Making moonshine is still illegal without the proper licenses and nod to the revenuers, but scenes like this are certainly more rare than they used to be.

That’s Pharis Macon Conley on the left kneeling behind several gallons of confiscated moonshine with a fellow Cannon County deputy. Conley severed three terms as Sheriff of Cannon County from 1948-1954 and saw his share of moonshine busts.

Fast-foward … (Moonshine: The Next Generation, Short Mountain Distillery Creating Legal Beverage):

The corn liquor it produces is not just any moonshine, but the moonshine your grandparents may have drunk. This is because Short Mountain employs three of the best moonshiners this area has to offer: Ricky Estes, Jimmy Simpson and Ronald Lawson. The three of them have given up their days of illegal wildcatting. Judging by the smile on Lawson’s face (who was on the property the day of our visit), it seems to be working out well for them. Along with head distiller Josh Smotherman, they make a quality product that meets all legal requirements. Now that’s a brand new angle; the revenuers like the moonshiners.

… to today (Moonshine Monday: Short Mountain Distillery)

Kaufman says, “When we opened, we already had 150 years of distilling experience thanks to these three guys.” Where Smotherman has access to all the technology that he needs for large-batch production, the moonshiners track the progress of the steam through the pipes as the alcohol boils off and then condenses by feeling the temperature of the copper pipes, listening to the hiss of the vortex in the pot still and watching the bubbles in the Carlo Rossi jugs they use to trap their lovely corn likker as it drips out of the outlet of the still.

Sometimes people need a good reminder of how things used to be. We could speed things up with tractors or increase our yield with a few chemicals, but when it comes to making good whiskey, some things just can’t be rushed.

A good team of mules are hard workers. Sometimes they’re slow, sometimes stubborn, but dedicated to getting the job done.

This is the second year we’ve teamed up with the Middle Tennessee Mule Skinners Association to disc our organic corn fields. Twelve teams came out Saturday and helped make farming look easy. The field they disced will become the corn that makes our authentic Tennessee Moonshine.

If you missed this year’s discing, be sure to come to our grand opening Saturday April 21 for free mule wagon rides, tours and Moonshine tasting. You can also catch a performance by the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. And if the timing is right, we’ll have a few bottles of Shine for you to take home a genuine taste of this unique Tennessee experience.

A new chapter began yesterday in the story of Tennessee’s whiskey making heritage when three living legends of moonshine making signed a deal with Short Mountain Distillery.

Jimmy Simpson, Ricky Estes and Ronald Lawson (pictured left to right) all grew up in Cannon County around Short Mountain where some families on hard times relied on illicit moonshine to make ends meet. It’s a story of struggle, honor, and perseverance, and it’s the story of America.

A change in state law created an opportunity for their treasured craft to finally come out in the open. The three men bring with them over 100 years of history and backwoods whiskey making experience to our distillery.

Here’s an excerpt from a story by local CBS television affiliate News Channel 5 (WTVF). Check back for links to local newspaper articles as they post.

“It’s kind of a dream come true. I don’t think that any of us ever realized we would be making moonshine legally,” said Simpson.

They are using the same locally grown ingredients and the same method but this time, following the law.

“We know what we are doing. I might not talk very well, but I know how to make moonshine,” said Estes.

“It’s really something worth preserving,” said Short Mountain founder, Billy Kaufman.

Kaufman built the distillery to save what he calls a dying art and a lost piece of the area’s heritage.

“They might be lost in another 10 to 20 years and no one knows how to do these things again,” said Kaufman.

Short Mountain Distillery will open to the public March 23. Be sure to see this story in the Murfreesboro Post, Smithville Review and Cannon Courier:

• February 23, 2012 Smithville Review – Moonshiners Go Legit
• February 23, 2012 Murfreesboro Post – Cannon County Moonshiners ‘Go Legal’

We got word from the federal government that our first product label was approved. It’s called pretty much what it’s been called for decades: Short Mountain Shine, a 105 proof authentic Tennessee Moonshine made from a family recipe handed down for generations.

As of yesterday’s approval by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, visitors to our distillery in Cannon County will be able to have a taste and purchase a bottle at our distillery store. We plan on a soft opening for friends and neighbors March 23.

Customers will also be able to purchase our Shine in stores across the state of Tennessee under new distribution deals signed this week with Best Brands (Nashville), Athens (Chattanooga), Star (Memphis) and Knoxville Beverage (Knoxville). Stores throughout the Nashville region (36 counties) will receive our product first.

Sacha and Billy open one of the boxes of Golden Rule coins.

Billy’s great grandfather, Jesse Shwayder, never missed an opportunity to attribute the success of the iconic American brand Samsonite to the Golden Rule. He even went out of his way to communicate this deeply held philosophy in a very special way as mentioned in this TIME magazine article from 1965.

