Walking the Grounds of History: Uncle Nearest Distillery

 

Traveling from Atlanta to Shelbyville, Tennessee to visit the Uncle Nearest Distillery felt like stepping directly into a story that was equally parts of history, memory, and a vision for what the future will bring. Reading Love and Whiskey had prepared me to know some of Nathan “Nearest” Green’s life, but actually walking the grounds where his legacy is preserved really deepened my understanding in a way that a book couldn’t exactly replicate. The grounds we walked on carried the weight and memory of hardship and perseverance. They embodied a tremendous legacy and the human bonds that shaped them that transcends the carefully crafted “spirits.”

One of the most beautiful parts of our visit was seeing how the distillery and its owners, Fawn and Keith Weaver, honored Nearest Green’s legacy and his bond with Jack Daniel. Their relationship and history embody the “love story” that one of the assignment’s prompts calls for, one that wasn’t romantic but a deep bond that was built on mutual trust, skill, and respect in a way that was extremely rare between blacks and whites during the late 1800s and early 1900s. My group decided to take a capture a picture of a barreled engraved with the distillery name, symbolizing their enduring friendship and Nearest’s craft/skill literally sealed inside barrels that was passed down in mentorship to Jack Daniel who also became a well-known name in the world of alcohol. As Weaver writes in Love and Whiskey, “This is a story of love and honor, one man recognizing the genius in another and refusing to let that genius be forgotten.” That emphasis on the memory and craft of Nearest revealed to me the importance of the distillery as more than a business, but also a live testament to a thriving legacy. Seeing Nearest Green’s name engraved into parts of the distillery made that memory a living, modern reality rather than a distant past. Experiencing this was like revealing a hushed side of history.

At the same time, for me, the distillery raised some questions about its complex history. Whiskey, Tennessee whiskey especially, is in itself a well-renowned product but its history is rooted in pain.  Nearest Green, an enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel his craft. His skill was what bought him a level of respect not often seen by blacks during this time, but it shows that issue of Black labor being the backbone of industries while their families and recognition is often excluded from the industries’ history. I took photos of some of the original whiskey-making tools used in the meticulous whiskey process, which I felt embodied the history of exploitation in a sense and reminds us of a certain history of Black exclusion in various fields. This paradox was raised directly by Weaver in Love and Whiskey as well, as she observes, “Stories have a way of being repackaged until their edges are smooth, but legacy is not smooth. It is jagged, layered, and resistant to simplification.” The Uncle Nearest Distillery showcases this history and, while I was there, I felt that effort in avoiding a “repackaged” history and an emphasis on authenticity, respect, and acknowledgment.

Traveling from Atlanta to Tennessee reminded me of how geography itself tells stories and holds deep, complex histories. This trip made me realize that traveling to different areas is also a way of confronting the way history shapes regions differently and it also made me realize how traveling can also expand your historical consciousness. Visiting Uncle Nearest Distillery made me realize that entrepreneurship always crosses into responsibility for what you sell. Their branding directly connects with their obligation to uphold the legacy of Nearest Green, in fact it’s inseparable. Their choice to do so takes on a new meaning of what it means to sell a product, it becomes an act of not only business, but also justice.

What I valued the most from this incredible opportunity of being able to step outside of the classroom was of being able to step into history as well. I was able to stand where his name is honored and his legacy has been continued, going beyond than just reading the book about him. It made realize that I'm not just a student of history, but am also carrying a responsibility of moving it forward. 

Destiny Hutchins