Making moonshine is legal in these hills

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau states that no one can produce any spirits for beverage use without paying any taxes and with no prior paperwork approval to operate a distilled spirits plant.

The following is a list of distilleries that are legally making moonshine.

Dawsonville, Georgia

Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery is located in the same place as the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. It is also situated within Dawsonville’s City Hall. However, the local government is not taking steps to halt its operation. It even sold out the first batch of liquor it produced for the Mountain Moonshine Festival. The distillery is currently working on its third corn whiskey batch and business is still flowing.

How is this possible?

Cheryl Wood is the owner of Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery. She explains that hard work and legal requirements were necessary to make her dreams a reality. It took her months to plan and acquire permits to make her moonshine dreams possible. She also quit her job in the phone company she was working for and decided to go full time distilling. Plus, she borrowed tons of money. Her efforts are now paying off.

It also helped that Wood comes from a long line of moonshiners. Literally, moonshine runs in her blood. Her grandfather was a popular moonshiner named Simmie Free. She also got help from “backwoods distiller” Dwight Bearden and “still hand” Bob Suchke. All three brought in their years of experience growing up with moonshine.

The moonshine trade helped feed their families back when they were children. Bearden is a fourth-generation moonshiner.

Currently, the business is utilizing a 250-gallon moonshine copper still, two 415-gallon stainless steel mash and another 1,050 gallon steel mash. There are plans to expand and add in more equipment and help.



Woodburry, Tennessee 

 Short Mountain Distillery began its business March 2012. After just a few short months of being legally allowed to sell moonshine, it has received a gold award.

The moonshine produced by Short Mountain comes from a time-tested recipe from Cannon County. The Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) gave the recipe the Best Rating out of five moonshines produced all over the country. The Beverage Tasting Institute reviews moonshine products two times a year.

Moonshine that has acquired a score of 90 makes it qualified to receive a gold medal from the BTI. According to BTI’s review, the moonshine made in Short Mountain is `impressively subtle and elegant.’

Chicago’s Dragon Ranch 

Dragon Ranch is a restaurant in Chicago that serves barbecue and moonshine on its menu. It is one of the few restaurants in the area to develop its own proprietary spirit. Their efforts required a few legal considerations and minimal production costs.

When developing the concept for the restaurant, its president Arturo Gomez shares the fact that the idea came mainly from the South’s love for the barbecue and that its history was intertwined with “mountain dew” and “hooch.”

Dragon Ranch’s product is named White Dragon and is made from wheat as it softens the palate. Wheat also gave the drink a slight and delectable floral taste.

Union, Missouri 

The most recent addition to the list is Mad Buffalo Distillery as it has just received its state license allowing it to function as a distilled spirits plant. This December 2012, it is considered as the state’s newest licensed distillery.

Its first product is touted to be un-aged white whiskey made as according to the traditions of the owner’s family. The recipe for the whiskey has been handed down for many generations.

Specifically, its initial product is referred to as Thunderbeast Storm Moonshine. It is reportedly set to hit the shelves before this year ends.

The CEO of Mad Buffalo Distillery, Chris Burnette, claims that he comes from a long line of homesteaders and farmers who distilled grain in order to survive. It was only when Prohibition was installed that his family went underground and began to produce “illegal” moonshine. Burnette believes that now is the perfect time to make moonshine the way ‘our great-grandparents’ did them.

He add that moonshine or white unaged whiskey was a staple in every homesteaders abode.

Their recipe comes from 100% local ingredients. It comes from Missouri corn that has been processed, malted, milled, grown, mashed, fermented, distilled at Shawnee Bend Farms directly from Union.

Mad Buffalo Distillery has acquired its federal DSP (Distilled Spirits Plant) permit and federal label approval. The state requires that the company register its product.

All in all, be aware that operating an illegal moonshine still is considered a felony under state laws. In the United States, it is a requirement that proper permits and approval are acquired prior to distilling alcohol.

About the Author:

Jason Stone is the owner of Whiskey Still, a company which manufactures different still products such as whiskey still and moonshine still. The company is located at Houston, Texas. They provide quality and effective products for Scotch, Rum, Bourbon, Cognac, Schnapps, Tequila and Vodka production. Visit the Highly recommended Webpage and find out how the company make the finest moonshine.