Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest

Weaver (The Argument-Free Marriage) is known for her relationship books, but with her latest work was inspired to establish a whiskey company, move across the country, and forge a found family of sorts after learning about Jack Daniel’s first master-level distiller, a formerly enslaved man named Nearest Green. A vast array of characters spanning the 1800s to today, combined with the author’s commentary on a wide range of subjects including family, business, race relations, religion, and history, can make this a weighty listen at times. Weaver is an ardent researcher, and her passion drives the narrative forward. Still, there are many unknowns in the original story of Green and his work with the Jack Daniel’s distillery. The author uses these blanks as a jumping-off point to insert her relationship commentary and business advice. The print book has lists of people and how they relate to the story and a photo section, which is, of course, lacking from the audio. The author narrates the book herself, which partly makes up for this deficit, but overall this is a story probably best told in print.