Keith Weaver, right, speaks at a Shelbyville-Bedford County Partnership meeting in November. Left is Shane Hooper, CEO of SBP. (Post file photo)
By MARK MCGEE
mmcgee@bedfordcountypost.com
With the holiday celebrations in full swing everything is merry and bright at the Nearest Green Distillery.
But the excitement goes beyond the sea of bright Christmas lights and the gigantic Christmas tree.
Nearest Green is continuing to expand in Bedford County. The latest addition will be a distillery located at what is known at Parcel 26, the final 26 acres available in the Highway 231 Industrial Park.
“Fueled by the exponential growth of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the expansion of the Nearest Green Distillery campus into Parcel 26 is an exciting opportunity for us,” Keith Weaver, co-founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, along with his wife Fawn, said. “It allows us to expand and accelerate the pace of production and job creation in our region and state.”
The distillery addition is a $100 million capital investment with 100 new jobs created. The acreage is landlocked. Nearest Green will provide the road construction and the addition of sewer, water and gas lines.
“As a result, we are on track to become one of the largest capacity spirits production facilities in the state as a meaningful complement to the tourism that has made Nearest Green Distillery the seventh most visited distillery in the world,” Keith Weaver said. “We applaud the vision and leadership of our amazing elected officials who worked in concert to make this happen, as well as the extraordinary strong and well executed economic development strategy. This is beneficial to us and this great community we love.”
*In a related item “The Open Table” website has listed the six hottest restaurants in the Nashville area. The Humble Baron, which opened in March and is located in the Nearest Green Distillery complex, is on the list.
