Nathan “Nearest” Green was a slave in the mid 1800s. He worked on a farm in Lincoln Country, Tennessee owned by a preacher. Aside from running a church the preacher also ran a local liquor distillery.
Nathan was a skilled whiskey distiller. He mastered a technique called maple charcoal filtering, the process gave his whiskey a unique smooth taste.
In the mid 1850s a young white orphan boy came to work at the farm. The boy quickly developed a relationship with Nathan, he called him Uncle Nearest.
The boy was interested in learning how to make whiskey so Nathan taught him the process to make his special blend.
The young boy grew to be a business man. After the civil war he bought control of the preachers distillery and renamed it after himself. He hired Nathan as his master distiller and launched a start up whiskey company. The boys name was Jack Newton, his nickname was Uncle Jack and his company was named Jack Daniels. Jack Daniels became one of the most iconic names in the spirits industry and Nathan Green became a forgotten man of history.
Until now.
The original lifestyle specialist Kenny Burns has been in the spirits industry for decades he was a brand ambassador for Ciroc, Grey Goose and Deleon.
So when the opportunity presented itself for him to be an owner in Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey he didn’t think twice. The black owned whiskey brand is named in homage to Nathan and has a commitment to pay the full college tuition of all of Nathan decedents as well as other incentives to keep his legacy alive.
Kenny told the story and chronicled his remakerable and entertaining life on episode 40 of @earnyourleisure. EYL 40 will be out today at 5 pm est.
article by @rashadbilal