![]() ![]() ![]() “ Especially given that, when he started distilling, he was not a free man. ![]() “I’m still in awe of the rich legacy that my great-great-grandfather carved out,” says Butler. At 111.02% ABV, the new expression is a flavorful, rich dram with notes of stewed fruit and vanilla. It also released a special Master Blend Edition crafted by Butler. This year, the brand unveiled Phase 2 of its new distillery and recently launched a diversity/equity initiative funding a small black-owned spirits brand. The three core expressions-1820, 1856, and 1884-mark significant years in Green’s life. Weaver launched Uncle Nearest in 2017, in tribute to Green’s legacy (three of his sons also worked at Jack Daniel’s over the years), sourcing and blending whiskey in Tennessee. “But I did not know the extent of his contribution to the spirits industry until our CEO and founder, Fawn Weaver uncovered much more and shared what she found with my family, including that Nearest is the first African-American master distiller on record.” “I have always known that my great-great-grandfather taught Jack Daniel to distill,” says Butler. More significantly, Victoria Butler, who came on board in 2019 as the master blender for the new label Uncle Nearest, is the great-great-granddaughter of Nathan “Nearest” Green, the first master distiller at Jack Daniel’s, who grew up enslaved, and is credited with teaching Daniel whiskey making. Lexie Phillips, announced as the brand’s first woman assistant distiller, boasts over a dozen family members who have worked at the distillery. We’ve done reunion projects, finishing our whiskey with barrels that aged beer or wine.” And this summer a new brand extension comes on line to big fanfare.įletcher isn’t the only one with family ties to Jack Daniel’s. “We’ve brought in pimento wood from Jamaica and done an insert there. We’re going to look at every detail from grain to glass.” Already the brand’s single barrel releases have been a big hit (the 2020 expression, a Barrel Proof Rye comes in at a whopping 130.8 proof and yet is complex and full of flavor), as are the experimental Tennessee Tasters available at the distillery. “Because of the interest in American whiskey now, we have the capabilities to make and push so many envelopes. 7, he’s also been insistent that the brand explore boundaries. While he naturally honors the legacy of Old No. He said, ‘You do not change it!”įletcher spent six years as an assistant master distiller before taking the helm. “He would go in every day and follow that recipe to the letter. It was allocated from right after Prohibition (1933) to the early 1980s.” Fletcher says his grandfather was all about keeping the legacy of founder Jack Daniel. 7 (Jack Daniel’s core product), it was so popular. “People may not remember, but we couldn’t make enough of the Old No. Fletcher grew up on the grounds of the distillery because his grandfather, Frank Bobo, was the fifth master distiller from 1966 to 1989. ![]() “I’m a big believer of looking to the past and looking to the future to continue pushing the envelope,” says Chris Fletcher, who was appointed the eighth master distiller for Jack Daniel’s in October 2020. Even when they’ve tried their hand at other trades, or there’s a gap in the family tree, the magic of some sort in that spirited amber liquid transcends the generations. In addition, many distilleries were located in small communities, and, like the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, were often the largest employers in the area.īut there’s something else about whiskey making that draws children to the business. On the one hand, these lineages make sense: whiskey is, at its heart, an agricultural product, and agriculture is an industry where parents pass down their heritage and experience to their kids. Many bourbon fans are aware of this phenomenon as it relates to prominent brands: Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark, Pappy. What hasn’t changed is the strong family ties often linked to whiskey production, distribution, ownership, and innovation. Of course, that’s changed, and the whiskey landscape is broad and diverse, occupying all 50 states. There was a time, not long ago, when almost all American whiskey was produced in a handful of Southern states, and it was almost all called bourbon, rye, or Tennessee whiskey. Editor’s note: What better way to kick off Bourbon Heritage Month than quite literally a story about family heritage in the world of American Whiskey? Thanks to contributor Robert Haynes-Peterson for sharing the stories of so many impressive families just in time for Grandparents Day September 12, 2021. ![]()
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