Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Nearest Green Distillery Makes Leadership Contribution to Build Blue
4/21/2025 10:00:00 AM | General
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Nearest Green Distillery, the award-winning distillery based in Shelbyville, announced Monday that it will give $300,000 to the Build Blue campaign. This leadership gift propels the Middle Tennessee State University Athletics fundraising campaign to over $22 million.
"As a proud MTSU alumna, this moment is incredibly special to me," said Nearest Green Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler ('85). "To have Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, a brand rooted in legacy and excellence, become a community partner with the university that played such an important role in my journey feels full circle. On behalf of our entire team, it's an honor to invest in the future of Blue Raider leaders and student-athletes and to help carry forward the legacy of my great-great-grandfather, Nearest Green. He left a lasting legacy on the spirits industry and American history. We are proud to build on that foundation."
The bar area in the SRM Concrete Club on the third floor of the new Student-Athlete Performance Center at Floyd Stadium will be named the "Uncle Nearest Bar" in honor of the distillery and will serve Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey.
"We are extremely grateful that Nearest Green Distillery is now a leadership donor to Build Blue," said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. "And we are excited to bring together two iconic local brands – Blue Raider Athletics and Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey – in our new center."
Director of Athletics Chris Massaro said the club "will provide the perfect showcase for such a distinguished and highly touted brand in Uncle Nearest to MTSU. We are grateful and tremendously excited for this partnership."
McPhee singled out Fawn Weaver, Nearest Green Founder/CEO, her husband and Co-Founder/COO Keith Weaver, as well as Butler, the first African American woman to hold the Master Blender title in the American spirits industry, for making the Build Blue gift possible.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, which honors Green, the world's first African American master distiller, has received more than 1,100 awards and accolades since its inception in 2017.
McPhee also noted that the brand's 450-acre distillery and headquarters, known as "Malt Disney," is located across the U.S. Highway 231 from the Shelbyville Municipal Airport, which will soon be the flight training hub for MTSU's Department of Aerospace.
"With the new Aerospace campus and this wonderful partnership with Uncle Nearest, we further build our relationship with the city of Shelbyville," McPhee said.
Build Blue, launched by the Blue Raider Athletic Association in November 2021, seeks to raise $25 million in private donations to upgrade and improve athletics facilities at MTSU.
Contact the BRAA's Alex Hall at Alex.Hall@mtsu.edu for more information about Build Blue or the Sapphire Circle – MTSU's exclusive major gifts society for athletics.
"As a proud MTSU alumna, this moment is incredibly special to me," said Nearest Green Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler ('85). "To have Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, a brand rooted in legacy and excellence, become a community partner with the university that played such an important role in my journey feels full circle. On behalf of our entire team, it's an honor to invest in the future of Blue Raider leaders and student-athletes and to help carry forward the legacy of my great-great-grandfather, Nearest Green. He left a lasting legacy on the spirits industry and American history. We are proud to build on that foundation."
The bar area in the SRM Concrete Club on the third floor of the new Student-Athlete Performance Center at Floyd Stadium will be named the "Uncle Nearest Bar" in honor of the distillery and will serve Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey.
"We are extremely grateful that Nearest Green Distillery is now a leadership donor to Build Blue," said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. "And we are excited to bring together two iconic local brands – Blue Raider Athletics and Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey – in our new center."
Director of Athletics Chris Massaro said the club "will provide the perfect showcase for such a distinguished and highly touted brand in Uncle Nearest to MTSU. We are grateful and tremendously excited for this partnership."
McPhee singled out Fawn Weaver, Nearest Green Founder/CEO, her husband and Co-Founder/COO Keith Weaver, as well as Butler, the first African American woman to hold the Master Blender title in the American spirits industry, for making the Build Blue gift possible.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, which honors Green, the world's first African American master distiller, has received more than 1,100 awards and accolades since its inception in 2017.
McPhee also noted that the brand's 450-acre distillery and headquarters, known as "Malt Disney," is located across the U.S. Highway 231 from the Shelbyville Municipal Airport, which will soon be the flight training hub for MTSU's Department of Aerospace.
"With the new Aerospace campus and this wonderful partnership with Uncle Nearest, we further build our relationship with the city of Shelbyville," McPhee said.
Build Blue, launched by the Blue Raider Athletic Association in November 2021, seeks to raise $25 million in private donations to upgrade and improve athletics facilities at MTSU.
Contact the BRAA's Alex Hall at Alex.Hall@mtsu.edu for more information about Build Blue or the Sapphire Circle – MTSU's exclusive major gifts society for athletics.
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