Nearest Green

"I’ll have a Jack and Coke."

Whether you like it or not, that phrase is one of the most iconic in the world of whiskey. Say it to any bartender, and chances are you’ll be served. Shamefully, it’s a rite of passage. Something you ordered frequently when you were 18. Before you even knew what single malt was. It’s OK, I forgive you - we’ve all been there. Jack Daniel’s is, without a doubt, one of the most famous and recognisable whiskies on the planet. But this story isn't about Jack Daniel himself. Well, not yet anyway. This story belongs to a man named Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green. An emancipated slave who became the Godfather of American distilling.

Nathan Green, nicknamed "Uncle Nearest," was born into slavery around 1820. But due to spotty record keeping, his name and contributions were lost to time. It wasn’t until much later, when author/ historian Fawn Weaver uncovered his story, that he was thrust into the spotlight. As Weaver dug into the origins of Jack Daniel's whiskey, she made a remarkable discovery - Nearest Green wasn’t a footnote in whiskey history. He was one of its founders.

In Lynchburg, Tennessee - where the air is thick with the scent of oak and the songs of larks and mockingbirds - whiskey was more than a drink, it was tradition. And Nathan Green was at its beating heart.

It began at the farm of Reverend Dan Call, a Lutheran preacher. Who also happened to operate an illicit whiskey still behind his farm house. Jesus was okay with the production of alcoholic beverages, but not if they came from his clergy. Reverend Call couldn't be seen running the still, so he left the distilling to his trusted master distiller, Nathan Green.

Rumour has it that there, hidden from view, he invented the Lincoln County Process, a technique in which whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before aging, giving Tennessee whiskey its signature smoothness.

Before Jack Daniel’s was Old No. 7 - he was just a boy. And when Jack Daniel came to the farm as a young apprentice, it was Nearest who took him under his wing. Teaching him the art of distillation.

For two centuries, the story of Nearest Green was buried beneath that of Jack Daniel. But today, we know better. Nathan Green wasn’t only Jack Daniel’s mentor; he is the godfather of Tennessee whiskey.

So, next time you see a bottle of Jack Daniel’s on the shelf. Take a moment to think of Nathan Green. Before today, you probably didn’t know his name. But he is the man who brought the world Tennessee Whisky.

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