CLOSE If you think the only alcohol made in Tennessee is the black label staple from Lynchburg, you don't know jack! All across the state, distilleries and breweries are popping up faster than you can throw one back. Jason Viera/The Commercial Appeal 
 
 Buy Photo A statue of Jack Daniel on the Jack Daniel's distillery property in Lynchburg, Tenn. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)Buy Photo 
 
 The substantial contribution of a former slave on Jack Daniel’s history is being thrust into the limelight as Tennessee’s whiskey industry explodes. 
 
 New York Times best-selling author Fawn Weaver was struck by the story of Nathan “Nearest” Green, a slave from Lynchburg, Tenn. who taught Jack Daniel the craft of whiskey distilling, after a New York Times article about Green went viral last year. 
 
 After thousands of hours spent researching the topic, Weaver announced this week the launch of the Nearest Green Foundation, an organization dedicated to honoring Green’s involvement in the Tennessee whiskey industry. 
 
 “The idea that there were positive stories out there of whites’ and blacks’ working side by side, through and beyond the Civil War, resonated with me,” Weaver said in a statement. “I liked the story of Jack Daniel, but Nearest Green’s story and the community at large really stayed with me.” 
 
 Projects in the works for the foundation include a museum in Lynchburg dedicated to the history of Tennessee whiskey, the Nearest Green Memorial Park in Lynchburg, a book scheduled for completion this year and a scholarship fund to benefit Green’s direct descendants. 
 
 Uncle Nearest 1856 whiskey launches this month (Photo: Courtesy photo) 
 
 Weaver and her husband purchased a 313-acre farm once owned by Dan Call, where Call’s slave, Green, taught Daniel, a neighbor, how to make whiskey. The site was also home to the original Jack Daniel’s distillery. A two-room cabin where Green lived during the Civil War and a Greek revival home where Call and Daniel once lived are being rebuilt. 
 
 Call eventually handed his still over to Daniel, and Weaver uncovered documents showing that the Daniel and Green families worked together for decades, according to a media release. 
 
 “It was on the Call farm that young Jack became one of the world’s most famous pupils and Uncle Nearest, the greatest teacher in the fine art of distilling Tennessee whiskey,” Weaver said. 
 
 Tennessee whiskey is undoubtedly having a moment. People from around the world are showing interest in the iconic product, which remains one of the state’s top exports. Just last month, the Tennessee Distillers Guild launched an official Tennessee Whiskey Trail to showcase the burgeoning industry and its history. 
 
 CLOSE Lee Kennedy of Leiper's Fork Distillery talks about the Tennessee Whiskey Trail which officially launched June 19, 2017. It's a 25-stop tour across the state that's expected to be a major expected to be a major tourism draw. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean 
 
 The whiskey boom has brought an unprecedented number of tourists to Tennessee distilleries, including Jack Daniel’s massive property in Lynchburg, which sees hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. 
 
 The behemoth distiller responsible for producing the vast majority of Tennessee whiskey recently started embracing Green’s story and talking about his involvement during public tours, according to the New York Times article last year. 
 
 "Our primary ambition is to do all that should be done to honor the memory and role of Nearest Green and, therefore, we recognize any activity that supports this ultimate goal as worthy," said Mark McCallum president of Jack Daniel's Brands 
 
 Green’s story is reflective of a much larger and mostly undocumented relationship between slavery and whiskey distilling in Tennessee. Weaver, through the foundation, hopes to highlight that untold history. 
 
 In her research, Weaver interviewed more than 100 people connected to Green’s story, including his 106-year-old granddaughter and other descendants of Green. 
 
 “When Fawn contacted us, we were excited to hear that someone was bringing to light all of this information about our family,” said Mitchell Green. “Until now, only our family and a small community were aware of the impact our ancestor had on the Tennessee whiskey industry.” 
 
 Separately, a group Weaver helped pull together is releasing a Tennessee whiskey this month called Uncle Nearest 1856. 
 
 “When I met with the descendants of George Green, the son most known for helping his father, Nearest, and Jack Daniel in the whiskey business, I asked them what they thought was the best way to honor Nearest,” Weaver said. “Their response was, ‘No one owes us anything. We know that. But putting his name on a bottle, letting people know what he did, would be great.’” 
 
 Fawn and Keith Weaver at the launch of Uncle Nearest 1856 Whiskey in Portland this month. (Photo: Photo by Paolo Ferraris of ALOR Consulting Agency) 
 
 Reach Lizzy Alfs at lalfs@tennessean.com or 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs. 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2017/07/20/ex-slave-who-trained-jack-daniel-gets-new-recognition/496427001/ ||||| Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey, a national whiskey brand inspired by the best whiskey maker the world never knew, Nathan “Nearest” Green, will officially launch in Portland, Oregon July 19, 2017. The aged whiskey debut in Portland will be followed by Nashville, Tennessee. 
 
