Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was one of only a few spirit brands to air a commercial during or around Super Bowl LIII, debuting “The Why,” an emotive spot introducing the “best whiskey maker the world never knew,” in 24 major media markets during “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Post-Super Bowl Special.”
The spot was narrated by Emmy award-winning Westworld actor Jeffrey Wright, from the home featured on the Uncle Nearest label.
“Many don’t realize the home on our bottle is a real place,” said Fawn Weaver, co-founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest, Inc. “That home sits on a farm, in the hills above Lynchburg, Tenn., and looks today just as it did when Uncle Nearest distilled his premium whiskey there more than 160 years ago.”
Following two years of restoration, whiskey historians and connoisseurs will finally get its first glance at the property where Tennessee whiskey was birthed.
The unscripted commercial follows the lives of Uncle Nearest team members as they crisscross the country, reviving the story of the first known African-American master distiller, in bars, restaurants and on streets nationwide.
“The Why” will continue to air during the Late Show on CBS, as well as Late Late Show with James Corden. Shows like Chicago PD, Law & Order: SVU, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Saturday Night Live and Nightline will begin airing a 30-second version, while NBC’s hit show Manifest, the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and other popular network shows will air both the 60-second and 30-second spots. The commercial is the prelude to a 7-minute short film, starring Jeffrey Wright, that will debut digitally later this month.