The world’s largest manufacturer of luggage is named after the Bible’s powerful Samson. Its president has a name to match: King David. The firm’s official corporate philosophy is the Bible’s Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”* All company officers and salesmen carry a marble encircled by a gold band on which the Golden Rule is printed, take it out for inspiration when they have a business decision to make.

This philosophical approach — wedded to some pragmatic business practices—has paid off handsomely for Denver’s Samsonite Corp. The firm now accounts for more than a quarter of all U.S. luggage sold, and its sales last year reached a record $55.9 million. Last week, as orders from vacation-bound Americans flooded into Denver, Samsonite raised its 1965 sales estimate from $60 million to $64 million.

Last week, a package arrived with a very special coin inside that will come with every bottle of our authentic Tennessee Moonshine, Short Mountain Shine. They’re Golden Rule coins bearing the moon and the stars, and we hope they shine a little light into your world.

Ben talks colors with Mike for the ’51 Chevy’s paint job.

We’re all just a little jealous. While some of us will be making moonshine, Billy, Ben and Christian will be touring the state of Tennessee later this Spring in this sweet ’51 Chevy pickup truck.

And what could be more fun than driving around in a ’51 Chevy selling our moonshine!? Mike says he put in a 305 roller out of a 25th Anniversary Camaro. I guess that ought to do it … if we were bootleggin’ it.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Over the past year, we’ve shared at least a book’s worth in posts and photos as we built our first still house, but this one really says a lot about how far we’ve come.

Our core team defies all the odds, both private and public. We made deep personal sacrifices. We changed the law. We worked through the necessary compliance and permitting. We put our friends and neighbors back to work and helped bring back something they call manufacturing. And in a matter of months, we’ll export our heritage and our pride to the world.

That still, the still house, the people, the whiskey… none of it would exist like it does if it wasn’t for many of you showing up last year and voting to change the law and make it happen. You trusted us. After a year of hard work, we’re ready to deliver.

Over the next two months, you’ll see us work to fire up the stills and bring into the light the magic of a centuries old craft handed down from generation to generation. You’ll see the old ways come back to life, the ups and the downs, but mostly we hope you’ll see our shared pride.

One of the Southern most mountains in the Appalachians (Middle TN’s highest point) is now properly represented on the Appalachian Quilt Trail. And by “proper,” we mean with moonshine, but it probably doesn’t count as much as having this big beautiful quilt tile painted locally by Diane Mooneyham on one of our barns. That’s Diane’s husband Kevin way up there on the ladder.

Kevin had some special help from Short Mountain Fire Dept.’s Brad, Michael, Skylar, and Chris. We love our neighbors!

If you’re traveling the trail through Tennessee next Spring, don’t forget to stop by the still house behind the barn and learn how they’ve been making moonshine on Short Mountain for over 150 years.

(Woodbury, TN, USA) – Earlier today, Short Mountain Distillery became Tennessee’s newest licensed distillery. The state and federal permits come months after supporters changed Cannon County law by referendum to allow distilleries as well as securing federal permits and completing construction of Still House #1.

Short Mountain Distillery will make a Tennessee sour mash white whiskey (moonshine) from a family recipe handed down for generations in Cannon County. The traditional recipe and process will use locally grown corn that is stone milled on site. Distillery owners, the Kaufman brothers, hope to reconnect visitors with the nation’s agricultural heritage and whiskey making traditions by creating a unique destination.

“Once people experience how our product was made here for generations, they’ll make moonshine America’s drink,” said Billy Kaufman, farmer and Short Mountain Distillery CEO.

Short Mountain Distillery’s traditional process will use local stone milled grain and Tennessee spring water to create a sour mash moonshine, a Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey. Tourist will be able to follow the spent grain back into the farm process and take the Cave Spring Trail to experience why Tennessee is the perfect location for whiskey making. Visitors will also learn from legendary moonshiners of Short Mountain as they demonstrate processes handed down for generations.

Short Mountain Distillery is owned by the Kaufman brothers: Billy, David and Ben. They are the great grand children of Jesse Shwayder, who 100 years ago founded the iconic American brand Samsonite. Their grandfather, Louis Degen, brought Samsonite to Murfreesboro decades ago bringing steady work to many local families.

Short Mountain Distillery will begin production in January 2012 and open for distillery and farm tours March 23, 2012. The distillery is working to become USDA Certified Organic within a year.

Short Mountain Distillery’s Ricky Estes and John Whittemore set up Ricky’s old moonshine still visitors will see on display at Stillhouse #1. It’s one of very few in Tennessee to survive decades of persistent moonshine busts.

This particular still was built by Emory Bragg and purchased by Mr. Estes back in the 60s or 70s. Some people might know Emory for a bank robbery that sent him to prison back in the day, and still fewer might have known him for his moonshine.

The still has gone through a couple small changes over the years, especially after it blew up and nearly took Ricky with it. For the most part the still made some of the best moonshine to come off Short Mountain. We can’t really say how recent that might have been, but you can rest assured this federally registered still now has a permanent and proud home at Short Mountain Distillery.