Posted on 03/19/2009 6:02:38 AM PDT by Vigilantcitizen
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Famed Appalachian moonshiner Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, whose incorrigible bootlegging ways were as out of step with modern times as his hillbilly beard and overalls, took his own life rather than go to prison for making white lightning, his widow says.
“He couldn’t go to prison. His mind would just not accept it. … So I credit the federal government for my husband being dead, I really do,” Pam Sutton told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday from the couple’s home in the Parrottsville community, about 50 miles east of Knoxville.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
Probably adding something to denature it,to make it undrinkable. (otherwise it's taxable) You can bet it's no less than 199 proof though for the ethanol market.
RIP, Popcorn.
She has no doubt Sutton died on his own terms. “Of course he did. That man went out in a blaze of glory, and flipping his finger as he went,” she said.
I believe you have to have a tax stamp from the ATF
LoL! You got to be careful with that stuff. Never stand up too quick, you’re drunker than you think!
Nope. But if you distill your beer you get whiskey. Brandy if you distill your wine.
Before I killed myself like this guy, I’d make it and have parties every night where I gave it away. As long as you didn’t serve minors they couldn’t do anything to you, could they?
filtering it through charcoal takes the edge off, makes it a little smoother.
That would work too. Doesn't look very pleasant though. All you need to do is buy a few of those aquarium charcoal sacks, rinse them, then slowly run your distillate through it a couple times. Or you can let it sit for a few days, weeks or months in large gallon jars, then pour it off, then cut it.
You are crazy if you don’t cut it. You can seriously damage your liver drinking uncut shine. Even cut 50%, it’s still much stronger than “government” whiskey.
The weekend before 9/11, I flew into Knoxville to visit my brother and his family with a big assortment of firearms for when we went to the range.
We departed TYS, and he told me the plans for the day:
*Shooting up the side of a friend's mountain
*BBQ
*An evening of dirty fun at The Atomic Motor Speedway (where he gave the invocation before the events)
On the way home, I mentioned that it was the perfect redneck day, save for having the chance to be chased by the Feds into the hills with a load of shine in the back.
His reply?
"You have no idea how easy that could be arranged!"
Where we you the other day when I was arguing with the anti- ethanol people. They didn’t believe me that ethanol was cut up to 15% with gasoline essentially making it e85. It’s still basically pure alcohol performance wise; IF you build a proper engine to burn it in. Runs like crap in low compression engines, and that so called ‘flex fuel’ idea they idiots in detroit came up with.
Ahh - the Speedway is gone. And that's a damned shame.
they put them in jail because they have not paid the tax on it!
It’s a shame. If Popcorn would have just sold his moonshine as ethanol, he not only would not have had to pay taxes, he would have got a tax break.
He’d have to poison it to do that. That would make him cry for sure.
The freedom to live one’s life the way one chooses died with Popcorn.
RIP.
“I’ll be making a batch of Dandelion Wine this Spring in his honor. :)”
Is that any good??
Haywood Co., NC. His “legend” is a made up crock of bull, created by some buddies from Maggie Valley and fed to flatlander, tourist Floridiots who considered him a quaint old man. One would have thought he fought George Washington in the Whisky Rebellion.
Problem is, he was really only 62. He and his brothers ran liquor in their early years. They didn’t get caught. Popcorn did. His still blew up and caught his house on fire about 7-8 years ago. That’s how he got caught. Then he ran his mouth and the Feds watched and waited to nab him again. He should have gotten 10+ years for the gun they found alone. Instead he got 8 months and he couldn’t face that. Rumor has it he wasn’t a well man either.
He never talked about when he nearly killed a local man by slitting his throat here. That part is left out of his hero story the papers like to print.
He was no more than a common every day criminal thug with a nice media campaign.
“He should have gotten 10+ years for the gun they found alone.”
Why? Is it illegal to own guns where he lives?
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