Nathan Green, known as “Uncle Nearest”, was a former slave and first known Black [master] distiller from Lynchburg, Tennessee. Rented out by his enslavers, he joined Dan Call, a wealthy reverend and farmer, to make whiskey outside his farmhouse.

After Call employed 8-year-old Jack Daniels, Green taught Daniels how to distill, later worked for him as a free man post-Civil War, and became a catalyst to create Jack Daniels, which is one of the most famous brands of American whiskey. However, he received little to no recognition for his efforts. In 2016, Brown-Forman, the company that owns Jack Daniels Distillery, acclimated Green as a prominent figure in Jack Daniels Whiskey and successfully markets a whiskey titled “Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey” that has been recognized as the “Most Awarded Bourbon or American Whiskey in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022”. Much that acclimation is due to Fawn Weaver. 

Fawn Weaver is an author and entrepreneur who spearheaded a 12-month research project with scholars, historians, and researchers in 2016 to raise awareness about the story of Nathan “Uncle Nearest” Green. By 2019, she received $40 million from investors to start a whiskey business known as “Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey” in honor of Nearest Green and his descendents. She continues to honor Green’s legacy as CEO of Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee alongside descendent Victoria Eady-Butler as a master distiller.