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The most-read news story in 2021 on the Wilkes Journal-Patriot’s website (www.journalpatriot.com) was about a Wilkes moonshine “legend” being charged with making and selling untaxed liquor in September.

The top 10 rankings are based on the number of page views generated by all news stories from Jan. 1 to Dec. 23, 2021, as reflected in data provided by Google Analytics.

1. “Wilkes moonshine ‘legend’ among 5 charged,” (39,381 views) ; https://bit.ly/3mowRzF. Posted Sept. 18.

This story was about a Wilkesboro man who was charged in a federal indictment with being part of a conspiracy that produced and sold over 9,000 gallons of untaxed liquor over about 2 ½ years.

Roger “Buck” Nance, 75, and four other men were charged in connection with multiple loads of moonshine transported from a still in Roaring River to near Richmond, Va., and sold between April 19, 2018, and Sept. 23, 2020.

Nance was “master distiller of legally produced and taxed liquor for a licensed distiller in North Wilkesboro” during this period, according to the federal indictment. He has been described in online profiles as a moonshine “folk hero,” “legend” and “true artisan.”

The indictment said over $100,000 in federal, North Carolina and Virginia excise taxes should have but wasn’t paid on the liquor.

Clifton Ray Anderson Jr., 47, of Boomer and Huie Kenneth Nicholson, 74, of Hamptonville were charged in the same indictment, filed Aug. 17 in the Charlotte office of the Western District of U.S. District Court.

Gary Matthew Ray, 53, of Roaring River and James Patterson, 71, of Dinwiddie, Va., were also charged with being part of the conspiracy in separate bills of information filed Sept. 10 in the Statesville office of the Western District.

2. “5 charged after still, hundreds of gallons of ‘shine seized,” (38,320 views); https://bit.ly/3emCTw6. Posted March 2.

In another story about the manufacturing of illegal liquor, a large distillery and several hundred gallons of moonshine were seized or destroyed and five people charged in Wilkes as a result of an investigation initiated by Triad ABC Law Enforcement in Winston-Salem.

Greg Miller, chief of Triad ABC, said Triad ABC agents and Wilkes Sheriff’s Office detectives executed search warrants at 417 Brewer Baldwin Ridge Road in the Hays community and at 587 Dellaplane Road in the Antioch community on Jan. 20.

Miller said the officers found a large active liquor still inside a building, several hundred gallons of non-tax paid liquor (moonshine) and several thousand gallons of mash at the Brewer Baldwin Ridge Road location. He said the still was destroyed and some of the non-tax paid liquor kept as evidence.

He said the officers found more moonshine and an older copper still that no longer was active at the Dellaplane Road location. Miller said the still was seized.

Miller said searches were conducted at the two locations as a result of Triad ABC officers receiving a tip in May about a possible non-tax paid liquor still on Rock Creek Church Road in Hays.

Thats a little bigger than a hobby still.

I wish bad things on no one but I'm glad the revenuers have a lot bigger fish to fry than me.

I'm a tiny minnow in my pond and there's lots of big bass and catfish swimming around in here!

I don't tell, don't sell, but I still watch my back.

So its too late to tell them their thumpers need standing on the ends and insulation to work better?

ROFL

Be interesting to see the sentences by age..

The plastic police need to make a visit too. That looks like a really nasty rubber hose..

"land of the free"

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Not a home distiller, not a craftsman, not a cartoon character on that popular TV show. he was a criminal and he got caught. Remember the part of our creed “Don’t Sell, Don’t Tell?” There’s a reason for that.

Yonder you from new zeland

Runnin likker is like bein pregnant your either are or you ain't.
Ain't no little bit involved.
Willin to bet that man could teach you a thang or two.

So I'm tole

Still an all the man was running liquor for money. On a grand scale, not like u an me.he chose his path, he knew his risk. F* him if he got caught out. You wanna make funny, fine. Have at it. But he wasn’t makin’ for friends and family, he was breaking the law as a job knowing the risks. I repeat… F* him. He gives us all a bad name

I spoke with Buck when he was setting up distillery he was master distiller at (https://copperbarrel.com/) .Real nice fella been shinning all his life .Wasnt first time he been caught .When shinning gets in your blood hard to get it out .Grand ma made grand pa move to another state and into town to get him to quit after pulling time twice for it .These ol boys know risks and dont cry about it when caught.

Yeah we had a bust here a while back but of a deal made of it. Folks getting busted for making and distributing meth every other day here don't make the back pages. Not condoning tax evasion but I never read about anyone bashing some old lady for moonshine money, jus sayin

guess them old bulk milk tanks do have a repurpose lol. Sad to not see any copper.

Five men were sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte for their roles in a Wilkes County-based conspiracy involving the sale of over 9,500 gallons of moonshine.

They include Roger “Buck” Nance, 76, of Wilkesboro, identified as “master distiller” for a legal distillery in North Wilkesboro and a “notorious moonshiner in Wilkes County” in a sentencing memorandum.

Nance was sentenced to two years of probation with a year of home incarceration with GPS monitoring.

Clifton Ray Anderson, 47, of Boomer, was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release with six months of home confinement.

James Patterson, 71, of Dinwiddie, Va., and Huie Kenneth Nicholson, 75, of the Yadkin County portion of Hamptonville, were both sentenced to two years of probation with six months of home incarceration with GPS monitoring.

Gary Matthew Ray, 53, of Roaring River was sentenced to a year of probation.

