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Tag: Moonshine

  • Popcorn Sutton Being Sued By Jack Daniels

    Popcorn Sutton was a moonshiner who lived in Parrottsville, Tennessee. Sutton was well known for making great moonshine and for the most part, avoiding law enforcement. In the 1970s and the 1990s he was put on probation. He wrote an autobiography and created a home video of himself making moonshine. Many of the popular moonshine makers today try to model their own moonshine making after Popcorn Sutton.

    Sutton commited suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in in 2009 to avoid serving time in prison, but his whiskey and legacy still lived on through the Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey Company that is owned by J&M Concepts LLC and widow Pam Sutton as well as Hank Williams, Jr.

    The Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey has ran into a small problem. It is being sued by Jack Daniels because the Popcorn Suttun bottle looks too much like the bottle that Jack Daniels used to bottle their whiskey.

    Popcorn Sutton himself sold his whiskey in mason jars. To keep with tradition, the company also chose to distribute the whiskey this way for several years but recently decided to update their bottle.

    The new bottle began to appear in stores in late 2012 and early 2013 and the Jack Daniel’s company’s suit, filed in Nashville wants the Popcorn Sutton bottle removed from the market. They are claiming the bottle is trademark infringement.

    Jack Daniel’s are asking for an injunction to stop Popcorn Sutton Moonshine from using their iconic square bottle and black-and-white label. They are also asking to be reimbursed for money lost because of the bottle and trademark infringement. The companies will either appear in court or come to a settlement that will benefit both whiskey makers.

    Image from Creative Commons.

  • Moonshine In Stores: Liquor Makers Cashing In On Notoriety

    Moonshining is very much a part of the local culture in Southern and Appalachian communities. If you spend any time down in those areas, you’re likely to run into one or two people who will sell you some of the local specialty. Now stores are starting to sell the stuff, but it’s not exactly the real deal.

    The AP reports that the popularity of Discovery’s “Moonshiners” have pushed small and large liquor makers alike into producing legal “moonshine” for stores. The newest brand is Climax Moonshine – made by Moonshiners’ star Tim Smith. His moonshine is distilled from corn, rye and barley malt, and comes in natural, grape and peach flavors.

    Smith isn’t the only one making legal moonshine though. Over the last few years, local and big name distillers alike have started to bring moonshine-like liquor to stores across the country. The explosion in popularity can be somewhat tied to the TV series, but others simply just like the idea of buying liquor that was illegal for so many years.

    Interestingly enough, Smith says that the illegal trade of Moonshine is still booming even after the introduction of legal variants. He even claims that it’s hard to keep up with demand. He might even have more trouble meeting demand now that he’s producing both legal and illegal moonshine.

    Still, Smith says that there’s something special about his moonshine that nobody can replicate. He says that big distilleries jumping on the moonshine wagon understand how to make the chemical composition that makes up moonshine, but they don’t really understand how to make it.

    It could simply be marketing talk as Smith readies to launch his own brand, but he may have a point. There’s a reason why you don’t buy non-Kentucky made bourbons. Distilleries outside of the state always miss that little extra something that makes Kentucky made bourbon so special. The same could go for moonshine – only those who have actually made a living off of illegal moonshine can really understand what goes into making it.

    If you want to see what goes behind making Moonshine, check out this video from the Discovery: