We’ve driven through Kentucky a number of times as we’ve traveled through the U.S., but this time we decided to overnight at a Harvest Host distillery that specializes in making moonshine instead of bourbon. Little did we know that we’d get to learn some history along with having a great place to spend the night.
who was Casey Jones?
From information from their website, “The legend of Casey Jones began in prohibition-era Golden Pond, Kentucky, where Casey built an estimated 250 copper stills from his own original design. Casey’s ingenuity and passion inspired his grandson, Arlon Casey Jones (aka AJ) to create Casey Jones Distillery where today, we distill premium moonshine in a square pot just like the ones Casey built.”
“During Prohibition, Al Capone got moonshine from many different places. But the shine he liked the most came from Golden Pond, Kentucky. What made Golden Pond shine so special? Casey Jones. Casey was Golden Pond’s master stillmaker. The stills he designed were unique and meticulously crafted. Revenuers could tell a still was Casey’s just by looking at it. Fellow moonshiners and Chicago’s most famous gangster knew Casey’s stills by the superior product they produced.”
“In Golden Pond after World War I, jobs were scarce and moonshining became a necessity [especially with prohibition]. There was plenty of great water, and abundance of corn, and sugar was easy to come by. But to be a great moonshiner, you needed a great still. And for that, you called Casey Jones. Casey’s craftsmanship and innovative design made him a legend in The Land Between The Lakes. When asked where he learned to build stills, Casey would grin and say, ‘The first still I ever saw was the first still I built.'”
“For over 30 years, Casey Jones built stills all over Kentucky using only copper. He refused to use steel, even though it was cheaper, because it was coated with potentially lethal zinc. He was a near-magician at knowing exactly how much and what gauge copper a certain size still would require. With just a torch, a hammer, snips, crimping pliers, and a soldering iron, Casey built 3-piece stills that were easy to set up and easy to move. He charged around $20 (about $350 in today’s dollars) and a gallon or two of the product, of course. Our Casey’s Cut Moonshine is named in honor of Casey and his preferred method of payment.”
“Moonshiners often grumbled and complained that coil condensers couldn’t produce enough whiskey to meet demand, but had no remedy. Casey was the man who created a cylindrical condenser that made a higher-proof, better-tasting product in half the time. During a time when the woods were crawling with axe-wielding revenuers, this invention proved very popular. And unlike still-makers in other parts of the country, Jones preferred rectangular mash cookers. His square pot still, also known as a coffin still, fit perfectly in the bed of a wagon or a pickup truck, a definite plus when a moonshiner needed to make a fast getaway and didn’t want to leave the tools of his trade behind. Casey also put handles on his stills in all the right places so they would be easy to move. He recognized that the condenser was the most important piece of the still, so it had its very own handle so that in case of a raid, it could be the first piece out.”
Casey built stills in just about every hollow in the Land Between The Rivers (now known as the Land Between the Lakes). He even built one directly across the Cumberland River from the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville.
So of course I wanted to find out a little more about this penitentiary. When I went online, I found out that it was a minimum security federal prison camp (not prison) built in 1938 in West Virginia. The first inmates lived in tents before moving to permanent quarters. Once completed, the camp had a dining hall, dormitories, warehouse, boiler plant, school, administration building, infirmary, sawmill, and craft shop. It closed in 1959, and all of the buildings were demolished.
Casey built his last still in 1967.
making moonshine today
“As our Master Distiller, AJ handcrafts every batch of Casey Jones Moonshine using a recipe that has been handed down through generations of the Jones family. A family recipe cooked in a family still – it doesn’t get more authentic than that.”
“Casey’s legendary ingenuity and passion inspired his grandson Arlon Casey Jones [AJ] to follow in his footsteps.”
The 1st step in making moonshine (you can find anything online) is to add corn to hot water for just the right amount of time. Then add the malted barley.
The 2nd step in making moonshine is to let the mixture sit so the starches are turned into sugars. At the right time yeast is added for the fermentation process.
The 3rd step in making moonshine is to strain the mash before pouring the liquid into the still.
While the alcohol itself was created during the fermentation process by the reaction between the mash and the yeast, the chemical process of distillation happens in the still. This process allows alcohol to be separated from the other chemical components in the still.
The 4th step in making moonshine is filling the jars with the distilled spirits.
- The first 5% of the moonshine flowing from a still is known as the foreshots. This is a lethal product that contains methanol. It has been known to cause blindness and shouldn’t be consumed.
- The next 30% of the moonshine flowing from a still is known as the heads. The heads still contain methanol only in smaller amounts and smell like nail polish remover. This part of the product shouldn’t be consumed either.
- The 30% produced by a still after the heads are known as the hearts. This is the quality product distillers have been waiting for. They know they’ve reached the hearts by the sweet aroma it produces.
- The end of the run is known as the tails. This part won’t smell as sweet and has a slick feel if you touch it. The slickness comes in because the amount of ethanol has drastically decreased, and water, carbs, and proteins have taken over. Also, an oily film developing on the top of the product is visible
sales and tasting
- Apple Cut is 100% apple juice and the signature shine to create the apple of your eye.
- Peach Cut is 100% peach juice blended with the signature shine; they say it is peachy keen.
- Muscadine Cut is 100% muscadine grape juice and the signature shine, producing a wild taste
- Barrel Cut is mellowed in new premium oak charred barrels; it is smooth, flavorful and complex.
- Total Eclipse, a blend of corn and cane, it was created to commemorate the 2017 solar eclipse; it is its own natural phenomenon.
- Casey’s Cut (92 proof) is the original still-crafted moonshine made according to the Casey Jones family recipe.
In 2019, just before its 5th anniversary, the distillery released its first bourbon, starting a brand new chapter for the distillery and firmly establishing Casey Jones Distillery as a premiere producer of highly sought authentic Kentucky spirits.
All of the spirits can be ordered online in Kentucky. The rest of us have to drive there to buy it.
other revenue streams
“Casey Jones Distillery is a great place to get married, celebrate a birthday, host a corporate event, or just wander around our 73 acres and lose yourself in the beautiful Hopkinsville, Kentucky, countryside. All while sipping a little piece of Kentucky history.”
With the impact of COVID-19 and nationwide shortages in sanitizers in 2020, the FDA granted special permission for distilleries to manufacture sanitizer since they had the rights to work with the high alcohol amounts needed to make the sanitizers effective.
With their expertise in spirits, and working with other vendors who could supply what the sanitizers required, Casey Jones Distillery turned their stills to produce its very own hand sanitizer.
For months, huge containers of sanitizer were shipped out. Many of the containers went overseas to our embassies and military bases. AJ even built a new building to handle this new product line.
bottling process
Remember that we said this is a small batch distillery? It’s so small that bottles are filled and packaged in a garage-size building. Harvest Host guests can even join in the fun.
Next stop is home, where the adventures continue.
