I love hidden stories of history being brought back into the light and Love & Whiskey by Fawn Weaver does that while also showing how Uncle Nearest Whiskey came to life.
It is quite a tale. A distiller lost to history who is rediscovered and in a very short amount of time becomes the namesake for a new whiskey from people who would normally not be in the whiskey business.
After finishing the book, my first thought was how did Weaver have the energy and time to do all this? She read about Nathan “Nearest” Green then flew to Tennessee and from there Uncle Nearest was born. First as a book idea and then as a whiskey. She and her husband then had to learn the place and the people and create something that was a true value add to the community. All the while getting the needed funding and being very careful to not step on the toes of Jack Daniels and the behemoth Brown Forman too much.
This book easily straddles the past and future. It is a propulsive read with short chapters that keep you reading just one more. What struck me was how well Weaver built cultural capital with the people of Lynchburg and how quick she was to make decisions on creating a scholarship fund and creating a tourist attraction distillery.
I also came away real hungry for food from some of the restaurants in town. With an Uncle Nearest Cocktail as well.
and maybe there will be another chapter…
