Uncle Nearest announced on Thursday that the critically-acclaimed whiskey brand’s CEO, Fawn Weaver, made headlines for her induction into the American Marketing Association of New York’s Marketing Hall of Fame for 2025. Weaver is the third African American Woman to earn this kind of recognition.
“I’m honored to receive this recognition, which reflects the power of truth in storytelling,” Weaver expressed in a news release. “We didn’t build Uncle Nearest by following a traditional playbook — we led with authenticity and a commitment to honoring the legacy of those who came before us. Even with all the accolades, we still do not consider ourselves to be in the whiskey business. We are in the legacy-cementing business and will not slow down until Nearest Green’s name and legacy are ubiquitous around the world. To be recognized among the most influential marketers is a testament to the idea that purpose and profit can grow together.”
Weaver’s unconventional background began with a rocky start; she left home at the tender age of 15 years old and bounced around between three different homeless shelters in her youth. Yet the CEO credits her resilience to the turbulence she experienced in her youth. Weaver started her first company before she was just shy of 19 years old, according to Voyage LA.
The company was called FEW Entertainment and focused on public relations. Weaver worked multiple jobs for organizations within hospitality, like the Hilton family of hotels. She is a published author, who wrote “The Argument Free Marriage,” and is a motivational speaker. The visionary known as “The People’s CEO” discovered Nathan “Nearest” Green’s story while reading a New York Times article about his contributions to the Jack Daniel’s brand.
Initially, Weaver considered writing a film about Nathan “Nearest” Green, but she ultimately figured that a whiskey brand would be a more permanent legacy.
Weaver sought out the help from one of Nearest Green’s descendants, Victoria Eady Butler. Though Butler initially joined the brand as an administrative role, Weaver sensed Butler had a greater destiny within the whiskey brand. Butler began experimenting with blending whiskey for Uncle Nearest and revealed her talents. She shortly made the leap to the role of Master Blender.
With Butler’s blending skills, Uncle Nearest quickly garnered critical acclaim and became one of the most-awarded bourbons for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
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