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
How Iranians are living through months of war and government crackdowns
Western states face more water cutbacks as Colorado River shrinks
What's in the proposed deal to disarm Hamas and withdraw Israeli forces from Gaza
Unaccompanied migrant children at risk of losing legal representation
Brooks and Capehart on Blanche’s stalled nomination and Trump's 'anti-weaponization fund'
Tens of thousands of migrants enter Spanish territory, then return to Morocco
Local arts groups that shape community culture face financial pressure
News Wrap: Death toll from Japan earthquake rises to 34
Why states want to change 'Sell By' labels on food
July 31, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode