The untold story
Roots in the Still
Black Americans didn't just participate in the story of American spirits — they built it. From the tobacco fields of colonial Virginia to the copper stills of today, this is the history that was hidden, and the legacy that endures.
A Legacy Written in Smoke and Grain
The story of American whiskey, rum, and spirits is inseparable from the story of Black Americans. For centuries, enslaved men and women provided the labor, the knowledge, and the craft that built this industry — and for just as long, their contributions were systematically erased from the record.
Today, a new generation of Black distillers is reclaiming that legacy. They are opening distilleries, winning awards, and telling the full story of American spirits — one bottle at a time.
A timeline
Centuries in the Making
The Colonial Foundations
Enslaved Africans brought to the American colonies carried with them deep knowledge of fermentation and distillation — techniques rooted in West African traditions of palm wine, sorghum beer, and grain spirits. On colonial plantations, enslaved workers were put to work in distillery operations, often serving as the primary distillers while their enslavers took credit and profit. The rum trade of New England was built on the backs of enslaved labor, and the bourbon tradition of Kentucky was shaped by the hands of men and women who would never taste freedom.
They built the stills. They ran the stills. They were never credited for the stills.
Nearest Green & the Whiskey Makers
Among the most significant — and most suppressed — stories in American spirits is that of Nearest Green, an enslaved man in Lincoln County, Tennessee who taught Jack Daniel himself the art of the Lincoln County Process. For over a century, Green's name was absent from the Jack Daniel's story. It was only in 2016 that his contribution was publicly acknowledged. Green's story is not unique — it is representative of thousands of unnamed Black distillers whose expertise shaped the American whiskey industry while they remained invisible in its history.
Nearest Green taught Jack Daniel to distill. For 150 years, no one said his name.
Prohibition and the Underground Economy
When Prohibition arrived in 1920, it did not stop distilling — it drove it underground. Black communities, already marginalized by Jim Crow laws and economic exclusion, found in moonshining both a survival strategy and a form of economic resistance. Juke joints and speakeasies in the South and in Northern cities became cultural institutions, and the spirits that flowed through them were often made by Black hands. The blues, jazz, and the spirits that accompanied them were inseparable — a culture of joy and defiance forged in the shadow of oppression.
Prohibition didn't stop Black distillers. It just made them invisible in a different way.
The Long Exclusion
After Prohibition's repeal, the legal spirits industry rebuilt itself — but not for everyone. Licensing barriers, capital requirements, and systemic racism kept Black entrepreneurs out of the legal distilling business for decades. The craft distillery movement that began in the 1980s and accelerated through the 1990s was, like so many American industries, largely white. The knowledge, the heritage, and the cultural connection to spirits that Black Americans carried was not matched by access to the industry they had helped create.
The craft spirits boom of the 1990s largely left Black entrepreneurs behind.
The Reclamation
The 2010s marked a turning point. Vanessa Braxton became the first African American woman distiller in the United States. Chris Montana opened Du Nord Craft Spirits in Minneapolis, making it Minnesota's first Black-owned distillery. The Yarbrough brothers founded Brough Brothers in Louisville — the first Black-owned bourbon distillery in Kentucky. Harvey and Donna Williams opened Delta Dirt in Arkansas, distilling from sweet potatoes grown on their family's land. One by one, Black distillers began reclaiming the industry their ancestors built — and the trail is growing.
This isn't a new story. It's an old story finally being told.
Trailblazers
Figures Who Shaped the Story
c. 1820–1890s
Nearest Green
Enslaved master distiller in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Taught Jack Daniel the Lincoln County Process — the charcoal-mellowing technique that defines Tennessee whiskey. His name was absent from the Jack Daniel's story for over 150 years.
Legacy
Recognized as the first known African American master distiller in the US. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, founded in 2017, bears his name and honors his legacy.
Active since 2012
Vanessa Braxton
Founder of Black Momma Vodka and Gravesande Braxton Distillers GB. The first African American woman distiller in the United States, Braxton has spent over a decade building a brand rooted in excellence and representation.
Legacy
A living pioneer whose work opened the door for a generation of Black men and women in the spirits industry.
Founded Du Nord 2013
Chris Montana
Founder of Du Nord Craft Spirits in Minneapolis — Minnesota's first Black-owned distillery. During the 2020 uprisings, Montana transformed his distillery into a community relief hub, distributing food and supplies to neighbors in need.
Legacy
Proof that a distillery can be both a business and a force for community good.
The Trail Continues
The Black Distillery Trail exists to make this history visible — and to celebrate the men and women who are writing its next chapter. Every distillery on this trail carries the weight of centuries of suppressed history and the pride of a community reclaiming its rightful place in American culture.
When you visit one of these distilleries, you're not just tasting great spirits. You're participating in an act of recognition — acknowledging a history that was hidden and honoring the people who kept the craft alive.