From grain to glass, whiskey and bourbon tell a story centuries in the making. While all whiskey starts with fermented grain mash aged in wooden casks, bourbon stands apart as a distinctly American spirit, crafted from a majority corn mash and matured exclusively in new charred oak barrels.

This legacy is deeply intertwined with African American innovation, perhaps best exemplified by Nathan "Nearest" Green, whose masterful distilling techniques helped shape the industry. His contributions, long overlooked, exemplify a broader heritage of Black excellence in American spirits. Today, a new generation of Black distillers and entrepreneurs is reclaiming this history, launching their own brands and adding fresh chapters to this continuing story.