© 2025 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
November 7, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, young conservatives work to carry on his message
News Wrap: Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi will retire next year
The potential impact of lowering the cost of weight loss drugs
Netflix’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ sparks discussion about nuclear threats
After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, young conservatives work to carry on his message
Federal judge sharply criticizes immigration crackdown tactics in Chicago
Amid rising violence, Nigeria rejects Trump's claim of targeted Christian persecution
Travelers brace for major disruptions as FAA cuts air traffic amid shutdown
Where negotiations to end the federal shutdown stand