06/03/2023
In the 1850’s, when Jack Daniel was a boy, he went to work for a preacher and distiller named Dan Call. The preacher saw much promise in young Jack and introduced Jack to one of his slaves named Nathan "Nearest" Green, who was in charge of distilling. The preacher told Jack to learn as much as he could from Nearest (Uncle Nearest) because he was “the best whiskey maker that I know of.” Nearest taught Jack his process of filtering his whiskey through sugar maple charcoal, a process that would later be called the Lincoln County Process. This single innovation ushered in the birth of Tennessee whiskey. When Jack Daniel set up his own operation in 1866, the year after slavery was abolished, he asked Uncle Nearest and two of his children to join him. Nearest Green would serve as Jack Daniel’s first master distiller, and the first African American distiller on record. After being hidden for over a century, in 2017, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery finally added Nearest Green's legacy to its official tours, and to a large display in the Visitors Center. In 2019, the Nearest Green Distillery, owned and operated by Fawn Weaver (pictured) an African American female, opened and began bottling Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. At the same time, the Nearest Green Foundation was established and provides full scholarships to college and grad school to all the descendants of Nearest Green. The foundation is funded by the sales of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and the sales of Jack Daniel's official biography. So, grab a bottle of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and toast to the man who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey -- Nathan "Nearest" Green (Jack Daniel & Nearest Green's son George pictured)
