me. He’s also been experimenting
with organic blue corn for his ‘shine. Of
course, the liquor comes out clear, not
blue.
Mr. Minor Case Beam’s Revenge
Speaking of color, my favorite Limestone
Branch beverage was the golden brown
Revenge. The dark color comes from a
storage process in charred oak barrels,
previously used for bourbon. It has hints
of caramel, vanilla, and smoke. At the
distillery, they were calling it “Minor’s
Revenge.”
The Beam’s great-grandfather, Minor
Case Beam, was making liquor just prior
to prohibition. He died only 115 days
after prohibition ended in 1933, never
knowing that his traditions would live
on into the next millennium. This oak-infused corn liquor is his revenge, and it
Uncle Sam can’t stop ‘em now!
I also enjoyed both the Jalapeno
Shine and the Apple Pie Shine. My wife’s
favorite was the Blackberry, but I really
can’t get over that Revenge. It was fantastic. The taste is very bourbon influenced, but the effect is pure moonshine.
After four shots at 11:15am, I went into
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the distillation area to take photos. They
all came out blurry, and my wife noticed
that my pants were unzipped. It was my
36th birthday, and I was on a bender.
The Beam’s great- The Distillery
The most notable item in the building
grandfather, Minor was the 150 gallon copper still. It was
hand-built and hammered out, just like
Case Beam, was making an old Appalachian whiskey pot. I was a
bit disturbed to see the liquor dripping
liquor just prior to out of the copper coil into a plastic paint
bucket. “We pour off the first 10% to
prohibition.
avoid contaminants,” they explained. Of
***
moon pies, sweet and salty snacks, a
microscope, bottles of brown liquor with
the labels removed, bottles of clear liquor
with the labels removed, a glass still that
looked like [this], raw corn, various other
foods, beverages, and lab-grade testing
equipment.
The Beam Brothers have taken hillbilly
liquor to new intellectual heights! Their
pursuit of quality is obvious. I can’t wait
course! I already knew about this vital
step in the moonshine process, but I was
relieved to hear it. After a few gallons,
they switched to a pristine, steel receptacle.
As I walked around the facility, an
employee in a camouflage hat and Carhartt shirt gave me a serious stare that
seemed to say “Stay out of my way. I’m
making moonshine.” Respect.
There was one corner of the distillery
where no photography was allowed.
While I couldn’t take pictures of this
Experimental Tasting and Tinkering station, here is what I saw: candy, chips,