WJHL: Discovery Channel’s ‘Moonshiners’ stars, local business excited for Freedom to Home Distill Act

NEWPORT AND ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL)- Earlier this month, Tennessee’s First District Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced a bill to end a more than 150-year ban on home distillation of spirits.

“Back in 1978, you know, they allowed wine and beer to be distilled, and they had parameters around that, but not the spirits,” Harshbarger said. “And so there’s been a ban, a federal ban on doing home distillation of spirits since 50 years before Prohibition. They make a lot of money off the tax status. So this is just this bill is is real simple. It just puts it in the same category as at-home wine, beer.”

Harhsbarger only allowed News Channel 11 to ask her about this specific legislation during our interview, but she said it only makes sense for it to come out of her district.

“You’ve got Bristol, that’s the birthplace of country music. Now. You’ve got the birthplace of home distillation right here in the first district, too. I mean, it’s sort of special when a constituent brings you something that you can fix at a federal level. It’s it’s really rewarding to be able to carry out that, tradition,” she said. “That’s the roots of the Appalachian Mountains is moonshine. And now you can do it within your own. You don’t have to go out back, make a state a lot from the neighbors, all that kind of thing. But it’s just fun to be able to do something and work with your constituents to get that bill carried to fruition.”

She worked with large craft distilleries, Cocke Co. residents and stars of the Discovery Channel’s ‘Moonshiners’ show, Mark Ramsey and Eric “Digger” Manes, to create the bill.

“Moonshining, as a general rule, from people that haven’t tried it and haven’t lived the life, they consider it taboo. It’s illegal,” Manes said. “Well, it’s not a crime. It’s a revenue issue. It’s always been the money.

Manes said his curiosity for liquor started when he was just a teenager growing up in the mountains of East Tennessee.

“I always excelled at sciences and failed at everything else,” he said. “So, you know, making liquor is nothing more than a science process. It’s. It’s chemistry at its best. And it fascinated me. You took a swill that you if you looked at it when it was working, you wouldn’t take a drink of it at all. Then when you get done running that swill or slop is we always called it mash. Out comes this beautiful, clear liquid. And it it wasn’t so much the drinking of it that fascinated me. It was the process involved getting it from this to this.”

So, that’s why he and his famed partner, who also grew up around distilling, wanted to open up the doors for others to practice their hobby.

“It’s a wonderful bill. I think if we can get it passed, take a lot of pressure off of people and let them let them enjoy some of the things without fear of going to jail that Digger and I have got to do,” Ramsey said. “A lot of people will try this and see how much work it is and how much aggravation it is, and they’ll simply give up on it. But, some of it may go on to… some people may go on to do better things with it, may even find themselves a master distiller somewhere working so, you know, I’m excited about it actually.”

When creating the legislation, the pair advocated for several things.

“They were gonna put a capacity limit of 20 gallons on the stills… I argued for 50,” Manes said. “And the only reason I argued for 50 gallons is me and him both have me and Mark both have one that’s 50 gallons. And it will make six gallons of liquor. Well, the possession value under this law of proof gallons is ten proof gallons.”

“They didn’t cap the capacity of the still too small. Honestly, you need a at least a 50-gallon still in order to get to your flavor,” Ramsey said. “You know, a real small still, you can’t make enough alcohol to actually get deep enough into it to get your flavor. One run will keep the capacity below what the maximum amount an individual can have in a household. And, you know, there’s a lot of I think that’s the basic groundwork it can be. Maybe states might tweak that a little bit. But, you know, I think that Diana and Digger have put a lot of work into it, and they’ve covered a lot of the bases.”

Safety was another big topic.

“The specifics say if you’re 21 or older, you can do ten proof gallons per that adult,” Harshbarger said. “If there’s two adults in the home, 21 or over, you can do 20 proof gallons, and there’s also parameters. This is federal legislation, but the states still have authority over that distillation. And honestly, there’s there’s parameters about what kind of still you can use and how big that still can get those type things. So it’s got to be safe if you’re going to do it at home.”

“Because there’s some people out there that warning labels were created for, we also put in there that check valves need to put in place that if too much pressure builds up, it lets off and another safety vacuum that will pull in,” Manes said. “Because if you don’t take the cap off your steel before it cools down, it will collapse your still and ruin it.”

The duo worked under the late famed moonshiner, Popcorn Sutton.

“That’s what Popcorn always used to say is ‘If it’s so damn easy, everybody would be doing it.’ Well, it involves a lot of carrying and liftin and totin,” Manes said. “Sugar ain’t light, corn ain’t light. Jars aren’t light, that are full, aren’t light. So it’s it’s not easy work. When popcorn made his famous video, you know, ‘The Last Dam Run of Likker I’ll ever make’ You know, I was opposed to that. I told him he had lost his mind. I said, you can’t be a, movie star and a moonshiner both. I said one of them’s gonna end tragically. And now, look at us. We’re we’re we’re out here in the wide open.”

Their friendship started 45 years ago, but they grew closer to Sutton as they purchased product from him through the years and eventually were put to work by him.

“We learned a lot from him, but. Well, mostly we learned from Popcorn was what not to do,” Ramsey said. “So, you know, he was difficult at times, but he was our friend.”

While they’re big fans of the legislation, they don’t think he would’ve been.

“Popcorn saw all competition as competitions,” Ramsey said. “And I feel that, he I don’t think he would have enjoyed the law. I don’t think he would have enjoyed the law too much at all, because he would have saw it taking money out of his pocket.”

Even though people will be able to make their own product, the pair, think it’s going to be good for business.

“Copper sales, ingredient sales, water bills are going to go up because there’s people that don’t have access to beautiful streams like we do,” Manes said. “I’m optimistic. I feel like it’s going to get the, attention it needs. And simply because look how many states marijuana is legal in. And yet I can’t practice a craft that I’d dearly love as a hobby, because of an obstacle. I mean, they can come seize my stills at any minute. And to me, that’s not fair.”

“Why is that fair that a product that’s on legal shelves everywhere in every United States and I can’t I can’t practice it as a hobby,” Manes said. “I can make beer and wine. I just can’t take it a step further.”

The duo has a partnership with Sugarlands Distillery. They received the owner’s blessing on the legislation, who also sees it as a new opportunity.