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Ex-Jack Daniel’s president joins Uncle Nearest
Mark McCallum has joined the board of directors at American whiskey brand Uncle Nearest, as the company prepares to ramp up its focus on other spirits.
McCallum joins off the back of a two decades-long tenure at US spirits giant Brown-Forman, where he started as the company’s chief marketing officer before rising through the ranks to be the president of Jack Daniel’s.
During his time at Brown-Forman, the company’s market capitalisation grew from US$5.9 billion to US$31.5 billion, and Jack Daniel’s was said to be a significant driver of that growth.
On welcoming McCallum to its board of directors, Uncle Nearest co-founder and CEO Fawn Weaver said that “the story nearly writes itself.”
She explained: “Mark McCallum played a pivotal role in transforming Jack Daniel’s into the most valuable spirit brand in the world. Now, he is bringing that expertise to the whiskey brand honouring Jack’s mentor, teacher, and first master distiller, Nearest Green.”
McCallum will take up the role of independent director for Uncle Nearest, signalling Uncle Nearest’s commitment to global expansion and category leadership.
In 2025, Uncle Nearest is looking to evolve into a ‘full-fledged’ portfolio company. It will relaunch its One Organic Vodka and debut a new Cognac brand this year.
On the link between his previous positions, McCallum said: “As you can imagine, I was navigating an understandably delicate relationship.
“Fawn was launching a brand that intersected with the rich history of Jack Daniel’s, while I was responsible for protecting our trademarks and ensuring we accurately honoured our legacy. It was important to acknowledge Nearest Green’s role while continuing to grow the Jack brand.”
The pair first connected when McCallum was president of Jack Daniel’s and Weaver shared with him her research on Nearest Green’s legacy. This led Brown-Forman to update its historical records and ensure Green’s contribution to the Jack Daniel’s legacy was properly acknowledged.
Uncle Nearest is now the fastest-growing US whiskey brand.
Keith Weaver, co- founder and president of Uncle Nearest, added: “When Mark became an investor in Uncle Nearest after retiring from Brown-Forman, we were honoured to welcome him as a more than 40-year veteran of consumer packaged goods.
“Having spent decades leading some of the most recognised brands in the world, Mark immediately saw something special in what we were building. By his own account, he had never seen a spirits start-up achieve what we had in such a short period, and he wanted to be part of the journey.
“Now, with a front-row seat at the board table, his deep industry knowledge and strategic guidance will help propel Uncle Nearest into its next phase of growth as we build the next great American brand.”
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