Tennessee moonshine

From the Knoxville News Sentinel comes a story about a fine old moonshiner named Charlie.

Folks really had to have a reason to go to Charlie Williams’ place outside Townsend.

It’s far enough off all beaten paths that they wouldn’t just stumble onto it by accident. But a lot of the folks who did come there had a reason, a good one. Charlie made what was considered some of the best hooch in the hills.

It’s a skill Charlie Williams learned at an age when today’s children are watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” and trading Pokemon cards.

And while Williams, who died in 1992 in an automobile accident, certainly was not alone in this area in the production of moonshine, three things about his operation stand out:

— His whiskey was as smooth as a baby’s cheeks.

— He employed sophisticated engineering skills in the placement and concealment of the still.

— He was never caught at it. He just retired.

Mmmm. Hooch.

Back in western Pennsylvania where I come from, we were familiar with those damned government revenuers too. The federal revenuers eventually won, and some say it’s been all downhill ever since.