 When asked what would most honor Green, the first African-American master distiller on record in the United States, the descendants of his son, George Green – the one most known for helping his father in the whiskey business – said ensuring his legacy lived on a bottle of premium whiskey in perpetuity would be the ultimate tribute. With that direction, the Uncle Nearest production team set out to create an ultra-premium line of whiskey products in his honor. 
 
 Using local grains and the charcoal mellowing process Green helped perfect in Tennessee over 160 years ago, a process now known as the Lincoln County Process named after the county in which Green lived and made his whiskey, the Uncle Nearest team worked with two Tennessee distilleries still making whiskey the way Green made it. This process is approached intricately by hand, placing the product in new American oak barrels close to the same 110-proof Green was known for and waiting until it is at the perfect age, taste and color. 
 
 “This whiskey is meant to bring to the forefront the man who so few outside of Lynchburg, Tennessee knew was one of the most important master distillers in the creation of what is now known as Tennessee whiskey,” said Keith Miles, spokesman for the brand. “Having spent so much time with Green’s descendants, our founders knew their desire was to honor him with a premium whiskey made as close to his way as possible and bring it to every bar and spirit shop around the world, so everyone would know his name.” 
 
 The resulting whiskey is as unique as the story from which it came. The Uncle Nearest Premium Aged whiskey presents a caramel color with a deep golden hue. On the nose, baled hay, pumpkin seeds, stone fruit, caramel corn and sweet maple are present. On the palate, the whiskey shows spicy caramel notes up front, and then hints of maple as it mellows with dried fruit and floral notes. Sweetness and spice reminiscent of freshly baked oatmeal cookies remain through a long and rich finish. 
 
 A Premium Silver product, slated for a release later this summer, is the only clear whiskey in the world to undergo UN’s proprietary triple charcoal mellowing process to produce a smooth, mixable spirit. 
 
 Product Details: 
 
 Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Tennessee Whiskey: Aged 
 
 Price: $59.95 (*Oregon price, will vary by market) 
 
 Proof: 100 
 
 Honoring Green with Portland’s collaborative spirit, the Uncle Nearest team has enlisted top Portland artisans to create celebratory products inspired by the whiskey and its story for its July launch. Artisans include: Bull in China, Jacobsen Salt Co., Salt & Straw, Steven Smith Teamaker, Alma, Xocolatl de David, and Marshall’s Haute Sauce. Top bars and restaurants throughout Portland will also feature Uncle Nearest-inspired cocktail specials at launch and throughout the summer. 
 
 In Nashville, the team tapped artisan favorites including Bongo Java, Goo Goo Clusters, Edley’s BBQ, Jake’s Bakes, and Acme Feed and Seed. 
 
 About Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey 
 
 Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey is inspired by the best whiskey maker the world never knew, the first African-American master distiller on record in the United States, Nathan “Nearest” Green. The Uncle Nearest brand encompasses a Premium Aged and Premium Silver product, distilled, aged, bottled and hand labeled in Tennessee using locally sourced grains. For more information please visit the Uncle Nearest website, and follow on Instagram (@unclenearest) and Facebook. 
 
 PR Contact 
 
 Carrie Welch 
 
 Little Green Pickle 
 
 carrie@littlegreenpickle.com 
 
 (917) 846-3599 
 
 Frances Dyer 
 
 Little Green Pickle 
 
 frances@littlegreenpickle.com 
 
 (425) 218-8891 ||||| NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — If it isn't fermented in Tennessee from mash of at least 51 percent corn, aged in new charred oak barrels, filtered through maple charcoal and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof, it isn't Tennessee whiskey. So says a year-old law that resembles almost to the letter the process used to make Jack Daniel's, the world's best-known Tennessee whiskey. 
 
 In this May 24, 2005 photo, Bottles of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey are on display at a Kansas City, Mo. liquor. If it isn't fermented in Tennessee from mash of at least 51 percent corn, aged in new... (Associated Press) 
 
 File – In this Nov. 27, 2009, file photo, visitors view barrels of aging whiskey while on a tour of the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn. Jack Daniel's is fighting efforts in the state Legislature... (Associated Press) 
 
 File – In this May 20, 2009, file photo, Jeff Arnett, the master distiller at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn., drills a hole in a barrel of whiskey in one of the aging houses at the distillery.... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE – In this May 20, 2009, file photo, Jeff Arnett, the master distiller at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn., tests the aroma of whiskey at the distillery. Jack Daniel's is fighting efforts... (Associated Press) 
 
 Now state lawmakers are considering dialing back some of those requirements that they say make it too difficult for craft distilleries to market their spirits as Tennessee whiskey, a distinctive and popular draw in the booming American liquor business. 
 
 But the people behind Jack Daniel's see the hand of a bigger competitor at work — Diageo PLC, the British conglomerate that owns George Dickel, another Tennessee whiskey made about 15 miles up the road. 
 
 "It's really more to weaken a title on a label that we've worked very hard for," said Jeff Arnett, the master distiller at the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn. "As a state, I don't think Tennessee should be bashful about being protective of Tennessee whiskey over say bourbon or scotch or any of the other products that we compete with." 
 
