Echoes from the Holler: A Legend Rises from the Ashes

In the heart of Tennessee, tucked away in a remote holler, a secret lost for over 150 years waited to reshape the world of whiskey. When this story came to light nearly eight years ago, it sent shockwaves through the spirits industry, further explaining how the pivotal distinction between Kentucky Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey came to be, and still defines these spirits today. It began with a modest farmhouse, a determined preacher, and a mysterious shack billowing smoke and steam. What happened there would ignite a legacy, blending tradition, ingenuity, and the quiet strength of those who worked in the shadows.

This is a tale of ambition, transformation, and an innovation that forever altered the course of whiskey-making. Journey back with me to the mid-1800s, where dirt roads, rolling hills, and deep hollers, hid a process so unique it turned whispers into legends. The story of this forgotten holler continues to echo through the hills, challenging everything we thought we knew about whiskey history.

This is one of my favorite stories to tell while out on the Bourbon Trail.  I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

Feel free to email your thoughts about the episode or the show in general at thebourbonprincipal.com. I would love to hear from you!

Thank you for listening to Bourbon: Legends from the Trail, where history meets flavor and every bottle has a story to tell. Cheers to the stores and legends behind the Spirit! Please leave a rating and review as it will help me plan future episodes.

Transcript

Welcome to the season finale of Bourbon: Legends from the Trail. It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of season 1 and I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for joining me each week. Your support and enthusiasm have made this journey unforgettable. As we close out this chapter, I'll be taking a break for the holidays to spend time with family and to prepare even more exciting stories from the trail. But don't worry Season 2 will be here before you know it, kicking off sometime in January with new Legends, deeper dives, and a fresh pour of bourbon history. 

Until then, I will raise my glass to you. Cheers to a wonderful holiday season and I'll see you in the New Year! 

Have you ever come up with an idea that someone else took credit for?  Or how about, you created something that someone else took credit for?  This happens all the time, especially in the business world, when someone comes up with a great idea or product and because they are lower on the totem pole, their boss or supervisor takes the credit.  This very scenario has played out countless times throughout history.

I mean, we all learned that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but did you know that actually Edison improved a design of an already created light bulb by Humphry Davy and Joseph Swan and then simply commercialized it.  We have also learned that Alexander Graham Bell was the sole creator of the telephone, but a man named Elisha Gray developed a similar invention and filed a patent on the same day Bell did.  There is still an argument to this day over who was first to create it.  

Well today’s LEGEND, slips seamlessly into that mold as well.  Almost as if it were destined to be. Whether by intention or by chance, this season finale will draw you in and leave you utterly mesmerized. 

I cannot tell you how many times while out on the trail, that I have been asked the difference between Kentucky Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey.  It is actually a really great question, because when you look through the bottles, they kind of look the same. To be Tennessee whiskey, it simply has to be made in Tennessee.  And while bourbon can be made...really anywhere in America, if the bottle says “Kentucky Straight Bourbon” then it has to be made in Kentucky. So if you are looking for the answer, the simple answer is that for the most part, they are in almost every way, the same.  The only difference is that with Tennessee whiskey, they do one thing during the production process that is just a little bit different, and with that, they call it Tennessee whiskey. It meets all the rules to be bourbon, but holds its uniqueness for labeling purposes, as Tennessee Whiskey has its own distinction, its own category if you will, in the Whiskey world.  To explain this small difference in the process of making of Tennessee Whiskey, I am going to tell you guys one of my very favorite stories to tell guests while rolling along on the trail. I call it by my very original name “My Tennessee Whiskey story”. This is a story that for well over a hundred years had been lost in the hills of Tennessee.  But an author named Fawn Weaver, saw an article in the New York times that heightened her curiosity and she began investigating it for the truth.  What she discovered caused one of the mammoth distillers, and even its parent company, to rewrite their own histories. And when the story came out in 2016, it turned the whiskey world….up…side… down.  

So, whether you got a glass in hand and a cozy spot to relax as you listen or you are weaving this story into the rhythm of your busy day, prepare for whispers of another LEGEND…straight from the heart of Bourbon’s past.

