Farm Credit seeks to expand Uncle Nearest receivership

6:48 a.m. Sept. 26, 2025

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Farm Credit Mid-America is asking a federal judge to expand the scope of the Uncle Nearest receivership to include several affiliated companies, arguing that the whiskey brand and its founders, Fawn and Keith Weaver, have blurred financial lines across multiple business entities.

In a filing Thursday, Sept. 25, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Farm Credit said there is “significant overlap” between the finances, operations, and personnel of Uncle Nearest Inc. and other Weaver-related ventures, including Grant Sidney Inc., Humble Baron Inc., and Quill and Cask Owner LLC. The lender contends that those businesses have received assets or had obligations paid with funds that should be considered part of the Uncle Nearest receivership estate.

• Statement in Support of Motion for Clarification

The motion supports court-appointed receiver Phillip G. Young Jr.’s request for clarification of the Receivership Order. Farm Credit argues that without explicit authority to investigate and bring these additional entities under receivership, creditors risk losing access to assets that have been co-mingled.

Among the examples cited:

• Grant Sidney Inc., wholly owned by Fawn Weaver, transferred more than $16 million to Uncle Nearest in 2025 to cover payroll, debt payments, and operating costs. Farm Credit says these infusions highlight the lack of separation between Weaver-controlled entities.

• Humble Baron Inc., the restaurant and bar located on the Nearest Green Distillery grounds, allegedly had at least one settlement payment made on its behalf by Uncle Nearest and benefited from company funds used to secure a Guinness World Record for the “world’s longest bar.” Farm Credit also noted the absence of a lease agreement or rent payments for Humble Baron’s use of the distillery property.

• Quill and Cask Owner LLC, organized in Tennessee and managed by Keith Weaver, was identified as the likely buyer in a multimillion-dollar whiskey barrel sale agreement. Farm Credit says at least one $275,000 payment flowed from Quill and Cask to Uncle Nearest, raising further questions about its role.

The filing accuses the Weavers of maintaining “no financial discipline or corporate formalities” among Uncle Nearest and their other businesses. Farm Credit urged the court to allow the receiver to examine financial records for all related companies to ensure a full accounting of assets.

“Without their inclusion in the receivership, the Receiver will be left with an incomplete picture of the finances of the Uncle Nearest and Weaver enterprise,” the lender wrote.

Farm Credit is asking Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr. to clarify that Grant Sidney, Humble Baron, and Quill and Cask are receivership assets, and to grant the receiver authority to investigate other potentially related entities.

Uncle Nearest, best known for its premium whiskey brand honoring Nathan “Nearest” Green, has been under financial strain as disputes with creditors continue to play out in federal court.