 Republican state Rep. Bill Sanderson emphasized that his bill wouldn't do away with last year's law enacted largely on the behest of Jack Daniel's corporate parent, Louisville, Ky.,-based Brown-Forman Corp. The principal change would be to allow Tennessee whiskey makers to reuse barrels, which he said would present considerable savings over new ones that can cost $600 each. 
 
 "There are a lot of ways to make high-quality whiskey, even if it's not necessarily the way Jack Daniel's does it," Sanderson said. "What gives them the right to call theirs Tennessee whiskey, and not others?" 
 
 Sanderson acknowledged that he introduced the measure at Diageo's urging, but said it would also help micro distilleries opening across the state. Diageo picked up on the same theme. 
 
 "This isn't about Diageo, as all of our Tennessee whiskey is made with new oak," said Diageo executive vice president Guy L. Smith IV. "This is about Brown-Forman trying to stifle competition and the entrepreneurial spirit of micro distillers. 
 
 "We are not sure what they are afraid of, as we feel new innovative products from a new breed of distillers is healthy for the entire industry," he said. 
 
 Jack Daniel's last year sold 11.5 million cases of it Black Label last year, a 5 percent increase from 2012. Dickel, the second-largest Tennessee whiskey producer, sold 130,000 cases in 2013. 
 
 The standards and special branding of Tennessee whiskey are an outgrowth of the special designation granted long ago to bourbon. A half-century ago, Congress declared bourbon a distinctive product of the United States. By law, bourbon must be made of a grain mix of at least 51 percent corn, distilled at less than 160 proof, have no additives except water to reduce the proof and be aged in new, charred white oak barrels. 
 
 Spirits that don't follow those guidelines can't be sold as bourbon. One example is Brown-Forman's own Early Times, which is marketed as a "Kentucky whisky" because it is made in reused barrels. 
 
 Billy Kaufman, the president Short Mountain Distillery in Woodbury, Tenn., said it is more difficult to distinguish spirits not meeting the Tennessee standard. 
 
 "If I made whiskey in Tennessee in a used barrel, what it would be called then?" he said. "Whiskey, made in Tennessee?" 
 
 David McMahan, a lobbyist representing Dickel and Popcorn Sutton Distilling, said the law passed last year would require all Tennessee whiskies to taste like Jack Daniel's. 
 
 "It's not unlike if the beer guys 25 years ago had said all American beer has to be made like Budweiser," McMahan said. "You never would have a Sam Adams or a Yazoo or any of those guys." 
 
 But Tennessee craft distillers are divided about the state law. Charles Nelson, the CEO of Nelson's Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, said he supports tighter regulation. 
 
 "Holding ourselves to a higher standard will ultimately be better for all the people in the category," he said. "If we lower the standards, it could lead to more products and brands that could lower the reputation of Tennessee whiskey." 
 
 Whiskey is clear when it goes into the barrel. It's during the aging process that the whiskey acquires color and flavors. Jack Daniel's Arnett said other distillers reusing barrels might resort to using artificial colorings and flavorings that wouldn't match the quality of the whiskey stored in new barrels. 
 
 "We've been making whiskey a long time, and we know that would not uphold the quality that people expect from Tennessee whiskey," he said. "So we wouldn't dare consider doing it, even though it would save us millions of dollars every year." 
 
 Jack Daniel's stores its whiskey in new barrels made at a Brown-Forman plant. 
 
 Sanderson argues that the flavor and color of the whiskey is determined more by the charring of the inside of the barrels, which he said is a process that can be repeated. Consumers would ultimately decide whether the end product matches up. 
 
 "If they're making an inferior product, the market will decide," he said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Schreiner reported from Frankfort, Ky.
– Few lovers of Tennessee whiskey likely know they owe their favorite drink to a slave named Nearest Green. Jack Daniel's only recently started publicly recognizing Green's vital role in its history, according to a New York Times story that went viral last year. But Green's time as—per a press release—"the best whiskey maker the world never knew" is coming to an end, if one best-selling author who learned about Green in that Times story has her way. The AP reports Green started distilling whiskey for his owner, Dan Call, in the mid-1800s in Lynchburg. It was on Call's farm that Green taught Jack Daniel how to make Tennessee whiskey. Call later gave his distillery to Daniel, and the Green and Daniel families continued to work together for decades. This week, author Fawn Weaver launched the Nearest Green Foundation, the Tennessean reports. Among the projects planned by the foundation: a Tennessee whiskey museum, the Nearest Green Memorial Park, and a scholarship fund for Green's descendants. Weaver even bought the Call farm where Green and Daniel first started distilling whiskey together. She calls Green "the greatest teacher in the fine aft of distilling Tennessee whiskey." In addition to the activities of the foundation, Green is also finally getting his own whiskey. Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey launched in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday. Weaver says Green's descendants told her "putting his name on a bottle, letting people know what he did, would be great."