2023 Q2 Spirited VA - 28

MOONSHINE HISTORY:
VIRGINIA IS A STAR
H
istorically, moonshine was an
illegally-made spirit distilled from
corn, wheat, rye, barley and/
or sugar. It was usually unaged, clear in
color and high proof. The taste, quality
and alcohol content were unpredictable
because it was produced using makeshift
stills deep in the mountains or woods,
often at night (hence " moonshine " ).
Today, a more safe and reliable version is
sold legally throughout the country.
Moonshine has been around since
the beginning of American history, and
Virginia has played an important role in
this. By 1620 when the Jamestown colony
was still new, settlers were distilling spirts
from corn along the banks of the James
and York rivers. This was the first " 'shine "
or " white lightning " made by Europeans
in the New World.
The practice continued and was
popularized during the 1800s by English,
German and especially Scotch-Irish
immigrants in the Appalachian back
country. In Virginia, farmers would take
whatever fruit and grain they couldn't
sell or eat and distill them so the food
wouldn't go to waste.
And to the east, George Washington
himself made brandy, whiskey and other
beverages at Mount Vernon.
In 1791 the Washington Administration
imposed a tax on whiskey in order to
raise funds for the federal government.
Understandably, the new country was in
need of money after the Revolutionary
War. This decision made all untaxed
liquor (that is, moonshine) illegal.
Of course, this resulted in making
moonshine even more popular because
farmers didn't want to pay the tax.
The same thing happened when the
whiskey tax was raised prohibitively
high during the Civil War, to pay for the
conflict. Once again, many people turned
to illegal spirits, which were cheaper to
make and to drink.
Naturally, 'shine also became popular
and much more common during
Prohibition from 1920 to 1933. It was
a staple in both rural and urban areas
but was most highly concentrated in
Appalachia, where it was more expensive
28 VIRGINIA ABC | ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV
SPIRITED VIRGINIA
and difficult to transport grains than to
make whiskey and transport the bottles.
The people who drove moonshine to
retailers, distributors and individual
buyers were called " bootleggers. " They
often drove cars that had been modified
to accelerate more quickly and carry
heavier loads.
After Prohibition, some of these outof-work
bootleggers starting driving in
NASCAR, including Robert " Red " Byron
and " Rapid " Roy Hall.
Franklin County, Virginia, was for
a time the center of American liquor
production. By 1894 there were 77 legal
distilleries in operation. Once Prohibition
was declared, moonshine really took off
in the area, which became known as the
Moonshine Capital of the World. These
distillers weren't all poor backwoods
farmers, however. Some of these
bootleggers made a fortune, including
one clever man who bought an airplane
so his son could fly over the area to make
sure his stills weren't visible from the sky.
After the alcohol ban was lifted, the
illicit trade continued because there
was still a lot of tax-free money to be
made. This led to the Great Moonshine
Conspiracy of 1935, a trial in which it
was discovered that local government
employees had taken bribes to turn a
blind eye to moonshining. It is reputed to
be the longest and most complex trial in
Virginia history. People were threatened,
the jury was intimidated and a key
witness was murdered. In the end, 34
people were indicted including the sheriff
and eight other government officials.
There's still controversy surrounding the
case because, afterward, the trial records
mysteriously disappeared from the
courthouse.
To learn more about Virginia
moonshine history, visit the Blue Ridge
Institute & Museum in Ferrum. Also in
Franklin County, April is Moonshine
Heritage Month, featuring tours,
costumed reenactors and other special
events.
You can also sample contemporary
moonshine at one of the area's
distilleries. -AM
Belmont Farm
Distillery
Culpeper's Belmont Farm Distillery
asserts that " our copper
pot still is truly the secret of
our whiskey. "
Virginia Lightning. This
'shine is made the old-fashioned
way in a solid copper pot
still that dates back to 1933.
They grow, harvest, store and
mill their own corn to produce
moonshine.
Corn Whiskey. About 30
years ago, Chuck Miller took
a family recipe to make Corn
Whiskey, the distillery's first
product. The spirit is 100 proof
with a taste of grains, buttered
popcorn and a touch of oak.
Peach. This is a sweet,
light and refreshing 70-proof
moonshine with notes of plum,
nectarine and fresh honey.
Butterscotch. This is a
sweet 'shine that tastes like
caramel, butterscotch, toffee
and a hint of espresso bean.
Try adding it to your favorite
coffee drink.
Tim Smith's Climax
Moonshine.Tim Smith was
born in the small Pittsylvania
County town of Climax. He's a
third-generation moonshiner
who uses a 100-year-old family
recipe to make his liquors.
Smith also starred in " Moonshiners "
on The Discovery
Channel.
This is a smooth-drinking
whiskey with a bit of sweetness
and a zesty finish. It's distilled
from corn, rye and barley.
Twin Creeks
From Franklin County, Twin
Creeks' moonshine is made
by " the grandsons of conspiracy-era
bootleggers " using
traditional methods.
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