Uncle Nearest, once valued at $1.1 billion, is heading to trial in October 2027 while a court-appointed receiver runs the company. The brand that made Nathan “Nearest” Green a household name is now at the center of a federal lending fight, asset sales, and questions about how a celebrated Black-owned whiskey company became insolvent

Uncle Nearest Trial Date: What We Know

Uncle Nearest was founded to restore a missing chapter in American whiskey history. Nathan “Nearest” Green, a formerly enslaved Black man in Tennessee, taught a young Jack Daniel how to distill and later served as the first known Black master distiller at what became Jack Daniel’s. His role was long minimized until a 2016 New York Times story brought it back into public view.

Fawn Weaver, a California entrepreneur, read that account, sought permission from Green’s descendants, and launched Uncle Nearest in 2017 with her husband, Keith. The company opened Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in 2019 and built a brand around Green’s legacy, tourism, and premium whiskey.

Within a few years it was sold in all 50 states and multiple countries, claimed more than $100 million in annual sales, and was described as the fastest-growing whiskey brand in U.S. history, with a self-declared $1.1 billion valuation in 2024.

How the company ended up in court

That ascent collided with debt. On July 28, 2025, Farm Credit Mid-America sued Uncle Nearest Inc., Nearest Green Distillery Inc., Uncle Nearest Real Estate Holdings LLC, and the Weavers, alleging defaults on loans totaling more than $108 million. The lender also claimed the company overstated barrel inventory used as collateral, failed to keep required cash balances, and lacked adequate financial controls.

In August 2025, U.S. District Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr. placed the companies into receivership and appointed attorney Phillip G. Young Jr. to take control of operations and assets. The receivership later expanded to include Grant Sidney Inc., Fawn Weaver’s holding company. Judge Atchley has described the business as insolvent and has put the debt figure as high as $207.9 million.

The Weavers have disputed the lender’s account. They have accused Farm Credit of a smear campaign, attempted to end the receivership, and in March 2026 filed Chapter 11 petitions that a bankruptcy judge quickly dismissed, ruling that only the receiver had authority to act for the companies. A federal judge later found Fawn Weaver not credible as a witness and concluded the company concealed a $20 million third-party loan from its lender.

Who is running the company now

Young terminated Fawn and Keith Weaver from Uncle Nearest effective June 1, 2026. In a July 10 quarterly report, he said the move reduced confusion among employees and vendors and made operations smoother. He now oversees the Shelbyville distillery, real estate, intellectual property, affiliated ventures, and Grant Sidney.

The receiver has sold a Martha’s Vineyard property, identified a buyer for French vineyard holdings, and pursued a letter of intent to sell substantially all core operating assets, reportedly to a Black-owned investment firm, subject to court approval. He has also said a receiver-authorized Chapter 11 sale remains possible. The New York Times has reported that federal agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the SEC, are investigating alleged financial misconduct.

The trial calendar

The lawsuit is now on a long federal timetable in Chattanooga:

  • Summary-judgment motions are due May 18, 2027.
  • Final trial materials are due Sept. 7, 2027.
  • Pretrial briefs are due Oct. 5, 2027.
  • A pretrial conference is set for Oct. 11, 2027, at 3 p.m.
  • A bench trial is scheduled to begin later that month, with reports pointing to Oct. 26, 2027.

Judge Atchley has said late motions will not be accepted except in extraordinary circumstances and has ordered the parties into federal mediation. The case could still settle or shrink before trial.

Why it matters

Uncle Nearest was more than a spirits company. It became one of the most visible Black-owned brands in American whiskey and a vehicle for rewriting Green’s place in the industry. The coming trial will not just decide who is owed what. It will determine whether that brand survives as a going concern, is sold in pieces, or is defined less by its founding story than by the fight over its books.