Lightning in a Bottle

A petite lady, Jeanette Miller laughs as tells the story in the soft accents of rural Virginia. "We had a couple of young men here last month, Chuck gave them the tour and at the end, they told me they were ATF agents, showed me badges, and wanted to know if we had a license for the still. I said 'Sure, it's framed on the wall over your heads. They looked a little embarrassed, thanked me for my time and left." What the agents, presumably rookies put up to the "inspection" as a prank by their seniors, were touring was the Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpepper (http://www.virginiamoonshine.com/). You'd think the website, television programs on the History and National Geographic channels, and the all "Cultural Attraction" signs along U.S. Route. 29 might have tipped them off that there was nothing underhanded going on, but hey, your tax dollars at work.

Chuck and Jeanette Miller run the smallest whiskey distillery in the United States. Using a copper pot still, (Jaeger and Franzmann Coppersmiths, Yonkers, New York, serial number 3), they make Virginia Lightning corn whiskey, aged all of 30 days, clear as rainwater and 100 proof. They also make sippin' whiskey, Copper Fox, which is seasoned with charred white oak and apple wood chips in big cheesecloth bags, then aged the traditional way in white oak barrels.

Corn whiskey goes back to the roots of the Republic. One of George Washington's first tests as Commander in Chief was putting down the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. Farmers had traditionally turned their cash crop of corn into whiskey, making it easier to transport than the bulky grain itself and bringing a better price to boot. They also did not want to pay Federal taxes on what they saw as just another farm commodity. Fielding an army the size of his Continental forces of the Revolution, Washington marched into western Pennsylvania, arresting a score of people, two of which were sentenced to be executed; Washington pardoned both. Skip forward a few dozen decades to the 1950's and 60's when good ole boys drove the stuff from the stills to distribution centers in high-powered Fords and Chevys. NASCAR was born when they realized that they could make more money driving around a flat oval track instead of along twisting back roads at night, one eye in the rearview mirror, and a flammable, potentially explosive cargo in the trunk. Some of the early legends of stock car racing including Buddy Baker and Lee (father of Richard) Petty got their starts runnin' moon.

Chuck's tour lasts all of 15 minutes. His entire operation is housed in a converted barn. Chuck learned his craft from his grandfather, who learned it from his father. Back then, this stuff was genuine moonshine and as illegal as heroin. You walk into the distillery through the gift shop (yet another clue the ATF gentlemen missed) and enter into an alchemist's den of shadows, heady brewery scents, and thumping machinery. "I need to change a bearing on the brewer but I can't while it's fermenting." says Chuck. Past the pot still itself, past vats and cylinders,glowing at the top like a live volcanoes, past the vintage mini-bottling plant, held together with bungee cords and to the 5-step water purifier.

Chuck explains: "The water has lots of limestone in it. That's great for brewing and for distilling, but I double-distill my whiskey to 150 proof, so I need to dilute down to 100 proof for sale. Limestone water makes it cloudy so I need to add purified water. It's all about the product." The product comes in lethal looking pints and fifths and tastes like pure history. Just make sure you're sitting down when you have some.