Southport Magazine

Our local ABC store carries 7 or 8 of the possible 10 plus flavors available from several different distilleries. You can have your choice of peach, blueberry, apple pie, black- berry, black cherry and more. Definitely try Call Familys’ Uncatchable Sour Mash Moonshine in strawberry; it’s on my “must try” list. Todd says if you can’t find what you want in the store just ask, they can most likely get it for you in a few days (That includes everything not just moonshine).

The Southport store has a great staff that is willing to help you find anything you need. They don’t mind if you take your time to look around. And look around you should! There are so many flavors to choose from and pretty bottles to look at. And distilleries are coming out with new recipes all the time! Moonshine is not just a back wood, out of a jar kind of a drink anymore. “It’s a drink for everyone,” said Todd. The quality is high and the flavor is smooth. It can be enjoyed in a mixed drink or straight up.

Todd had a lot of information on NC distilleries. He is focused on adding to his already large NC Section, you can’t miss it as you walk in the front door! He also was able to tell me about the distilleries that are using their success to support charities. For example, Sundog 130 donates a percentage of their profits to the local animal rescue and Hell Hound supports Wounded Warrior Project with part of their proceeds.

I really wanted to taste some of the different moonshines and with so many to choose from Todd suggested I start at a nearby distillery and take a tour and a tasting. I thought, what a great idea! On a beautiful Friday morning my husband, Phil, my nieces, Emily and Chelsea, and I hopped in the car and headed to Broadslab Distillery located at 4834 HWY 50 South in Benson NC.

Many of you have most likely passed a sign for Benson or have seen it on a map when on your way to Raleigh. It’s a neat little town and just a few miles off the exit is the beautiful distillery complete with polished wood and a shiny tin roof that sits on over 100 acres of manicured cornfields and natural woodlands. The renovated buildings have all been in the family for generations, as well as the land. Broadslab Distillery, owned by Jeremy Norris, is a perfect excuse take a drive to the country!

Broadslab Distillery offers tours and tastings at their location. For a small fee they will take you and your party on a relaxing ride down the old “Broadslab road”, the inspiration behind their name, to the distillery where Jeremy will personally give you a tour. He is surprisingly forth giving when it comes to the production of his spirits. The tour is very informative peppered with stories of his family, especially his father and grandfather.

There is a passion for perfection that has clearly been handed down through the generations. Moonshine may not be your family legacy, but there are some who have stories dating back to their great, great, great “granddaddy”. And once you get past the ridiculous stumbling and bumbling of the bib -overall -wearing fellas on TV, you will realize that there is a culture of proud, talented, moonshiners running distilleries here in NC.

Every bottle of Moonshine (Rum, too!) that leaves Broadslab Distillery begins its journey on the very land the distillery is on. “We call it dirt-to-bottle”, explains Jeremy. There are no additives of any kind. They have a few simple ingredients and they grow the corn on the property. After the distilling process, that Jeremy personally oversees; he bottles the spirits personally as well. After getting to know Jeremy on the tour, there is comfort in knowing who made the very bottle you are getting at the store. There is so much pride in what he does that perfection is always the result. It is all natural, organic, non-GMO; made with nothing artificial. It is the real deal!

There are so many distilleries in NC and I vow to eventually try them all but after my morning trip to Benson, I have a new friend and a new favorite country get-a- way. I recommend you all go visit Jeremy and his staff at Broadslab. They are wonderful, knowledgeable people. I promise you will make a new friend, too. You can also visit their website, broadslabdistillery.com, or their Facebook page, face- book.com/BroadslabDistillery.

During the month of our Independence celebrations, heritage and family fill our days. But several things come to mind when thinking about summer nights. The sounds, smells and colors bring to mind days of the past, tradition and Americana in general. Books and movies help create a picture of sitting on the front porch with generations of family watching lightning bugs and shooting stars.

When thoughts settle on tradition and summer breezes through the trees think about Moonshine! The ultimate family recipe passed down from father to son to grandson and on.