Weaver told her followers to “clear the shelves” of Uncle Nearest and says customers are showing support for the whiskey brand.
In response to the ruling that her whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest, will be placed under a receivership, CEO Fawn Weaver took to social media to tell followers that she and the brand are still going strong, and to clear up what she calls “fake news” about the current state of her role.
“Some reports claim I no longer own Uncle Nearest,” Weaver said in an Instagram Reel posted on Saturday. “Let me be clear: I built this company, I own this company, I run this company.”
Weaver did not share details about the lawsuit and is under a gag order from the court. But she said in the post caption that she is still speaking out, despite being cautioned to “move in silence.”
“But God didn’t call me to that,” she wrote in the caption. “He called me to live out loud and knew he built me strong enough to take the shots when they came.”
After a legal battle between Uncle Nearest and one of its lenders, Farm Credit Mid America, the future of the whiskey company and the role of its founders, Fawn Weaver and her husband Keither Weaver, is in the balance. According to claims from Farm Credit, the company defaulted on $108 million in loans. They also accused the company of lying about its barrel inventory to get an increased loan, misusing loans on a $2 million Martha’s Vineyard property. But, the order from the Tennessee judge suggested that the Weavers remain in control of the brand’s marketing, which Farm Credit agreed with, according to reports.
“By keeping the Weavers involved in this way, they could mitigate any potential brand damage that a receivership might entail,” said the order.
The Weavers and Farm Credit have to submit suggestions for the new receiver by August 20.
Fawn reiterated her message from an Instagram post from earlier this week, which is that fans of the whiskey need to “keep clearing the shelves” at any Uncle Nearest distributor to show their support. According to Weaver, Uncle Nearest is “moving in the opposite direction” of the trend of spirit brands that are struggling as a record low of Americans are drinking alcohol. She then shouted out all of the states where she said sales for Uncle Nearest are up.
“Our team remains unshaken and unmoved,” Weaver said in the Instagram Reel posted yesterday. “If that ever changes, you’ll hear it directly from me, and I know you’ll respond accordingly.”