Moonshine has always been made in South Carolina, but it wasn't until 2009 that stills could come out of the backwoods and into the forefront of a new and long-awaited industry and tourist attraction. That's when South Carolina lawmakers unanimously passed the state's microdistillery law, heralding a new age of distillers who combine family recipes, traditional ingredients and local flavors to create a new generation of South Carolina spirits.
By 2011, The New York Times reported on Greenville's Dark Corner Distillery, whose operation was "according to Reuters ... the first time moonshine will be legally produced in the state."
Since the law went into effect, nearly two dozen small distilling operations across the state have come into being, producing spirits that trace their roots to backwoods men who drove fast cars filled with illegal, locally produced alcohol along back roads, all to quench customers' thirsts.
Today, these distilleries produce an array of products, from bourbon, vodka, gin, rum and other traditional spirits to a modern version of "white lightning"-corn-based moonshine. Much like its cousin, craft brewing, South Carolina's distillery industry is growing as locals and visitors discover new ways to enjoy an evening cocktail.
Here's a look at South Carolina's microdistilleries and the spirits they offer.
Upstate Distilleries
Chattooga Belle Farm Distillery/Moonrise Distillery, Long Creek
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday (distillery in Clayton, Ga.)
Products: Block & Tackle Corn-Based Whiskey, patriotic-themed bourbon, Oconee Bell Fruit Brandies, Apple A Gin
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
Products: Palmetto Moonshine (peach, apple pie, blueberry and strawberry flavors), White Lightning moonshine (105 proof), Palmetto Whiskey, Bootlegger Proof moonshine (130 proof)
Red Bordner Distillery, Boiling Springs
Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Products: Red Bordner's South Carolina Blue Agave Silver and Gold, Single Malt Whiskey, Single and Gold Rum, Kick Back Cove Moonshine (11 flavors)
Rock Bottom Distillers, Gaffney
Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Products: Heirloom Moonshine, Appalachian White Oak Char, Apple Pie Moonshine, Fruited Moonshine (strawberry, peach, muscadine, pineapple and blueberry)
Six & Twenty Distillery, Piedmont
Hours: noon-6:20 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Products: Six and Twenty Old Money whiskey, Heirloom Rye vodka, Six and Twenty Five Grain Bourbon, Carolina Cream bourbon cream
Sugar Tit Distillery, Reidville
Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. , Monday-Saturday
Products: Simply Naked 100 Proof Clear Corn Whiskey, Whiskey Boy Clear Corn Moonshine (80 proof), Bootleg 120 (120 proof), moonshine in apple pie, pineapple, blueberry, butterscotch and Plum Crazy (plum and raspberry) flavors (80 proof), winner of American Distillers Institution gold medal for moonshine and bronze medal for overall products (whiskey, bourbon, scotch, etc.)
