You don't hear much on this kind of individual nowadays. He was distilling corn into whiskey as a youngster with his dadback when NASCAR legend Junior Johnson was running his personal white lightning across the mountains of western N. C. He kept everything in the process the way it always was: from the outdoor, copper-tubed still tucked away in the woods to storage in old cars and barns.
Born in 1946, Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton lived in one of the few but self-proclaimed "moonshine capitals of the world," Cocke County, Tenn. He grew up around stills set up in the woods where he chopped an enormous stock of hardwood used to heat the boiler, mostly through the night so they weren't as readily seen, working by moonlight and the light of the fire.
Paying an additional tax on what they considered a "farm product" was unconscionable to the Scots-Irish descendants of the settlers of this region. These individuals would be referred to as libertarian rather than conservative nowadays, since they are very guarded about rights and want to see as little of government as possible. They disliked law breaking intensely, and moonshining is illegal, but they had to feed families in a rural farming area were jobs are hard to come by at best and nonexistent at worst. During the Great Depression numerous survived by illegal whiskey production; during Prohibition they truly thrived and grew businesses, purchasing cars and trucks and building even better barns and stills.
So, the era in which Sutton found himself in the last 20 years was a period when other drugs made their way into manufacture, bringing greater numbers of law enforcement with worsening tempers (the state is fourth in crystal meth manufacturing in the country). Still, he in no way changed his methods of distilling the corn. He kept the copper-tubed still fired with hardwood and drove his old Ford Fairlane named "the three-jug" because he shelled out three jugs of booze for it.
He grew to be quite a celebrity as the supposed "last moonshiner" and wrote a book about his exploits. He visited restaurants and bars around Cocke County and western North Carolina. He starred in documentaries regarding the fascinating business he was immersed in.
Sutton had several run-ins with the police, and in the 1970's was arrested for white whiskey production for the first time. He had a few more incidents with the law (not all of them about liquor) but in 2007, he sold 50 gallons to an undercover officer and was charged the next year. The agents found three 1,000 gallon stills on his land, along with guns and ammo, and 800 gallons of white lightning.
His demeanor sank. Throughout the trial, his discussions with friends about whiskey, rare in the first place, turned nonexistent. One of the last photos taken by a close friend outside the courthouse at the time shows him sitting sad-eyed, holding up a middle finger. Worst of all, a plea deal included forfeiting the stills, whiskey and guns, and most of his other property to reduce the sentence from fifteen years to a year-and-a-half.
Sutton got that eighteen month sentence in January, 2009, but those who knew him said he was devastated. After many years of telling them that his last run of whiskey would certainly be his last, people believed it on this occasion. His wife of just a couple years found him in late January, dead by his very own hand, in his old Ford. The Wall Street Journal posted an article about Marvin's arrest and can be seen online: Popcorn Sutton, Legendary Moonshiner, Headed to the Pokey.
Born in 1946, Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton lived in one of the few but self-proclaimed "moonshine capitals of the world," Cocke County, Tenn. He grew up around stills set up in the woods where he chopped an enormous stock of hardwood used to heat the boiler, mostly through the night so they weren't as readily seen, working by moonlight and the light of the fire.
Paying an additional tax on what they considered a "farm product" was unconscionable to the Scots-Irish descendants of the settlers of this region. These individuals would be referred to as libertarian rather than conservative nowadays, since they are very guarded about rights and want to see as little of government as possible. They disliked law breaking intensely, and moonshining is illegal, but they had to feed families in a rural farming area were jobs are hard to come by at best and nonexistent at worst. During the Great Depression numerous survived by illegal whiskey production; during Prohibition they truly thrived and grew businesses, purchasing cars and trucks and building even better barns and stills.
So, the era in which Sutton found himself in the last 20 years was a period when other drugs made their way into manufacture, bringing greater numbers of law enforcement with worsening tempers (the state is fourth in crystal meth manufacturing in the country). Still, he in no way changed his methods of distilling the corn. He kept the copper-tubed still fired with hardwood and drove his old Ford Fairlane named "the three-jug" because he shelled out three jugs of booze for it.
He grew to be quite a celebrity as the supposed "last moonshiner" and wrote a book about his exploits. He visited restaurants and bars around Cocke County and western North Carolina. He starred in documentaries regarding the fascinating business he was immersed in.
Sutton had several run-ins with the police, and in the 1970's was arrested for white whiskey production for the first time. He had a few more incidents with the law (not all of them about liquor) but in 2007, he sold 50 gallons to an undercover officer and was charged the next year. The agents found three 1,000 gallon stills on his land, along with guns and ammo, and 800 gallons of white lightning.
His demeanor sank. Throughout the trial, his discussions with friends about whiskey, rare in the first place, turned nonexistent. One of the last photos taken by a close friend outside the courthouse at the time shows him sitting sad-eyed, holding up a middle finger. Worst of all, a plea deal included forfeiting the stills, whiskey and guns, and most of his other property to reduce the sentence from fifteen years to a year-and-a-half.
Sutton got that eighteen month sentence in January, 2009, but those who knew him said he was devastated. After many years of telling them that his last run of whiskey would certainly be his last, people believed it on this occasion. His wife of just a couple years found him in late January, dead by his very own hand, in his old Ford. The Wall Street Journal posted an article about Marvin's arrest and can be seen online: Popcorn Sutton, Legendary Moonshiner, Headed to the Pokey.
About the Author:
Whiskey carries a fascinating history. There are numerous resources to educate yourself more about making whiskey. You can also check out the article "How To Make Whiskey" to get more information on this rich subject.
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