Behind the Barrel: Beyonce, Uncle Nearest, and the Enduring African American Pioneers of Whiskey
Recently, entertainer and businesswoman Beyonce Knwoles-Carter has launched her own line of whiskey, SirDavis. In a recent interview with GQ, the 43-year old Grammy winner spoke about how her love for whiskey started and what she hoped to accomplish in this exciting new venture. “I love everything about whiskey. The color, the smell, the way it dances in the glass.… And I love the stories that come with it. Every bottle has a history…. I am here to change that old narrative. I’m here to focus on the quality… I’ve learned that true success isn’t about leaning on a name; it’s about crafting something genuine, something that can hold its own. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being revolutionary.”
Knowles-Carter’s recent album Cowboy Carter has ignited a discourse on the African American influence in country music. Through a 27-song cycle, she pays tribute to the progenitors of the genre and pushes the genre forward by introducing audiences to present Black country artists.
Named as a tribute to the musician’s great grandfather who made his living in the distillery business, Knowles-Carter also mentioned a sentiment that illuminated the often overlooked legacy of the famous whiskey brand Jack Daniels.
“Making liquor has been in Southern families like mine for many generations”, Knowles says, “the Jack Daniel’s famous recipe? That was heavily influenced by a Black man named Nathan “Nearest” Green. He was a former slave who became Jack Daniel’s master distiller.”
Writer Aaron Randle, in his 2024 article for History.com, “How an Enslaved Man Helped Jack Daniel Develop His Famous Whiskey”, writes, “Researchers are discovering that the role enslaved people played in America’s early whiskey-making went beyond manual labor like gathering grain and building barrels…While working as a laborer on Call’s farm, Daniel took an ardent interest in Call’s distillery. Eventually, after much badgering from the young Daniel, Call introduced him to [Nathan ‘Nearest’] Green, who he called ‘the best whiskey maker that I know of’…he instructed the enslaved man to teach the young boy his distilling magic.”
Green’s legacy was not forgotten entirely. His great-great granddaughter Fawn Weaver has continued his legacy through Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey where she has become one of the first Black female whiskey blenders in America. Between Weaver and now Beyonce continuing to pave the way, they are blazing a trail while still paying homage, ushering in a new avenue for women in whiskey.
“I think a lot more women would love it if they tasted it,” Knowles-Carter continues, “whiskey isn’t just for old men in smoky bars; it’s for anyone who appreciates depth, complexity, and a bit of mystery.”