Welcome to Bourbon: Legends from the Trail….where history meets flavor and every bottle has a story to tell

Close your eyes and take a moment to allow an image to form in your mind’s eye.  Imagine you are driving in the middle of nowhere Tennessee and you look out into the field and see an old two story, white farmhouse.  The farmhouse is rundown, shutters are hanging off, paint is peeling off the sides of the house and weeds are choking out the dirt road that leads up to the front door.  Now once you have this image in your mind, let that house spin back in time to the mid-1800’s. 

Now, through the mist of time a scene begins to take shape.  That same house is now brand new, with beautiful white paint and shutters framing out the windows, its well landscaped with flowers and shrubs, and a clean dirt road leading up to the front of the house. As you stand there in the front yard, admiring this beautiful farmhouse, take a moment and look into the window. There you see a man gazing out and looking across the rolling hills.  He looks to be around 50 years old and slowly a smile begins to stretch across his face.  His name is Dan Call and he is the owner of the farm, he’s also the local preacher, and a whiskey maker as whiskey is made and sold on Dan’s farm.  Dan is smiling because he is staring down the dirt road towards the holler, where the road disappears around the bend and smoke and steam are rising into the hills. He is smiling because he knows that his best whiskey is being made down in that holler.  Now I say that his whiskey is being made, because you see, Dan did not make his own whiskey.  Down in the holler is a small shack, and inside that small shack is Dan’s whiskey still... and a man named Nathan Green.  Nathan, you see, is the man responsible for making Dan’s whiskey, known as the best whiskey around.  

Nathan Green, was born in Maryland around the year 1820 but very little else is known. The reason is because Nathan was enslaved on Dan Call's farm and Dan had brought him to the farm sometime before 1850. Nathan had been taught the distilling process, using corn, rye, and barley, at some point in his past.  

One early spring day, Dan was busy inside the house doing some chores when there was a knock on the door.  Upon opening the door, Dan saw a young boy standing there. Dan said, “Can I help you”?  The youngster responded with “Yes Sir Mr. Call, my name is Jasper and folks around town have been saying that you could use some help here on the farm and I was wondering if you would hire me as your chore boy.  Dan looked at the boy, who looked to be about 5 or 6 years old and asked,  “Jasper, how old are you”?  Jasper responded “I am 10 years old sir”!  Dan stood there for a minute, eyeing the boy.  Then said, “Well Jasper, you are awfully small for 10 years old, but you appear to have a lot of gumption to you, so I will hire you as my chore boy.  But first you have to promise me to get your own chores at home done, and make sure you get all your schooling done.  If you have time left over, I will be happy to have you help me on the farm.”  A large smile came across Jasper’s face and he said “deal”. 

Now you are going to find that Jasper is a very smart and inquisitive young boy.  Many a day went by with Jasper showing up and helping Dan with chores both inside and outside the house.  All along Jasper was noticing wagon after wagon, going up and down the dirt road and down in the holler.  Being taught to mind his own business by his ma and pa, Jasper was just dying to know what was going on with those wagons and the smoke and steam coming up from that holler.  

Finally one day after figuring that he had a good enough relationship with Dan, he approached the preacher and said, “Mr. Call, I have been itching to ask you a question for a long time.  If you don’t mind, I would like to ask you even though it might not be any of my business.”  Dan, gave a chuckle and said “By all means Jasper, what has got you all stirred up?”  then Jasper asked, “Well, I have been helping you for a long time here on the farm and I keep seeing all these wagons going up and down the dirt road, and down in that holler.  Then I see all that smoke and steam, and I just gotta know Mr. Call, what is going on down in that holler?”  Dan had a quick belly laugh as Jasper stood there and then said, “Well Jasper, I could just tell you what is going on, but why don’t I just show you. Hop in the buggy and we will go see what all the fuss is about.”  So Dan and Jasper climbed in and down the road they went.  

