These are the names of African Americans who changed history and you probably don’t know their names. I didn’t. Their legacies have been lost to years of history told by Caucasians which often excludes the narrative of Africans, African Americans and other people of color.
Dr. Shirley Jackson made the way for the touch-tone phone and fiber-optic cables. Lewis Latimer created a key component to the light bulb and an early air-conditioner. Henrietta Lacks’ cells were used without her (or her family’s) knowledge for experiments that in many ways revolutionized medicine today including, but not limited to, creating the first cell line, informed consent in the medical community and even the polio vaccine. Nathan “Uncle Nearest” Green was a slave who taught a young, white apprentice, Jasper “Jack” Daniel (yes, THAT Jack Daniel) everything he knew about whiskey distilling using techniques thought to come from Africa.
I would venture to add two more names to the list of amazing African Americans you probably don’t know. Co-founders of Uncle Nearest, Fawn and Keith Weaver. She’s the first woman of color to run a major whiskey brand, and the first to put an African American on the bottle for any spirit. She is also passionate, kind, funny and a joy to meet. He’s an executive for a large multi-national corporation and “humble bearing” (used with love because he’s clearly the other half of this massive undertaking – but you’d never know it to talk to him because he’s so down to earth and unassuming) in the efforts to get Uncle Nearest and the Nathan Green Distillery off the ground.
I had the pleasure of taking a Founders Tour at Uncle Nearest and I left inspired and in awe of these two – I’m just waiting for their memoirs and motivational books to come out (please – I’ll take the first copy!). In the meantime, I’ll just have to share my experiences with you and hope that you find time to journey to Tennessee to experience this tour, and whiskey, for yourself.
You might be thinking, “geez Shae, you’re laying it on a little thick aren’t you? Did they pay you for this? Are you some sort of shill for big whiskey!?” In short. No. We pay for all our own adventures and hotels so you can trust our reviews. I don’t even like whiskey. Well, except Fireball, but I hesitate to use that in the same sentence as what you get with Uncle Nearest.
I’ve tried Bourbon, Gin, Craft Beers and more along our 50 state road trip, but I still prefer a nice glass of wine. That being said, I wanted to visit this distillery specifically because of Fawn Weaver. I read this article and asked Stephen add it to our spreadsheet of things to do in Tennessee – immediately. I was so inspired by her story and the story of Nathan “Uncle Nearest” Green. I wish this was a story I could share as The Traveling Teach, but for now I’ll just have to share it with you and hope that you share it with everyone you know.
The first thing you’ll notice when you arrive at Nearest Green Distillery is that it’s undergoing construction (December 2019). If you follow the entry on Google Maps you’ll end up at the part of the distillery that is still in progress. Go one more driveway up and you’ll arrive at the current visitors center.
Now that you’re at the right place, the first thing you’ll actually notice when you arrive is the friendly, warm staff. Olivia welcomed me, answered my questions and booked me on the afternoon Founders Tour (I was very lucky – they’re usually fully booked six weeks in advance).
Everyone asked for our names, remembered them and used them throughout my entire visit. Stephen and I decided ahead of time to divide and conquer due to our limited budget and time in the area. He went on to Jack Daniel’s and Cascade Hollow Distilling, while I stayed at Uncle Nearest. I wish now that he’d joined me for the tour (edit by Stephen: so do I!), but we’ll just have to come back again!
Stephen did get to experience a tasting and here’s his thoughts as someone who actually really enjoys whiskey.
I don’t have the most developed palate, but Uncle Nearest had some of the nicest whiskey I’ve gotten to try. The 1884 was really smooth and had a natural caramel flavor and I ended up buying a bottle. The 1856 and 1820 had more developed flavors, but were also very good.
The entire team is really great. Olivia who booked me on the tour, Isaiah who undertook our tastings, Beth and Jane who both helped me in the gift shop, Jamison who participated in leading our tour and Fawn and Keith were all incredibly approachable, friendly, proactive and professional. It was southern hospitality at its finest. The other thing you might notice is the incredible diversity of the team. All ages, walks of life and genders are represented by the Uncle Nearest team.
I had the opportunity to chat with Keith and another guest (hi DeMar!) for a while before the tour started. Fun fact – both Fawn and Keith are from California but are San Antonio Spurs fans. I understand that to be a basketball team but that’s as far as my sporting knowledge goes on this topic, so let’s keep it rolling. We’ll also not mention DeMar’s dad who’s a Cowboys fan. (Boo!)
When it’s time for the tour to start you watch a 10 minute film presented by Jeffrey Wright. You might know him from Westworld and Boardwalk Empire. I know him from the Hunger Games. Now, we can all know him as the voice for Uncle Nearest.
Once the film is over it’s time to grab your hard hat and see the distillery.
Founders Tour At Nearest Green Distillery
Most distilleries build all four phases of their site before opening to the public, but Uncle Nearest is too popular and means too much to so many – especially African Americans – to stay closed. Each phase is being completed and opened over four years.
