-of-uncle-waithleys) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Spencer Hoddeson, Gay Water](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-12-27-founder-feature-spencer-hoddeson-gay-water) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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