Uncle Nearest Founder Fawn Weaver Remains ‘Unbothered’ Despite Receivership, Calling It An ‘Attempted Robbery In Broad Daylight’ – AfroTech
Founder Fawn Weaver remains “unbothered” despite challenges surrounding her whiskey brand Uncle Nearest.
Uncle Nearest has been under a court-appointed receivership since August 2025 after reportedly defaulting on more than $108 million in loans from lender Farm Credit Mid-America, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. In response, Fawn and her husband, Keith Weaver, had pointed to errors allegedly carried out by the company’s former chief financial officer, Mike Senzaki. They filed a civil lawsuit against Senzaki for financial misconduct that included exaggerating the whiskey barrel count, which led to a $24 million credit increase from the lender and contributed to the call for a receivership.
Nonetheless, the Weavers and Grant Sidney Inc., the largest shareholder of Uncle Nearest, have shared a plan to reduce debt and stabilize the balance sheet and are pushing for the receivership to end, according to a separate article from AFROTECH™. They claim the receivership has harmed Uncle Nearest, with its market position and sales volume among the affected areas.
Receiver Phillip G. Young Jr., who currently manages the brand’s Shelbyville, TN, distillery, as well as its real estate holdings, intellectual property, affiliated ventures, and more, is seeking to expand the receivership, AFROTECH™ reported. Young has been exploring options, including refinancing debt and selling the brand with the help of Arlington Capital, according to the Lexington Herald Leader. He also argues putting an end to the receivership could place Uncle Nearest’s distillery at risk of foreclosure, per the outlet.
“I started this process unbothered, unmoved. I remain unbothered, unmoved,” Weaver said in a video recently shared on Instagram. “I set out to do something, and I was very clear that I was setting out to build the next great American brand. Hard stop, not spirit brand, next great American brand period. I also said I would be the first person to build, lead, and own a spirit conglomerate that had not been founded by, led by, owned by a white male. The moment I did that, it put a target on my back. I already knew that. And that’s OK.”
She continued, “When you’re coming into an industry that has been gate-kept since literally before the founding of our country, you come in, and you can walk through the gate, or you can let the whole world know ‘I’m just going to tear down the gate,’ and everybody else is gonna come in through without a gate. And I was real clear in saying that, so I knew what was going to happen at some point.”
In her post, Weaver calls the receivership an “attempted robbery in broad daylight.” She will soon be speaking before a court and notes that more facts will be presented during cross-examination. She adds that people will be “really amazed to see the difference between what is true and what has been filed.”
“I’ve been waiting for this day to go in the court before this judge. Be clear, this judge is a very fair judge,” she explained. “He will deal with no shenanigans, and I’ve been waiting to get before him for about five months, and I’m so excited, and I’m so grateful, and I love y’all.”
That hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 9, in Knoxville, TN, she said. It is open to the public.
