Jack Daniel DIDN’T invent the world’s favourite whiskey… here’s the truth about the tipple
Author Fawn Weaver wants more recognition for the brand's first master distiller
JACK Daniel is seen as the man behind one of the world's best-known whiskey brands.
But a new book reveals that the spirit was actually created by a former slave.
Author Fawn Weaver has delved into the history of the alcohol company.
She is now determined to make it known that wasn't just American distiller Jack Daniel who came up with the whiskey-making process.
The company can be traced back to the small Tennessee town of Lynchburg in 1866.
Founder Daniels hired former slave Nearest Green to be the master distiller a year after the American Civil War.
And it was this alcohol-maker that first taught Jack the drink-making process.
After discovering that no one was acknowledging Green's contribution to the brand, researcher Fawn Weaver decided to take a stand.
She said: “It was jarring that arguably one of the most well-known brands in the world was created, in part, by a slave.
“When Jack was alive, and when his nephews and nieces were living, there was no question that Nearest was making the whiskey.
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“It was Nearest and his boys. I’m not sure when that history was erased.”
Weaver believes that the legacy of the former slave was lost when “some marketing person in the 1970s decided that Jack would be all things".
But her work to raise awareness for Nearest has been paramount in changing the public's perception of the brand.
Now, owners Brown-Forman have named their first ever master distiller.
Weaver is currently writing a book about Green and has recently honoured him with her own brand of whiskey, Uncle Nearest 1856.
