Jack
Daniels, the top-selling American whiskey brand in the world, has long
said that a white moonshine maker was responsible for creating the
popular bourbon. But this summer, the company that a slave might have
been the actual mastermind behind the popular brown liquor.
The
original story is that preacher and moonshine man Dan Call took in a
young, orphaned Jack Daniels and taught him the family business. The
pair reportedly went into business with one another in the late 1800s,
then Daniels split from his mentor to find fame at the turn of the
century.
Nearis
Green, also known as Nearest or “Uncle Nearest,” was one of Call's
slaves. According to oral history, unproven documents and other
informational tidbits, Green actually taught Call how to make the hooch.
Daniels, a quick study, reportedly adopted what he learned from the men
to make his own barrel-aged brand of spirits.
Across
the Deep South, it is well-known that slaves worked in several
distilleries and were rumored to have improved upon or created many
techniques for the production of liquor across the region. Some
historians allege that white moonshine men abused their authority and
stole some of the slaves' liquor-making recipes.
Skeptics
of the Green story say it is nothing more than a convenient tale and
marketing tool for younger drinkers, given that Jack Daniels is
celebrating its 150th year in production. The Tennessee brand
has often been touted as a consistent, middle-ground bourbon for those
on a budget. But a rise in popularity in recent times has given Jack
Daniels premium brand status.
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