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THE BEST WHISKEY MAKER THE WORLD NEVER KNEW! Nathan "Nearest" Green, born a slave in 1820, is widely recognized as the trailblazing African American Master Distiller. During the 1850s, Green was rented to Reverend Dan Call's Farm near Lynchburg, Tennessee, where he was charged with making whiskey. On the farm, Nearest befriended and mentored a nine-year-old orphan named Jack Daniel who ran errands at Rev. Call's grocery store. Nearest, 28 years older, taught Daniel his unique process of sugar maple charcoal filtration. His approach to filtering whiskey originated from a West African method used to purify water and food. The technique was brought to America by enslaved people and is known today as the Lincoln County Process, a method required in making Tennessee whiskey. In 1866, a year after slavery was abolished, Daniel bought out Dan Call and founded the Jack Daniels Whiskey Company recruiting Nearest to be his master distiller. Nearest had 11 children, and many worked at the Jack Daniels Distillery. For decades, Nearest Green's story remained untold until 2017 when entrepreneur Fawn Weaver founded the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Brand to honor Nearest's legacy. Her mission was to produce high-quality whiskey and bring his contributions to light. Weaver hired Victoria Eady Butler, Nearest's great-great- granddaughter, as the first African American woman Lead Blender in the American Spirits industry. Uncle Nearest, a premium American whiskey, has quickly gained popularity around the world since its debut in 2017. Crafted from corn, rye, and malted barley, aged in new charred oak barrels, the brand's smooth and complex f lavor profile has captivated taste buds worldwide. Despite launching during the pandemic, Uncle Nearest has won 1,075 awards, including multiple Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Its f lagship product, 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, is now available in all 50 states and 12 countries. Led by an all-female executive team, Uncle Nearest, Inc. has achieved significant recognition becoming the most awarded new American premium whiskey brand in US history. Jazz Under the Stars is free on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 4 pm. Bring your own drinks and snacks! The next AACC meeting will be on Monday, Oct. 7 in The Lodge Game Room. For information contact, Jocelyn Doucette at cjs1speed@gmail.com. ~ Regina omas 42 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2024 African American Cultural Club Uncle Nearest CEO Fawn Weaver (L) and Master Distiller Victoria Eady Butler (R) e 458-acre Nearest Green Distillery, Shelbyville, Tenn. Uncle Nearest Whiskey