"Troy Buckner related some of his whiskey making experiences during the 1920s and 30s. 'A still site was chosen in an out-of-the-way place,' he explained.
'It was not set up on one's own farm but rather on a nearby farm. After TVA purchased land for the Norris Lake, the reservation surrounding the lake provided a good location because it was not hard to find plenty of fresh water.'
Buckner explained that 'abandoned springs in the area provided one of the basic needs,' adding: 'the mixture used by a small operator was corn meal, wheat bran and granulated sugar. One bushel of corn put up fifty gallons of mash, and fifty pounds of sugar was added to each barrel of mash. A small amount of wheat bran was added to this mixture to form a 'cap' to keep it working.'
Weather conditions were important. If the operation took place during the winter, barrels were buried in the earth to keep them warm; if it occurred during the summer, the fermentation period was shorter and was usually completed in four or five days. Steam from the boiling mash was collected. The finished product was poured into half-gallon fruit jars.
If the still operator did not want to 'bootleg' his own product, he contacted a middleman or someone who might sell from his home, store, mill, or under cover of some other business. Once the middleman was contacted, a price was agreed upon. In lean years the price might be very low. 'Many a case of six gallons was sold for $4, while in better times it might bring as much as $30 a case,' Buckner recalled."
To be continued.