Former Slave Named Nathan Green aka “Uncle Nearest Taught Jack Daniels How To Distill Whiskey

The African American Cultural Society (AACS) of Palm Coast, Florida hosted a Black History Fundraising event called “Field of Dreams” on 29 April 2023, at the AACS facility located at 4422 U.S. Highway Rt. 1 in Palm Coast, Florida. The event paid tribute to Nathan Green aka “Uncle Nearest,” a slave who taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey.

Everybody associates the name Jack Daniels with premium whiskey. Very few people know that Jack Daniels learned how to distill whiskey from a slave name Nathan Green, later known as “Uncle Nearest.”

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is the world’s first-known African American master distiller. The brand is the fastest growing American whiskey in US history. The company is owned and managed by a Black female named Fawn Weaver.

The company’s four ultra-premium whiskeys have garnered over 450 awards and accolades since the brand’s 2017 launch, with 54 Best in Class honors, including: Spirit Brand of the Year from Wine Enthusiast, two Chairman’s Trophies from Ultimate Spirits Challenge, back-to-back Master Blender of the Year awards from Whisky Magazine, Whisky of the Year from USA Spirits Ratings, and back-to-back honors of “World’s Best” at the 2019 and 2020 World Whiskies Awards.

Uncle Nearest CEO, Fawn Weaver, an author and entrepreneur, conducted years worth of research about the connection between Nathan Green and Jack Daniels. She launched the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey company in 2016. While traveling abroad in Singapore with her husband, she saw a photo of Jack Daniel and George Green, the son of a previously unknown master whiskey distiller, Uncle Nearest.

Uncle Nearest, a former slave, taught Jack Daniel how to make Tennessee whiskey. After learning about Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniel’s connection, Weaver purchased the 300-acre farm in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where Nearest taught Jack how to distill. Without any experience in distilling, Weaver launched the Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is the fastest-growing American whiskey brand in U.S. history, the best-selling African American-founded spirit brand of all time.
Weaver is also the founder of the Nearest Green Foundation. The foundation offers full scholarships to every descendant of Nearest Green.
Uncle Nearest has exceeded sales of US $100 million and is on track to more than double revenue by the end of 2023.
Uncle Nearest is currently available in all 50 states and 12 countries, and is sold in more than 25,000 stores, bars, hotels, restaurants, as well as at its 323-acre distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., dubbed as “Malt Disney World.”