Nathan "Nearest" Green

Nathan "Nearest" Green (c. 1820 – unknown), incorrectly spelled "Nearis" in an 1880 census,[1] was an American head stiller, more commonly referred to as a master distiller.

[3] According to company lore, "the preacher was a busy man, and when he saw promise in young Jack, he taught him how to run his whiskey still.

"[4] However, in June 2016, The New York Times published a story identifying Daniel's true teacher as Green, one of the people Call enslaved.

At least four of Nearest's grandchildren joined the Jack Daniel team, Ott, Charlie, Otis, and Jesse Green.

[15][16][17][18] In August 2017, Brown-Forman Corporation, which owns the Jack Daniel Distillery and brand, officially recognized Green as its first head stiller – now called master distiller – and added him to the company's website.

[5] In October 2017, Brown-Forman added his legacy to its official tours and a large display at the Jack Daniel's Visitors Center.

In September 2017, the Nearest Green Foundation announced the inaugural class of descendants receiving full scholarships to college and grad school to continue their ancestor's legacy of excellence.

1904 image of Jack Daniel; seated to his right is likely George Green, the son of Nathan "Nearest" Green. There is no known photograph of Nearest Green.
19th-century Jack Daniel bottle jug stencil found 9" beneath ground surface where Nearest Green distilled whiskey in the mid-to-late 1800s.