The New York Times published an article last week stating that the Uncle Nearest brand is in financial distress, including defaulting on $108 million in loans, and "misstated details regarding the purchase of a $2.25 million house on Martha’s Vineyard," as well as defaulting on other loan requirements. The Uncle Nearest story is a powerful and worthy one which has reaped dividends for its founders; but is the story enough? While previous bottling were using entirely sourced bourbons, this one (according to the Times) is produced at "the Tennessee Distilling Ltd., a large contract producer located in Columbia, south of Nashville, in what is called an alternate proprietorship, in which Uncle Nearest takes control of the facility for a set period of time." The label says it is "bottled" by Nearest Green Distillers. Still sourced, aside from a technicality. All of this is merely pretext for why I chose to review this whiskey this evening; the article coerced me to taste it. The whiskey itself is fine, but not particularly noteworthy (aside from the great backstory and history of "Uncle" Nearest Green, who ostensibly taught Jack Daniel how to make Tennessee whiskey). The nose shows cherries, some cocoa, licorice, and menthol. The mouthfeel shows some glycerin, and oak and vanilla emerge on the palate and finish. There are no flaws or hard edges here, but in an environment overflowing with nondescript bourbon, this one isn't particularly noteworthy beyond the (powerful) story. 3.75+ on the Distiller scale.