The Untold Story Behind Jack Daniel's: Nearest Green’s Legacy

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Welcome back to another episode of Whiskey & Wisdom, the podcast

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where we pour a glass of something

strong and dive deep into the stories,

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secrets, and souls behind some of

the greatest spirits ever bottled.

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I’m your host, Whiskey Dan and

today we’re going to travel back

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to the roots of Tennessee whiskey.

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But this isn’t just a story about a brand.

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It’s a story about friendship, forgotten

history, race, redemption—and the true

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heart behind one of the most iconic

whiskeys in the world: Jack Daniel's.

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More specifically, today we’re talking

about two men—one whose name you’ve seen

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on millions of bottles, and one whose

name nearly vanished into obscurity.

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That is…until the truth

finally resurfaced.

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I’m talking about Jack

Daniel and Nearest Green.

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So pour yourself a glass of that

charcoal-mellowed goodness, get

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comfortable, and let’s jump in.

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PART 1: THE LEGEND OF JACK

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Let’s start with the name everyone

knows: Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel.

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Jack was born sometime in 1848

or: 1850

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recordkeeping back then was about

as smooth as unaged moonshine.

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What we do know is that Jack was

one of 10 children, orphaned young,

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and sent to live with a local

preacher, grocer, and distiller named

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Dan Call in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

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Now here’s where the story gets good.

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Dan Call had a distillery on his

property, and like many distilleries

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in the American South during the

: 1800

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One of the men working the stills was

Nathan “Nearest” Green—an enslaved African

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American who wasn’t just helping out...

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he was the master distiller.

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Let me say that again for the folks in the

back: The man running the still, teaching

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techniques, controlling flavor profiles,

was a Black man named Nearest Green.

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Jack learned everything from Nearest.

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How to ferment corn, how to master

the Lincoln County Process—that's the

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charcoal filtering method that makes

Tennessee whiskey so distinct from

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bourbon—and how to make smooth whiskey

before he could probably even shave.

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PART 2: NEAREST GREEN:

THE FIRST MASTER DISTILLER

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Now, Nearest Green was

no ordinary distiller.

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He was the kind of craftsman

who could take corn mash and

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turn it into liquid gold.

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Dan Call himself admitted, and

I quote: “Uncle Nearest is the

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best whiskey maker I know.”

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Nearest became more than

just a mentor to Jack.

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He was his teacher, his

friend, and later his employee.

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After emancipation, Jack Daniel officially

hired Nearest Green to be the first

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master distiller of the Jack Daniel

Distillery—the first officially recorded

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master distiller in America, period.

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And yet… for over a century, his

name disappeared from the story.

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But back then?

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Jack knew.

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He respected him.

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Jack even worked alongside Nearest’s

sons and grandsons for decades.

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They were family.

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They were the backbone of that whiskey.

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And that’s where the legacy gets

both beautiful—and complicated.

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PART 3: BUILDING A LEGEND

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In 1866, Jack Daniel officially

registered his distillery—making it the

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first registered distillery in the U.S.

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That date is proudly

stamped on every bottle.

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But let’s be real… Jack

wasn’t doing this alone.

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Nearest Green’s influence was

literally in every barrel.

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As Jack’s distillery

grew, so did the demand.

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He moved the distillery to Cave Spring

Hollow—a pristine limestone spring that

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remains the water source to this day.

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That soft iron-free water?

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It’s the secret sauce behind that

mellow, sweet Tennessee whiskey.

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Jack wore his signature

suit, hat, and boots.

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He marketed the brand like

a showman—charisma, class,

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and a whole lot of hustle.

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But behind the scenes, the

whiskey was still rooted in

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the process Nearest taught him.

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And to Jack’s credit—he never denied it.

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He honored Nearest in ways unusual for

a Southern businessman at the time.

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He paid him.

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He trusted him.

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He gave his sons jobs.

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But history… didn’t write it that way.

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PART 4: THE ERASURE OF NEAREST GREEN

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When Jack passed the business to

his nephew Lem Motlow in: 1907

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the times were changing fast.

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Lynchburg’s small town became the

epicenter of a national brand.

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But as decades passed, especially

through Prohibition and the marketing

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machine of post-war America, Nearest

Green’s name started to vanish.

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Whether it was racism, marketing

strategy, or simply historical negligence,

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his contribution faded into myth.

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The story of Jack became a one-man legend.

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Nearest became a footnote—if

mentioned at all.

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It wasn’t until 2016—over a century

later—that everything changed.

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PART 5: THE REVIVAL OF

THE TRUTH (: 30:00

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Let me introduce you to Fawn Weaver.

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Fawn was a best-selling author and

nesswoman who stumbled upon a: 2016

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York Times article hinting at the hidden

history behind Jack Daniel’s whiskey.

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That article mentioned Nearest

Green as the enslaved man who taught

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Jack Daniel how to make whiskey.

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Fawn went all-in.

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She moved to Lynchburg.

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She began researching, interviewing

descendants, digging into dusty records.

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What she uncovered was not just a whisper

of truth—it was a rich, vibrant legacy

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that had been buried for too long.

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Fawn didn’t stop at research.

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In 2017, she launched Uncle

Nearest Premium Whiskey—named

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after the man who should have

been celebrated from the start.

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PART 6: THE RISE OF UNCLE

NEAREST (: 38:00

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Uncle Nearest Whiskey has

exploded in popularity.

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And get this: it’s now the

fastest-growing independent

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American whiskey brand in history.

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It’s award-winning.

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It’s critically acclaimed.

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And it’s family-run—with Nearest’s

descendants still involved.

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Even better, Jack Daniel’s and Uncle

Nearest distilleries now work together.

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They launched a joint initiative

called the Nearest & Jack Advancement

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Initiative to support Black distillers

and entrepreneurs in the spirits industry.

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So not only has history been

corrected—it's been redeemed

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in the most powerful way.

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The student and the teacher

are now side by side, at last.

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PART 7: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM

JACK & NEAREST (: 45:00

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This is more than a whiskey story.

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It’s about what happens when

we tell the whole truth.

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It’s about mentorship, legacy,

respect, and reconciliation.

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It’s about the difference between

erasing history—and honoring it.

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Jack Daniel’s wouldn’t be Jack

Daniel’s without Nearest Green.

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And Nearest Green’s name now

stands proudly on shelves, awards,

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and history books—not just as

a mentor, but as a pioneer.

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And it also reminds us: it’s never

too late to make things right.

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Never too late to give

credit where it’s due.

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Never too late to raise a glass

to the ones who came before us.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS (52:00 - 59:00)

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So as we finish this episode of Whiskey

& Wisdom, I want to leave you with this:

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Behind every great spirit

is a greater story.

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And sometimes, the most important names

aren’t on the label—but they should be.

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To Jack Daniel and Nearest Green, two

men who changed the world one barrel

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at a time… we raise our glasses.

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And if you haven’t already, go grab

a bottle of Uncle Nearest: 1856

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Taste the legacy.

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Share the story.

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And pass it on.

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OUTRO (59:00 - 60:00)

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If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to

subscribe, leave a review, and follow

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us on Instagram @WhiskeyAndWisdomPod.

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We’ll be back next week with another

pour of insight and storytelling.

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Until then, stay curious, sip slowly,

and always, always drink responsibly.

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Cheers.