Nearis Green Taught Jack Daniel the Art of Distilling Whiskey

Nearis Green Taught Jack Daniel the Art of Distilling Whiskey

History has its many twists and turns. It is often like chasing a gazelle on foot in the middle of the Serengeti. This is particularly true when trying to piece together stories about countless enslaved men and women who have made significant contributions in many different areas. The story of Nearis Green and his role in teaching the young Jack Daniel the art of distilling is one example.

I recently visited Lynchburg, Tennessee, home of Jack Daniel’s, one of the world’s best selling whiskeys. There is no doubt that Jack Daniel’s has become a well-known name to many people around the world. It is reported that over 275,000 people visit the distiller in Lynchburg, TN every year. Jack Daniel’s brought in a whopping $4 billion in sales in 2015. The company sales have increased over the years. The Telegraph reported in July 17, 2016 that Jack Daniel’s had become "Britain’s favourite" over traditional whiskeys. With the rising demand for Jack Daniel's, it is important to ask the question: who is the man behind this empire?

The prevailing narrative has been that the young Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel went to work for a preacher and distiller named Dan Call sometime in the 1850s. According to that popular narrative, Mr. Call decided to teach the young Daniel how to run a whiskey still. The problem here is that history from the top is often selective and erasive, particularly when it comes to the contributions of enslaved people. Visiting the small Jack Daniel’s museum in Lynchburg, Tennessee or a quick visit to the official Jack Daniel’s website leaves one with little to no clues as to the contributions of enslaved African Americans in providing the young Jack Daniel with knowledge that allowed him to build one of the most successful distillers in the world. The company gives a little hint with an image of what is believed to be descendants of Nearis Green sitting next to Jack Daniels in their website
https://www.jackdaniels.com/en-us/our. Having African Americans sitting next to Jack Daniels in a portrait like this was highly unusual for the time. Jack Daniel’s has for over 150 years tried to ignore and even suppress the fact that Nearis Green, a man enslaved by Dan Call, was the man who taught Jack Daniel the art of distilling whiskey. We are told that as the company started researching the story of Nearis Green in anticipation of 150’s anniversary in 2016, they decided that the “contributions” of Nearis Green were “persuasive” and therefore “should be told.” It was the New York Times that broke the story in June 25, 2016- https://www.nytimes.com/…/jack-daniels-whiskey-nearis-green…

Nearis Green was born around 1820 and died in 1890. He was a master distiller. Green was enslaved by Dan Call. He eventually won his freedom. Green was among a group of enslaved Africans who did most of the work in the distiller owned by Dan Call. The African Americans had intimate knowledge of the distilling process; they were known to come up with new techniques that improved the whiskeys they made. Nearis Green was among the best when Jack Daniel showed up sometime in the 1850s. Several researchers confirm the encounter between the young Jack Daniel and Nearis Green. Dan Call was reported to have remarked to Jack Daniel “Uncle Nearest [Nearis] is the best whiskey maker that I know of,” he went on to say “I want” Jack Daniel “to become the world’s best whiskey distiller if he wants to be. You help me teach him.” Nearis Green made significant contributions to Jack Daniel’s brand. This fact eludes the millions of Jack Daniel’s drinkers. The company has for over one and a half century tried to erase this important part of history.

Why after 150 years does Jack Daniel's want to admit that Nearis Green made important contributions to the very foundation of the brand? This knowledge was not exactly a secret. Descendants of Nearis Green have known it all along and have been talking to those willing to listen. One such example is Claude Eady, a retired employee of Jack Daniel’s and a descendant of Nearis Green. The story of Nearis Green gives us an opportunity to think about a much bigger problem: the erasure of important contributions made by African Americans. It is clear that there would be no Jack Daniel’s as we know it today had it not been for Nearis Green. Learn your history!

© Azaria Mbughuni