“Black people continue to be erased from our contributions to some of the most innovative and essential inventions and resources…So it’s no surprise that the spirits industry would be any different. And thankfully we have Fawn Weaver to thank for telling a very important story that many of us may have never known.”

Kimberly Wilson, Essence

“The story begins with one man: Nearest Green, a 19th-century slave and perhaps the most important character in the history of American whiskey.”

Kirk Miller, InsideHook

“Many contributions of enslaved men and women have only just started to be recognized. Entrepreneur Fawn Weaver has made sure at least one critical piece of the history is not forgotten.”

Olivia B. Waxman, TIME magazine

“Nearest Green’s descendants are proud to be a part of his legacy and witness so many people from different countries and backgrounds embrace the family story. We’ve met family members we didn’t know we had, and watching them embrace the story makes me proud.”

Theresa McGilberry, Nearest Green’s great-great-great-granddaughter

“Weaver didn’t want to use Green to promote whiskey. Rather, she wanted to use whiskey to promote Green—and the idea that enslaved Black people were also a part of the story.”

Clay Risen, reporter at The New York Times, writing for Bourbon+ Magazine

“Uncle Nearest…gave notice to the rest of the whiskey industry, especially in Kentucky and Tennessee: Distillers should honor the enslaved persons who once worked in their distilleries.”

Fred Minnick, Bourbon+

“The idea behind Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was simple … Of course, the gulf between the formation of an idea and the execution of said idea is often vast… But that didn’t stop Fawn Weaver.”

Zak Stambor, Chicago Tribune

“I so admire Fawn Weaver. I’m thinking, if you need an investigation, we need to call her.”

Gayle King, journalist and co-host, CBS This Morning