Victoria Eady Butler, Uncle Nearest

Victoria Eady Butler is a relatively new face in the spirits world, but whiskey is in her blood. The great-great-granddaughter of Nearest Green, the first African-American master distiller on record, Butler is the Master Blender of the award-winning ​Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey where s​he oversees the blending process of its 1884 Small Batch Whiskey as well as the selection of all 1820 Single Barrels. Butler also serves as a member of Uncle Nearest’s executive team and oversees the Nearest Green Foundation, a 501(s)(3) non-profit organization that provides scholarships to Nearest Green’s descendants that is funded, in part, by the sales of Uncle Nearest Whiskey. 

Butler blended the very first batch of 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, which launched in July 2019. She was appointed Master Blender in November 2019 after the immense success of the first two batches, which earned numerous awards including Double Gold medals at the China Wine & Spirits Awards and the Sommelier Challenge. Since then, Butler has taken many courses to hone her skills, including becoming an Executive Bourbon Steward through Stave & Thief Society in Louisville, KY, the first bourbon certification program recognized by the bourbon industry.

Prior to joining the Uncle Nearest team in March 2019, Butler worked as an Analytical Manager with the Regional Organized Crime Information Center in Nashville, which she joined upon graduating Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Butler had just retired from a more than 30-year tenure when Fawn Weaver, Co-Founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest, approached her about becoming involved in the Uncle Nearest brand. The opportunity to carry on her family legacy first-hand and to help to concrete Nearest’s name in history was one that she couldn’t pass up.

Butler is a mother, grandmother and a Tennessee native, currently residing in Murfreesboro, TN located just 20 miles up the road from the current Nearest Green Distillery. ​In her spare time,she enjoys spending time with friends and family and volunteering with several non-profitorganizations. She’s also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.