© 2026 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How a formerly enslaved man helped create Jack Daniel's

Season 2024 Episode 216 | 8m 57s

Jack Daniel's is a famous whiskey brand, but Daniel didn’t create the method for distilling Tennessee whiskey. He learned it from a formerly enslaved man named Nearest Green. Fawn Weaver created Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey to honor and preserve Green’s legacy and it's now the most successful Black-owned liquor empire. Geoff Bennett sat down with Weaver to discuss her book, “Love and Whiskey."

Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by Consumer Cellular and Cunard Cruise Line. For a complete list of funders for the PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour weekend, click here.
Extras
May 27, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode
Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf on bringing 'Death of a Salesman' back to Broadway
New museum spotlights Thaddeus Stevens’ abolitionist legacy
Cuban diplomat says Havana not seeking conflict but ready to defend itself against U.S.
How AI is helping researchers develop antibiotics to fight drug-resistant infections
News Wrap: 11 presumed dead after Washington paper mill tank implosion
Paxton's win over Cornyn sets up high-stakes Texas clash with Talarico
'Food security is national security,' McCain warns as WFP faces funding pressure
Giving Iran control of Strait of Hormuz would be a mistake, Bolton argues
At Iranian school devastated by airstrike, grieving families say they will never forget