Uncle Nearest Inc. 这家由企业家福恩·韦弗创立的陷入困境的田纳西州威士忌酿造商，在接受接管一年后正接近出售，此前该公司一直在应对政府对其业务的调查。
Uncle Nearest Inc., the embattled Tennessee whiskey maker founded by entrepreneur Fawn Weaver, is nearing a sale after a year in receivership while responding to a government probe into the business.
乔纳森·兰德尔斯 虽然买家尚未签署购买协议，但接管人菲利普·G·扬 Jr. 在周五的法庭文件中表示，讨论仍在进行中，他认为自己正接近达成一项关于 Uncle Nearest 几乎全部资产的交易。
By Jonathan Randles Although a buyer hasn’t signed a purchase agreement, receiver Phillip G. Young Jr. said in a Friday court filing that discussions are ongoing and that he believes he’s close to executing a deal for substantially all of Uncle Nearest’s assets.
Uncle Nearest 的资产包括位于田纳西州谢尔比维尔 432 英亩土地上的 Nearest Green 酿酒厂，以及与公司威士忌业务相关的设备。扬表示，任何出售都将通过 Chapter 11 申请进行。尽管有三名潜在买家参与了出售讨论，但周五的法庭文件中未透露其姓名。
Uncle Nearest’s assets include the Nearest Green distillery located on 432 acres in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and equipment related to the company’s whiskey operations. Any sale would be executed through a Chapter 11 filing, Young said. Three potential buyers are involved in the sale discussions, though none were named in Friday’s court filing.
扬还表示，他正在与法国农业监管机构合作，出售公司在干邑地区拥有的葡萄园，并计划拍卖相关的城堡。
Young said he’s also working with French agriculture regulators on a sale of company-owned vineyards in Cognac and is also intending to auction a related chateau.
此次可能的出售发生在 Uncle Nearest 的主要贷款人因超过 1 亿美元贷款的债务违约而起诉公司，并聘请外部律师接管公司业务作为诉讼的一部分之后超过一年的时间。2025 年 8 月，一名联邦法官任命扬监督 Uncle Nearest，而福恩·韦弗及其丈夫基思·韦弗一直在对此提出异议。扬周五表示，该公司目前处于资不抵债状态。韦弗夫妇的律师在周一未回应置评请求。
Possible sales come more than a year after Uncle Nearest’s main lender sued over debt defaults on more than $100 million in loans and got an outside lawyer to take charge of the business as part of the lawsuit. A federal judge appointed Young in August 2025 to oversee Uncle Nearest, which Fawn Weaver and her husband Keith Weaver have contested. The company is currently insolvent, Young said Friday. Lawyers for the Weavers didn’t return a request Monday seeking comment.
联邦调查 在处理这家陷入困境企业的资产处置过程中，扬表示他仍在应对来自美国证券交易委员会和纽约南区美国检察官办公室的传票。周五的法庭文件未披露政府调查的性质。
Federal Probe While pursuing disposal of assets for the troubled business, Young said he’s continuing to respond to subpoenas from the Securities and Exchange Commission and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
杨表示，他正在对公司财务状况及过去的交易进行独立的法务调查。如果通过第11章破产程序出售“Uncle Nearest”品牌的资产，买家可以在不承担现有法律责任的情况下收购该品牌。
Friday’s court filing didn’t disclose the nature of the government investigation. Young said he is conducting his own forensic investigation into the company’s finances and past transactions.
“Uncle Nearest”品牌是由韦弗夫妇创立的，旨在纪念内森·“尼尔斯特”·格林（Nathan “Nearest” Green）——这位曾经遭受奴役的人曾教授杰克·丹尼尔（Jack Daniel）如何酿造威士忌，但他的传奇故事几乎被历史所遗忘。该品牌发展迅速，吸引了许多知名投资者，其中包括杰斯（Jay-Z）投资的2000万美元。今年早些时候，福恩·韦弗（Fawn Weaver）还曾担任ABC电视台某节目的评委。
Selling Uncle Nearest’s assets through Chapter 11 would allow a buyer to acquire the business without taking-on existing legal liabilities. The Weavers founded the brand to honor Nathan “Nearest” Green, the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel to distill whiskey and whose legacy was nearly lost to history. The brand grew quickly and courted high-profile investors including a $20 million investment from Jay-Z. Fawn Weaver appeared earlier this year as a judge on ABC’s .
然而，在美国威士忌行业整体低迷的背景下，该品牌陷入了经营困境：许多酿酒厂纷纷申请破产或关闭。今年3月，一位破产法官阻止了福恩·韦弗将“Uncle Nearest”品牌纳入第11章破产程序的尝试，这一举动可能会削弱杨作为该品牌负责人的权威。
But the brand has struggled in receivership during a broader downturn in the US whiskey industry that has seen dozens of distillers file bankruptcy or shut down. A bankruptcy judge in March blocked Fawn Weaver ‘s attempt to put Uncle Nearest into Chapter 11, a move that could have undercut Young’s authority in charge of the business.
“Uncle Nearest”品牌还面临内部问题：去年，韦弗夫妇对该公司前首席财务官提起了民事诉讼，指控其伪造文件并向贷款机构Farm Credit Mid-America提交了虚假的财务报告。
Uncle Nearest has also faced internal problems. The Weavers filed a civil lawsuit last year against Uncle Nearest’s former chief financial officer, accusing him of falsifying documents and submitting false financial reports to lender Farm Credit Mid-America.