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 was living in one of the few but self-proclaimed "moonshine capitals of the world," Cocke County, Tenn. He spent his youth around stills set-up in the woods where he cut an enormous stock of hardwood used to heat the boiler, mostly during the night so they weren't as readily spotted, working by moonlight and the glow of the fire.
Paying an extra tax on what they thought to be a "farm product" was unconscionable to the Scots-Irish descendants of the settlers of this area. These individuals would be described as libertarian instead of conservative nowadays, since they are extremely guarded about rights and would like to see as little of government as possible. They disliked law breaking intensely, and moonshining is illegal, but they had to provide for families in a rural agricultural area were jobs are difficult to find at best and nonexistent at worst. In the Great Depression numerous survived by illegal whiskey production; during Prohibition they actually thrived and grew businesses, acquiring cars and trucks and building even better barns and stills.
So, the era where Sutton found himself in the last twenty years was a time when many other drugs made their way into manufacture, bringing greater numbers of law enforcement with worsening tempers (the state is 4th in crystal meth production in the nation). Still, he never altered his methods of distilling the corn. He preserved the copper-tubed still heated with hardwood and drove his old Ford Fairlane known as "the three-jug" because he shelled out three jugs of booze for her.
He grew to be quite a celebrity as the supposed "last moonshiner" and published a book about his exploits. He visited restaurants and bars around Cocke County and western North Carolina. He starred in documentaries regarding the unique 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 without a doubt be his last, people believed it this time. 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 concerning Marvin's arrest and can be seen online: Popcorn Sutton, Legendary Moonshiner, Headed to the Pokey.
Born in 1946, Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton was living in one of the few but self-proclaimed "moonshine capitals of the world," Cocke County, Tenn. He spent his youth around stills set-up in the woods where he cut an enormous stock of hardwood used to heat the boiler, mostly during the night so they weren't as readily spotted, working by moonlight and the glow of the fire.
Paying an extra tax on what they thought to be a "farm product" was unconscionable to the Scots-Irish descendants of the settlers of this area. These individuals would be described as libertarian instead of conservative nowadays, since they are extremely guarded about rights and would like to see as little of government as possible. They disliked law breaking intensely, and moonshining is illegal, but they had to provide for families in a rural agricultural area were jobs are difficult to find at best and nonexistent at worst. In the Great Depression numerous survived by illegal whiskey production; during Prohibition they actually thrived and grew businesses, acquiring cars and trucks and building even better barns and stills.
So, the era where Sutton found himself in the last twenty years was a time when many other drugs made their way into manufacture, bringing greater numbers of law enforcement with worsening tempers (the state is 4th in crystal meth production in the nation). Still, he never altered his methods of distilling the corn. He preserved the copper-tubed still heated with hardwood and drove his old Ford Fairlane known as "the three-jug" because he shelled out three jugs of booze for her.
He grew to be quite a celebrity as the supposed "last moonshiner" and published a book about his exploits. He visited restaurants and bars around Cocke County and western North Carolina. He starred in documentaries regarding the unique 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 without a doubt be his last, people believed it this time. 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 concerning Marvin's arrest and can be seen online: Popcorn Sutton, Legendary Moonshiner, Headed to the Pokey.
About the Author:
Whiskey carries an interesting 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 details on this rich subject.
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