Eady Butler, Victoria
Contemporary · Contribution: 2019-present
Master Blender
Became the first known Black woman Master Blender in American whiskey, crafting Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey as the great-great-granddaughter of Nathan “Nearest” Green, the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel to distill
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Quick facts
- Born
- c. 1961
- Active since
- 2019
- Category
- Agriculture & Food
- Best known for
- First Black woman master blender in U.S. whiskeyUncle Nearest whiskeyTwo-time Master Blender of the Year
Impact on the world
Eady Butler broke a color and gender barrier in one of the most tradition-bound corners of the spirits world, and did it at the highest level of the craft. She links a historic injustice to a modern triumph within her own family line.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Source lookupFind
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Related visionaries
Green, Nathan 'Nearest'
c.1820-1890s
First known African American master distiller; taught the distilling craft to a young Jack Daniel, whose namesake whiskey brand became a global industry
Weaver, Fawn
1976-present
Founded Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey in 2017 to honor Nathan “Nearest” Green, America's first known Black master distiller, building it into the best-selling Black-owned spirits brand in U.S. history
McCoy, Carlton
c. 1985-present
Became, in 2013 at age 28, only the second African American to pass the Master Sommelier examination, widely regarded as the hardest professional exam in the world, with an 8-10% pass rate, and went on to become Napa Valley's first Black CEO