Dan pulled up the little shack and both he and Jasper walked inside.  There was Nathan. " Yes Sir, Mr. Call, can I help you?” Nathan asked Dan.  “Well Nathan, this here is Jasper, he has been helping me on the farm for awhile now and he has been noticing all the wagons going up and down the road and the smoke and steam coming out of this here holler.  He wants to know what in the world is going on down here.”  Well Nathan, he paused for a moment and looked back and forth at Dan and Jasper.  Then Nathan walked towards Jasper and bent over with his hands on his knees so he could look right into Jasper’s eyes and said, “Well you see Jasper, I am making some of Mr. Call’s fine whiskey, it is the best whiskey around these parts”. Now Jasper’s face showed signs of some serious thinking and then it scrunched up a bit. Now remember, Jasper was very inquisitive.   “Well, what makes it the best whiskey around”? He asked.  Nathan said, “Well you see Jasper, my ancestors come from a place far away called Africa.  I was told that over there the water is not safe to drink right out of the ground.  Before they can drink it, they have to get all the bad stuff out.  So what they do is they burn trees and they use that leftover charcoal.  They run their water through it and it takes all the bad stuff out, and then they can drink it.”  

Again, Jasper's face contorted and he said, “Well is that what you do with the water you use. You get all the bad stuff out of it?”  Nathan laughed and said “No Jasper, I use the water just as it is and cook it up on Mr. Call’s still.  But once I get that juice that comes out of the still, that is when I run it through some charcoal, and it’s not just any charcoal  You see  Jasper....that is my secret.  All around these parts we have trees called sugar maples. I burn those trees and run that juice through the sugar maple charcoal and I believe that sugar maple gives Mr. Call’s juice just a little bit of sweetness and that is what makes Mr. Call’s whiskey, the best whiskey around.  Jasper looked at Nathan, smiled and thanked him and then he and Mr. Call headed back to the farmhouse.

Now a little time went by and Jasper was getting a bit older and he had been thinking about Nathan and that process of making whiskey.  One day, he mustered up enough courage and asked Dan, “Mr. Call, I have been working on the farm awhile and am a bit older.  I was wondering if you would mind if I learned how to make that whiskey Nathan is making?”  Dan responded, “Jasper, you are a great worker and if you want to learn to make that whiskey, I don’t mind at all. As long as you keep getting your chores at home and here done, and you  keep getting your school work done, and Nathan doesn’t mind, you are more than welcome to learn the whiskey process. Jasper was already in a sprint down to the shack and yelling "I surely will Mr. Call".  Jasper burst through the door to the shack and out of breath asked Nathan if he could teach him how to make that whiskey.  Nathan said, “Well as long as Mr. Call does not mind and you keep getting all your responsibilities done, I will be happy to teach you Jasper.

Jasper then went about the business of learning the skills of making Mr. Call’s fine whiskey.  After some time goes by and Jasper became skilled at the process, he asked Dan one day, “Mr. Call, I have learned how to make the whiskey and I believe we have a little bit of a problem, a problem that could benefit you in a big way.  You see, everyone who wants some of your whiskey keeps coming to the farm and buying it from Nathan down at the shack.  I think that if we put the barrels on the wagon and take them further away to sell, you can make a lot of money.”  Dan thought for a second and said, “Jasper, you are old enough and big enough, if you want to load some up some barrels and take them further out to sell, you are more than welcome.  And since it was your idea and you're the one that will be doing it, I will split the profits with you 50/50.  

So Jasper did exactly that.  He loaded up that whiskey and began going further and further away selling Mr. Call’s whiskey.  And that whiskey’s reputation, well it spread.  Soon it wasn’t just the best whiskey around, it became known as the best whiskey you could find from Nashville to Birmingham.  And money…..both Jasper and Dan made a lot of money.  So much so that one day, Jasper and Dan were talking and Jasper asked Dan, “Mr. Call, I have made a lot of money and so have you.  I am going to buy that big farm down the road.  I am going to build a great big still and keep making your whiskey, would you like to be a part?”  Dan just laughed at Jasper, and said, “No Jasper, I am old and tired and have made plenty of money thanks to you.  I will tell you what, I will sell my piece of the business to you as I have all the money I need, and you go ahead and put that plan of yours into action.  And Nathan has his freedom, so if he wants to go with you and keep making that whiskey he is more than welcome.”