The first phase opened on September 5, 2019. Most new, small businesses are happy to have 100 people at their ribbon cutting. Uncle Nearest had 3,000! Uncle Nearest is the fastest growing independent whiskey brand that grew at this pace in history. In only two years of operation it’s in 50 states, 11 countries (with distribution to another 148 coming) and has won over 50 awards.
The History Of Uncle Nearest
I don’t want to give too much of the tour away but honestly, nothing that I tell you will compare to hearing it from Fawn and Keith. Uncle Nearest was originally Nathan Green. As far as we can tell he was born in 1820 in the Maryland area. He was a slave to a Lutheran preacher, Dan Call. He was not only a preacher, but also had a side-hustle distilling whiskey. In 1856, a young white apprentice came to the farm and Reverend Call introduced him to Uncle Nearest, “the best whiskey maker that I know of.” Eventually, after the 13th amendment set him free, Uncle Nearest went to work for Jack Daniel as his first Master Distiller. It has been deduced that 1884 is likely the last year that Uncle Nearest put whiskey into barrels as Jack Daniel moved to a new method for distilling. However, Uncle Nearest’s descendants continue to work for Jack Daniel’s.
The Future Of Nearest Green Distillery
The Nearest Green Distillery will bring together the three things Tennessee is best known for – Tennessee Whiskey, Tennessee walking horses and Tennessee music.
To honor the farm’s history, as much of the original structures are being kept and re-purposed. The farm it’s based at was once a 270 acre walking horse farm. They’ve kept parts of it zoned for agriculture. There’ll be up to 50 walking horses stabled on site, including space for 10 retired champions and Fawn’s own horse – Top Honors.
The Heritage Hall that was once used for horse shows and auctions will be refitted, while keeping as much of the original structure as possible to host a venue for researching and learning the history of Tennessee whiskey, walking horses and music.
There’s Toppy’s at the back, which has the Copper Skies patio for viewing beautiful central Tennessee sunsets. A new bar is also in the plans, called Humble Bearings after Keith, with what will become the world’s longest linear bar.
Before the tour finishes, you have the opportunity to see the bottling area. Each label is hand stuck and you get the opportunity to try your hand at it.
With custom glass and custom labels, there’s a fair bit of pressure, but never fear. There’s a guide to help you and Keith gives instructions before you start. If your bottle passes quality control it’ll go into production. If not… well, it goes on the red cart.
One of the most interesting facts I learned on the tour is that no drop of Jack Daniel’s has ever been produced that hasn’t had some contact with Nearest Green, his descendants and those of the Jack Daniel’s family. Similarly, now that a member of the Jack Daniel’s family and Uncle Nearest’s great, great-granddaughter both work at Uncle Nearest, not a drop of Uncle Nearest has ever been produced without some contact from both families yet again. Their history is shared and intertwined – personally, although not commercially.
The Founders Tour ends with a tasting of 1884, 1856 and 1820 which are the three current brands of Uncle Nearest. (See what they did there?)
Fun facts about the 1820… Less than 1% of Uncle Nearest barrels will even become candidates to become an 1820. It is has to reach an elusive 108 proof and be at least 11 years old. Then it goes to a professional tasting panel; if it’s thought to be a contender for a Double Gold Award ONLY THEN can it become an 1820.
Additionally, you can only buy 1820 on site. The Nearest Green Distillery has the only shelf it can ever sit on. You can sign up for an email and occasionally try to grab a bottle online, but the first time they sent out an email 20,000 people tried to log in at once and crashed server after server, so best of luck on that! You’d have a better chance just driving to Uncle Nearest and purchasing it.
What makes Tennessee Whiskey different from Kentucky Bourbon is the Lincoln County Process – which Uncle Nearest perfected – which uses sugar maple charcoal in the filtering and distilling process. I don’t really care for whiskey, but 1884 is the first whiskey that’s ever not made me shiver. It was so incredibly smooth. I could even enjoy the occasional drink of 1856. However, 1820 was a bit too strong for me and produced the requisite shiver.
Pro-tip: During the Q&A at the end of the tour (which happens during the tasting), ask Fawn to tell the story of how she found out about Uncle Nearest and about the farmhouse that’s on the label.
No matter which year you prefer, you’re encouraged to #drinkhonorably. That’s to say, drink with remembrance of the man who inspired your beverage, think of his history and share his story. And when you do imbibe, do so in a way that your parents, grandparents and children can be proud.
Fawn, Keith and the entire team at Uncle Nearest can be proud of the legacy they now care for and are creating at Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and the Nearest Green Distillery. So, raise your glass and Drink Honorably to the memory of the Godfather of Tennessee Whiskey – Nathan “Uncle Nearest” Green, the slave who trained Jack Daniel and changed the landscape of Tennessee Whiskey forever.
Address
Nearest Green Distillery, 3125 US-231 North, Shelbyville, TN 37160
I am really hoping that you can distribute Uncle Nearest 1820 to more states. It’s so hard to purchase.
1820 is only sold on site at the distillery. Unless they open online purchases. It helps keep it special 🙂 I did find 1884 in the liquor store the other day though so that was a fun surprise as I don’t often find Uncle Nearest anywhere.