Lightning in a Bottle

The first companywide Zoom call for the Tennessee whiskey maker Uncle Nearest came in mid-March. Though staffers were separated by space and cables, headphones and screens, their anxiety was palpable. A pandemic was not just spreading across the country—it was devastating the industry.

Later that month, the American Craft Spirits Association would report that almost 90 percent of the 150 distilleries surveyed had closed their tasting rooms, which often account for a substantial percentage of sales. Nearly 60 percent had laid off or furloughed employees.

Plus, Uncle Nearest, only three years old, had ambitious plans. The company’s prizewinning whiskeys were already for sale in 50 states and 12 countries. It was spending $50 million to turn a 270-acre farm in Shelbyville into a distillery, tasting room, gallery, restaurant, and concert