7/14/2023 0 Comments Uncle nearest whiskey![]() And my husband - trying to convince him to go to a city in the South called Lynchburg and we're both black, it was not easy. ![]() So I planned on going to Lynchburg for four days. WEAVER: Well, I tell you what, it did not go quite in that order. Now, that seems like a pretty drastic step to satisfy your curiosity. MARTIN: So after reading about Nathan Nearest Green, you decided to actually move to Lynchburg to uncover more about his story. But what I thought it was and what it was are two different things. So this was one of those rare stories that I thought, gosh, if there's something more to this than what is being said in The New York Times, this could be an incredible story. If you're an author and someone like me, where not only do I like to write a great story, but I also like it to really permeate the community and those around me but also to spread around the world. And first of all, if you are in Singapore and you're reading a story about a slave who may have taught the person who began the largest American whiskey brand in history, you want to know a little bit more. So I was in Singapore with my husband, and it was on the front page of The New York Times International Edition there. WEAVER: I won't say that I was annoyed because I didn't know at the time he wasn't getting his due. Green? I mean, actually, to be honest, it sounds a little bit like you were annoyed that he wasn't getting his due. MARTIN: What was it that sparked your interest in knowing more about Mr. We wanted to hear more about that, so I'm joined now by Fawn Weaver from Nashville Public Radio in Nashville, Tenn. And she spent much of the past year interviewing Green's descendants, combing through archives and filling in the missing pieces in the Nearest Green story. And she actually moved to Lynchburg, Tenn., where the company is based. She is an author and a real estate investor. The story was picked up by The New York Times, and that's where Fawn Weaver comes in. ![]() But for most of the company's history, Green's contribution was not mentioned until last year, when the company announced it would incorporate Nearest Green into their official narrative. And upon emancipation, he went to work for Jack Daniel's company, along with two of his sons. But as it turns out, Jack Daniel likely learned the art of distillery from Nathan Nearest Green sometime in the 1850s in rural Tennessee. For some people, Jack Daniels is almost a synonym for Tennessee whiskey, but the name Nearest Green? Not so much. Jack Daniel's a household name in the United States. And finally today, here is one more story about what's behind a name.
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