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Last month, from April 17th to 18th, Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative The summit is a two-day event that brings together BIPOC businessmen and industry leaders from a historically underrepresented community to accelerate business.
The first day of the event was held at the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and the second day was Nearest Green Distillery Located in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Founded on the site of the historic Sandhi Creek Farm, the Nearest Green Distillery now sits on 432 acres and is home to Humble His Baron His Bar & Restaurant, which boasts the world’s longest bar.
The nearest Green Distillery is named after a former slave and long-distrusted man who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey as a boy. This distillery is not only a testament to the past, but a testament to the future. Uncle Premium Whiskey near meCEO and founder Fawn Weaver, her husband Keith, and many of the brand’s team members and supporters, including Green’s descendants.
RELATED: Ex-slave black man Nearest Green told Jack Daniels everything he knew about whiskey. Now, the founder of Uncle His Nearest His Premium His Whiskey continues that legacy.
“This is a day for those who need or want to move up,” says Victoria Edie Butler, Green’s great-great-grandson and Uncle Nearest Master Blender. Talk about On the Rise Summit. “People in industries similar to mine.”
With Edie Butler at the helm of the blending, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is the most awarded American whiskey or bourbon of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Additionally, Edie Butler became the first woman to win the title of Master Blender of the Year. whiskey magazinewon the American Icon of Whiskey Award in 2021 and in 2022 became the first person to win the honor for the second year in a row.
entrepreneur At Barrel House II, a distillery converted from a former stable into a booth at Chuck Baker’s favorite barbecue restaurant, we chat with Edie Butler on her unexpected journey to becoming a master blender, blending perfection. I learned what it takes to make. How it feels to carry on her family’s legacy.
“I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to help carry on my great-grandfather’s legacy.”
Despite being the great-great-grandson of America’s first known black distillery, Edie Butler never ventured into the whiskey business.
Some of Edie Butler’s brothers continue to work for Jack Daniels to this day. Edie Butler says Daniel and Green’s “beautiful relationship” has lasted with their family for generations. However, she always aimed for a career in law enforcement.
As a young girl, she dreamed of becoming a police commissioner or working in hostage negotiations. Inspired by these her aspirations, she graduated from Middle School, where she studied criminal justice at Tennessee State University and began her 31-year career at the Department of Justice, where she spent more than 20 years in criminal and forensic analysis. I led and supervised the team.
Edie Butler was considering retirement when Weaver approached her about joining Uncle Nearest. “She connected with her and I talked about what we could contribute to her team,” she recalls. It was easy. “
So, in March 2019, Edie Butler retired from the Department of Justice on Thursday and started working for the nearest uncle the following Monday. She started out as vice president of management, but it wasn’t long before Weaver approached her about a potential blend.
I was nervous, but I knew I couldn’t afford to fail.
Edie Butler had no blending experience, but was eager to try.
“The first time I went to blend, I was nervous going in,” says Edie Butler. “My background was not in the spirits industry. I never thought of blending whiskey. And of course I was nervous.”
But Edie Butler was surrounded by support. When Edie Butler was about to blend his 1884 Small batch the first batch of his whiskey, Mr. and Mrs. Weaver and his team of three with years of blending experience, his members were waiting.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
Still, Edie Butler had the final say on the blend. “I made the final decisions about what to blend,” she says. “I was nervous, but I knew I couldn’t go wrong. And thankfully, with all the products on the table to taste, sample, and blend, I made the right choice.” .”
Weaver told Edie Butler that midway through her first blending session, she realized she had “something special.” So she asked her to blend another batch of 1884, and she hasn’t returned to watch the blend since, Edie Butler said.
“Fourne Weaver was the ultimate cheerleader for me,” says Edie Butler. “She entrusted me with a lot that day, but she was there to support me while I worked, and it took me a long way. I appreciate that.”
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“I always pay attention not only to the taste, but also to the quality of the finish.”
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey’s long list of achievements — 700 awards and accolades since the brand’s launch in 2017, including 78 “Best in Class” awards — confirms that Edie Butler was destined to become a Master Blender. definitely prove it.
And it’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly. “We’re a premium product, so we always want to make sure what’s in the bottle meets our brand’s standards,” says Edie Butler. “And the finish is always important to me. It was right from day one and it still is.”
Edie Butler samples and blends at Cask Strength and proofs down to ensure the product is not overly watery. “For me, it’s important that the finish is strong and inviting, but not irritating,” she explains. “That’s why I always try to improve not only the taste but also the finished product.”
Edie Butler is committed to keeping her taste buds sharp. Do not eat or drink anything while blending and do not spit the product. She’s also “extremely loyal” to Uncle Nearest Whiskey.
“I don’t know if it’s scientific or just what I believe is necessary, but I don’t drink other whiskeys,” says Edie Butler. “I don’t want to do anything that will ruin my taste buds.”
Image Credit: Courtesy of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
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“What drives me forward is my constant focus on the nearest green.”
Becoming an award-winning master blender at his great-grandfather’s distillery may not have been in the original plan, but Edie Butler says the journey has been full of “beautiful surprises.”
One of them is the experience of working with an all-female leadership team at Uncle Nearest. This was something Edie her butler had never experienced in law enforcement, she says, where she was often the only woman in a room full of men.
“It’s hard to put into words,” says Edie Butler. “There is a beautiful acceptance around the table of who we are and who we are. And the juggling act of creativity, dedication, and often multitasking. I feel very lucky to be able to work and make them mine’ family. “
We do more than whiskey. Today we are change agents.
And, of course, as the first black woman in the United States to hold the title of Master Blender, Edie Butler is able to carry on her ancestral legacy in a particularly powerful and appropriate way, which she calls “a beautiful blessing.”
“I am honored to be the first African-American female Master Blender,” says Edie Butler. “But what drives me more than anything else is my constant focus on the nearest green. I had this idea, and it continues today.” I do it every day. “
Edie Butler says working at Uncle Nearest means there’s always something new and exciting going on. But in the end, it all came down to the godfather of Tennessee whiskey, Nearest Green, who started it all. And that legacy continues to elevate other BIPOC founders and spirits industry professionals to this day.
“I woke up this morning with excitement and anticipation, hoping that this day would be the starting point for someone’s life,” Edie Butler said of the summit. “We do more than whiskey. Today we are agents of change, and I am happy to be a part of it.”