Piedmont Distillers
still. After some high-tech tweaks, the would soon persuade someone from a line of fruit-infused spirits. “Fruit a storied family of Wilkes County spirits started flowing and a new brand Inclusions”, which uses Midnight moonshiners to be his business partwas born: Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon as a base, is made in strawberry, ner, arguably the fastest and most Moon, even better than the original cherry, apple pie, cranberry and raspfamous bootlegger in the South, Junior recipe, Johnson says. His daddy would berry flavors. Johnson says the cherry Johnson. Before Johnson became a distill his moonshine two times in a version reminds him of the sweetened legendary NASCAR driver, he was “double-thumper” pot still. But this ’shine that families made in small hauling his family’s hooch to towns all new-and-improved product is triplebatches they saved for themselves. over the state map. In the middle of the distilled. Johnson describes the result “People liked the cherry taste and night, the 14-year-old raced his daddy’s as something like vodka but sweeter they’d put it in the whiskey to make it souped-up car over narrow roads and smoother, the former owing to the smooth.” and around hairpin turns to outpace corn and the latter to the added purity. All of Piedmont’s spirits are made federal tax agents on his tail. Johnson, To make Midnight Moon, a mash in 300-gallon batches — enough to fill who turned 80 in June, says about 1,500 750-ml jars or his family cranked out more bottles. To date, the products moonshine than anyone are sold in 32 states. The in the area. “Sometimes company is driving hard to we’d be making four or five outrun new competition. thousand gallons a week,” he When Michalek started, only says — 300 to 500 gallons to two other legal distilleries a batch. in the country were selling Through their connection corn-based spirits. Today, to RJ Reynolds Tobacco — dozens are marketing prodMichalek was its top marketucts with “moonshine” on ing executive at the time and the label. Piedmont is also Johnson had a longstanding no longer the lone distillery NASCAR sponsor relationin North Carolina. There ship as driver and team are now two other active NASCAR legend Junior Johnson will show off his legal corn liquor, along owner — the two entrepreones — Carolina Distillery with classic bootlegger cars, at the ‘ShineFest July 30–31 in Madison. neurs crossed paths. Michalek in Lenoir, which makes bent Johnson’s ear about his apple brandy, and Southern start-up company and extended an of cornmeal, sugar, yeast and barley Artisan Spirits in Kings Mountain, open invitation to come on board. One that is fermented in white oak barrels which makes gin. day, Johnson showed up at the distillery for several days, then heated. Alcohol Michalek still has illegal competiwith a friend who wanted to see what boils at 173 F, compared to 212 F tion, but it’s friendly, he says. He it took to “go legit.” During that visit, for water, so when the mash reaches reckons that several hundred moonMichalek floated another friendly “How that temperature, the alcohol rises as shiners have toured the distillery. What ‘bout it?” To Michalek’s delight, Johnson vapor, leaving water and any unwanted do they think of his flavored hooch? jotted down his family’s secret recipe on byproducts behind. The vapor is chan- Some say, “Too sweet for me,” he says. the spot, then issued a challenge: Fire up neled to an adjacent tank where it’s “But nobody’s said ‘It’s horrible!’” your still and show me what you can do. cooled and condenses back into alcoAsked what his daddy might think of hol, more concentrated this time. It Michalek cooked up three batches of Midnight Moon, Johnson says, “Oh is boiled a second time and the vapor Johnson’s recipe at 80, 90 and 100 proof. lord, his chest would bust.” goes into copper coils in the last tank The next morning, he brought samples Carla Burgess is a Carolina Country and condenses again. The resulting liq- contributing writer who lives in Raleigh. to Johnson’s shop, where folks sit down uid makes a final pass in the German to breakfast with him every day. The column still that Michalek originally ’shine was passed around and the 80 Piedmont Distillers will be open for tours proof got the best marks. Michalek asked found in the building. and tastings at the 3rd annual Carolina Piedmont’s master distiller is Brian Johnson, “So, whaddya think?” And he ’ShineFest July 30–31 in Madison. Junior Call, a seventh-generation whisresponded, “That’s pretty good stuff.” Johnson will be signing bottles of his key maker who likes to say he was moonshine at the festival, which will also home-schooled in the art of making feature a display of bootleggers’ cars and SWEET AND SMOOTH live music, crafts and a farmers market. moonshine. Call has drawn from his They rolled up their sleeves and got For more information, visit family’s and Johnson’s recipes to creto work, with Johnson bringing his www.southernculturesociety.org. tools to fabricate a replica of the family ate Piedmont’s most recent offering,
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