Moonshining is one of the more intriguing pieces of North Carolina history. Stories include tales of bootleggers making white lightning, revenuers busting up stills, and runners transporting whiskey in the middle of the night.
A section of Johnston County called Broadslab has a reputation for having turned out high-quantity and high-quality home-brewed whiskey back in the day. Now, Jeremy Norris and his Broadslab Distillery are bringing back some of the glory and taste to that same area near Benson.
ONC: Is your official title Master Distiller?
JN: I would be called that, but I consider a Master Distiller someone in their 60s with years of experience making moonshine. At 38 years old, I don’t think I’ve earned that (laughs). Well, I’m the guy in charge, but it’s not like a CEO or anything fancy like that. We don’t have a staff, so I do a little bit of everything. I run the still, meet the public, do as much marketing as we can afford, sweep the floor … you name it.
How long have you been heading it up?
We have been on the market since Aug. 1, 2012. That’s when we got our LLC (Limited Liability Company) filed, but we were getting things in place a couple of years before that. I’ve been the guy from the start. This whole deal is my idea.
Where did it come from?
Well, everything pretty much stems from my granddaddy, Leonard Wood. He raised me. When he was 5 years old, he went to his brothers’ still with them. He had his own still when he was 13. I guess he was making and selling moonshine for his brothers. Granddaddy told me all these stories about toting water and making the whiskey.
And that must have been fascinating to you?
Yes. You know all the stuff that was going on back in the old days of moonshining … making the stuff and trying to dodge the revenuers, driving in the middle of the night with the headlights off to take the shine to whoever was buying it. All that is exciting to hear about … not nearly as exciting, though, when you still is being busted up or somebody’s shooting at you.
The history behind the distillery is obviously colorful. Do you like featuring that?
Oh, yeah … because that’s a part of it, a very real part. My granddaddy stopped making moonshine in his 20s because one of the men who was staying after him made it personal … said he’d get my granddaddy sooner or later and see to it that he either spent a long, long time in jail or was dead. So Granddaddy grew crops on his farm and sold them at a roadside produce stand. I worked that stand with him. It was right on the road people took to go to the beach. Lots of people stopped and bought everything we could grow. But the moonshining was always on my mind.
Do visitors generally like the history of the distillery?
Sure. People have seen movies and read all about what went on … they love that stuff. It sounds exciting, and it was. But it could also get dangerous and expensive. We don’t mind talking about it because history makes our product inviting. It’s good for business because people like the idea of buying ‘shine made from a real still.
Did your grandfather pass on the family recipe for moonshine and is it a secret recipe?
My signature product, Broadslab Legacy Shine, is one of my grandfather’s recipes. As for secrets … Nah, I don’t really have any. I tell and show people exactly how I make our moonshine. Basically, we put the corn in a barrel with water and soak it until the corn swells up. Then we pour it on our malting floor, and the corn starts to germinate. We put air and heat to it to dry it out and then put it in a mill that beats the corn up. It goes into a big mash vat where we add malted barley and cane sugar and a touch of yeast. We stir it up and let it ferment about five days, pump it out and distill it, and it becomes whiskey. I tell folks they can listen to what I say and go home and make their own.
So that’s the whole process?
Well, I don’t tell you everything. There are a few things I keep to myself. I don’t have anything to hide, though.
Does any of your moonshine resemble “white lightning?”
Oh, yes, the Legacy Shine does. It’s clear as the old white lightning.
You say that “Nothing renders authentic results like a hand-crafted, solid copper pot still – the iconic symbol of moonshine lore.” How so?
The still is part of history. That’s what all of the old-timers used to make their liquor. The more your product comes in contact with copper, the higher quality the whiskey is going to be. Old-timers will tell you that copper is the best material to have in your still. That’s why we still have it. The process is more expensive, but the result is a high-quality refined spirit.
Which of your products is the biggest seller?
The Legacy Shine. Maybe it’s because of the history and folks associating moonshine with the name. I will say that it is ultra-smooth. People say they can taste the corn in it. Connoisseurs tell me there is nothing on the market like it. They recognize the quality. The low-quality stuff will burn you and has a lot of aftertastes. Mine is real nice. It goes down easy; it won’t bite you.
If you could use only three words to describe your moonshine, what would they be?
Unique, handcrafted, and outstanding.
What makes your ‘shine different?
Quality of ingredients, our still, and our technique.
This is more than a business to you, isn’t it?
Yes. Part of it is wanting to carry on something that has been in our family. It’s history. That’s why I want to open up a moonshine museum. My granddaddy used to say Broadslab was the moonshine capital of the world. I want to set up a place to tell about that, keep the story alive.
Is the museum a dream you can bring to fruition?
I think so, but I’ve got to be patient because it will take some time. It’s hard to spread the word. We opened to the public a few months ago, and folks are stopping in to see what we do. They like seeing how we make our products and they enjoy our tasting room. They’re telling others, and word of mouth will help.
Why is all this important to you?
I really hope we can show people how moonshining is done the right way and also how agriculture plays a part in it. I think moonshining has been misrepresented. We are doing it the right way.
