Fawn Weaver, the founder who transformed Uncle Nearest into one of the nation’s best-known Black-owned spirits brands, has been fired from the whiskey company she launched in 2017 as a court-appointed receiver moves to sell the business.
Final Round?
According to federal court filings submitted July 10, receiver Phillip G. Young Jr. terminated both Weaver and her husband, Keith Weaver, effective June 1. The company has been operating under receivership since August 2025 after Kentucky lender Farm Credit Mid-America sued over more than $100 million in defaulted loans.
“While the decision was not made lightly, it has resulted in significantly less confusion among employees and vendors, and has made business operation significantly smoother,” the receiver wrote in his quarterly report.
News of Weaver’s termination sparked mixed reactions across social media, with many users praising her role in building the brand despite its current legal and financial troubles.
“People can hate on her but it was because of her efforts that folks know who Uncle Nearest was. It also forced Jack Daniel’s to acknowledge his contributions to their brand,” one X user wrote.
Another defended Weaver’s ambition, posting, “Her ideas were big so I knew they would come for her. She should’ve made sure everything was iron clad.”
Others were more critical. “She seems so shady to me. What a shame they let this happen to their legacy,” one commenter wrote, while another separated the controversy from the product itself, saying, “Still the best bourbon I ever tasted. Drama didn’t mess that up.”
The firing marks a stunning reversal for a company that was once celebrated as one of the fastest-growing Black-owned liquor brands in America.
Founded in 2017, Uncle Nearest honors Nathan “Nearest” Green, the formerly enslaved distiller widely recognized as the first known Black master distiller and the man credited with teaching Jack Daniel the craft of making Tennessee whiskey.
As one X user wrote: “People can hate on her but it was because of her efforts that folks know who Uncle Nearest was. It also forced Jack Daniels to acknowledge his contributions to their brand.”
Under Weaver’s leadership, the brand expanded nationwide, earned critical acclaim and reportedly reached a valuation once estimated at $1 billion.
The company is dealing with more than $200 million in debt, according to court records. There are also various legal fights. In addition to Farm Credit’s lending lawsuit, the receiver disclosed that both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York are investigating matters involving the company.
Young’s latest report says the receivership has already sold the company’s Martha’s Vineyard property for $2.59 million, identified a buyer for its vineyards in France and signed a non-binding letter of intent to sell substantially all of Uncle Nearest’s assets, including Nearest Green Distillery, to an African-American-owned investment firm. Any transaction would require approval from a federal judge.
The receiver also said he is working to remove two restaurants affiliated with Keith Weaver that allegedly owe roughly a year of unpaid rent.
Despite the company’s financial collapse, Young said he believes Uncle Nearest’s future is not over.
“The Receiver continues to believe that the Company’s business and brand have a future,” the filing states, adding that new ownership backed by fresh capital and stronger financial management could rehabilitate the iconic whiskey brand.