So Jasper went down to the shack and ran his idea past Nathan.  Nathan thought for a moment and said, “Jasper, I think I am going to pass like Mr. Call.  I am old and tired myself.  However, my boys (Nathan had 2 sons at this time and they had been helping their dad while Jasper was out selling whiskey), my boys will be happy to go with you and help you keep making this whiskey.  Jasper shook his hand and said "deal".

So Jasper went out and bought that big farm, and he built that big still, and he and Nathan's boys kept making that whiskey.  Jasper continued to take that whiskey further and further and sold more and more.  Pretty soon the whiskey’s reputation went from being the best whiskey from Nashville to Birmingham, to the best whiskey in the country and not too long after that the best selling whiskey in the world.

Now it is at this point that a lot of people get a little bit of confusion on their faces as they are thinking about Dan Call, Nathan, Jasper and the best selling whiskey in the world.  And there is a few reasons for that.  You see, most people did not call Nathan by his given name.  Nathan’s friends and family called him Nearest.  And most people did not call Jasper by his given name. You see, the people around Lynchburg Tennessee called Jasper by his nickname, “Little Jack”......Jack Daniel.  

So when this story came out in 2016, both Jack Danile and Brown-Forman had a problem. Now Brown-Forman is the Parent company located in Louisville KY that makes premium and super premium spirits.  In addition to owning Jack Daniel, they also own Woodford Reserve and Old Forester. The problem was that for over 150 years, Jack Daniel Distillery and Brown Forman have been calling Jack Daniel the “Father of Tennessee Whiskey” and the Lincoln County Process.  But thanks to this story, Brown Forman and Jack Daniel  had no other choice but to quickly embrace the story and now we have a new “Father of Tennessee Whiskey” and he is a former enslaved man, named Nathan “Nearest” Green.  And if you were to visit the Jack Daniel Distillery’s and you go into the museum, they now have a section dedicated to Nathan "Nearest" Green, the new Father of Tennessee Whiskey.

Now Fawn Weaver, the author who really dug into the history of that NYT article, found some descendants of Nathan Greene in the hills of Tennessee around Lynchburg while researching and together they have created the Nearest Green Distillery located in Shelbyville, TN.  Together they have created Uncle Nearest 1856 Tennessee Whiskey  that in  2019, 2020, 2021, 22, and 23 has been one of the most awarded whiskeys in the world. .

And that... is my Tennessee Whiskey story.

“Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode—I hope you enjoyed the journey!  And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to hit that subscribe or follow button. If you would like to seek more information on today’s topic, please visit the transcript for today’s show where you can also see the source information used to create the episode, located at the show website…..legendsfromthetrail.buzzsprout.com. You can also find the show @legendsfromthetrail on instagram and facebook  

I appreciate you joining me on this flavorful journey through time and taste… Cheers to the stories behind the spirit and thanks from listening to Season 1 of Bourbon: Legends from the Trail. I hope you have enjoyed the legends that I have covered this season and would love to hear your thoughts.  In addition to the ratings and reviews, I would love for you to email me @ thebourbonprincipal.com and let me know what you thought of season 1 and maybe some suggestions as to what you would like to hear in season 2

I’m your host, writer, and producer, Travis Hounshell and this has been Season 1 of Bourbon: Legends from the Trail.

1. When Jack Daniel's Failed to Honor a Slave, an Author Rewrote History, New York Times
2. Jack Daniel's Embraces a Hidden Ingredient: Help From a Slave, New York Times
3. The Story of Nearest Green, America's first known Black master distiller, The Conversation - Aug. 17, 2021 by Stephanie Benjamin
4. Nathan "Uncle Nearest" Green, Whiskey University - Jack Daniel's First Master Distiller
5. The Story of Nearest Green, narrarated by Emmy-Award winning actor Jeffery Wright on the Uncle Nearest Whiskey website.