Taylar Wharton- The Transformative Properties of Whiskey

 

 

   Attending the first-year honors students trip to the Nearest Green distillery gave me a new perspective on Fawn Weaver’s Love & Whiskey. Through standing in the distillery, I was able to see the pieces of history and legacy that were tucked into the nooks of the place. I could envision the struggle it must’ve been to get all 458 acres of the land as a Black woman in Tennessee. Standing on the property allowed me to truly realize how much land and opportunity that really encapsulates.  Looking at the land also reminded me of Danielle Allen’s Our Declaration. Weaver was able to reclaim Nearest Green’s history in the same manner that Allen reclaimed equality in the Declaration which is a daring feat. I could also see the history of the once horse stable turned gift shop as depicted in my third photo. Through this overlap of history into her brand, Fawn Weaver pays homage to the people before her and furthers the Southernness of their Whiskey. While the stables are definitely packaged for consumerism, they still attempted to hold onto the roots of the land.

    The drive from Atlanta to Tennessee also provided a holistic view on the connection between the past and the present. I was lucky enough to have the window seat on the bus ride and I would often look out and stare at the terrain. As we journeyed from Atlanta to Shelbyville, I could see history uncovering itself. I feel as though in Atlanta we tend to forget a lot of our past because new businesses and buildings are always being built, burying the history of the land before it. The history we see is in museums, packaged for our consumption. Riding through Tennessee and the more rural areas, the history is out in the open and unfiltered for the viewer. More aspects of history are preserved in their original state, like the ranch and plantation houses we passed on the way there.

    To persevere through something that delights even as it wounds is to bring about needed change. Weaver was able to get recognition for a story that should’ve never been lost, which was needed although it brought both anguish and delight to the Green family. In Frank Walker’s Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers, Walker tells the long hidden story of Medgar Evers, an activist who was silenced for trying to combat segregation. His work brought delight to many of the Black community and wounded the pride of white supremacists, leading to his assassination. In both cases, they induced growing pains which both caused help and harm.

    The difficulties and rewards of entrepreneurship can be seen in the Nearest Green distillery. They appreciate their workers so much that they keep their photos up for eternity after working together for two years, as seen in my first photo. They ensure to foster the familial feeling yet sometimes there can be rifts in the family. Rifts between management and the workers occurred when they were unclear about the complications with opening up their newest building, depicted in my second photo. It’s hard to build a close knit business if not fully clear. Entrepreneurship should always be fully intertwined with what you sell because people in power have the responsibility to make sure they have a good impact.

    By stepping out of the classroom, we were able to step into a business curated from stories of grit and determination. It was inspiring to see how successful Weaver’s business was considering she started from a non-traditional place. Nearest Green was able to create a recipe for Whiskey still used today from a time with no technology and only his mind. Seeing this legacy of brilliance born out of hardships motivates me to make the most out of each opportunity. Their stories also reminds me of Robin D.G. Kelley’s Freedom Dreams as they both, similar to the activists, dared to dream big and chase their dreams. As an honors student at Spelman College, I am very lucky to have been put in a place to do great things and I will follow their footsteps and work hard to achieve my goals.

- Taylar Wharton, CO' 2029

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