All five men plead guilty to being part of a conspiracy that defrauded federal, North Carolina and Virginia governments out of over $186,000 in excises taxes owed on liquor, based on at least 9,700 gallons sold between April 2018 and September 2020. Each man was ordered to pay $23,619 in federal tax.

Anderson also plead guilty to possessing an unregistered still.

The memorandum said the Triad ABC Law Enforcement referred the case to the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau after the 2018 arrest of known moonshiners.

The following information about the case is from an indictment, the memorandum and other court records.

Anderson established and he and Nance operated an illegal still in a barn owned by Ray on a Roaring River farm. Anderson estimated he alone could produce 360 gallons of moonshine per week (or 18,000 per year), using the still in Ray’s barn.

Ray leased the barn to Anderson for $500 per month. Ray lived on the farm, saw the still operating and sometimes fed mash from it to his cattle.

Nance, Nicholson and Ray transported the moonshine in one-gallon plastic jugs to “stash house” in Stony Creek, Va., for a “moonshine distributor,” identified as James Patterson, 71. Stony Creek, Va., is about 45 miles south of Richmond, Va.

Triad ABC’s surveillance of Ray’s property and a court-ordered GPS tracker placed on a van hauling the liquor showed the trips were made regularly.

Patterson paid about $20 in cash per gallon for the moonshine. It was then sold to customers in Virginia for $30 to $50 per gallon without being taxed. Patterson operated a “drink house” for at least the prior 10 years in Dinwiddie, Va.

About 329 gallons of this liquor was seized by law enforcement in a search of the stash house in Virginia on Sept. 23, 2020.

Nance received a suspended sentence and four years of probation about 50 years ago when he was convicted of violating Internal Revenue Service liquor laws in the Asheville District of federal court at age 20.

In 2009, at age 63, Nance was charged with misdemeanor violations of N.C. liquor laws and received a prayer for judgement continued.

The memorandum said Nance sold illegal moonshine to undercover federal agents in the parking of the legal distillery in North Wilkesboro that employed him as master distiller.

“The agents had arranged to take a tour of (the North Wilkesboro distillery) and approached Nance to see if he was willing to sell untaxed liquor, which he did.

“If course, Nance’s manufacture and delivery of less expensive untaxed liquor undercut the profitability of” distillers who bear the cost of maintaining a legal distillery and paying applicable federal and state taxes.

The memorandum said Nance “is one of the most culpable defendants in the case.”

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All five men plead guilty to being part of a conspiracy that defrauded federal, North Carolina and Virginia governments out of over $186,000 in excises taxes owed on liquor, based on at least 9,700 gallons sold between April 2018 and September 2020. Each man was ordered to pay $23,619 in federal tax.

I am wondering about the math and the language used in this text.

It could be assumed that N. Carolina and Virginia got nothing from this deal; but would be squabbling over $186k in state excise revenue. That should boil down to a $3.83 state surcharge on every 1/5 (bottle) sold. ($186,000 / 9,700) = $12.17/gal | ($12.17 / 5) = $3.83 per bottle.

But in the second sentence “federal tax” is mentioned (not state). If you multiply $23,619 times 5 dumb people, then you get $118,095. Assuming (and this may be an incorrect leap in logic) that the government prosecuted to redeem revenue of the same 9,700 gallons, then that adds an additional $2.43 surcharge to a 1/5 th (750 ml) bottle.

$3.83 + $2.42 add up to $6.24 – tax per bottle...?

Your math works just fine, according to my knowledge. Current federal excise tax amounts to about $13.50 a gallon mas o menos. And State tax on top of that. Pehaps one of our commercial members could chime in? “Sin” is expensive. I would also point out to the crew how this shines a light on the TV show’s $200 a gallon shine. (“ Patterson paid about $20 in cash per gallon for the moonshine. It was then sold to customers in Virginia for $30 to $50 per gallon without being taxed…”)

+1 yonder.
Man, that’s really a decent price c’est la vie

Stonecutter wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2022 10:33 pm +1 yonder.
Man, that’s really a decent price c’est la vie

It is a decent price. Before I made my own I might have been convinced to pay up to $40 or so for a mason jar full just for the exclusive nature of the spirit. Not any more though under any circumstances and the stuff I make is way better than that mass produced backwoods swill!

Cheers!
-j

Ain't fair if its been B2B transactions though. But then life ain't fair in general then is it.

Sad story, but hey, the law is the law… That was quite an operation! I can see why the guy was a local legend. Probably made great stuff.

There’s a cultural draw in the South to moonshine. Listen to a country song and you’ll hear about it. Almost a cliche nowadays. I was in North Carolina many years back visiting an old buddy from high school. He “knew a guy” that supplied him illegal shine of all flavors. I’ll never forget how it struck me, it was fantastic. The white stuff was extremely smooth and flavorful. He also had some Strawberry shine that was out of this world.

Tater wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2022 4:42 pm
“If course, Nance’s manufacture and delivery of less expensive untaxed liquor undercut the profitability of” distillers who bear the cost of maintaining a legal distillery and paying applicable federal and state taxes.

This is the bit that strikes me. Taking bread out of the mouths of those who try to do things properly and by the book.

By the looks of the fermenters and still, they was making sugar shine and a hell of a lot of it.

On a side note.
I wouldn't be afraid to drink their shine and the rig looks safe for the still hands.

shadylane wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 2:00 pm By the looks of the fermenters and still, they was making sugar shine and a hell of a lot of it.

On a side note.
I wouldn't be afraid to drink their shine and the rig looks safe for the still hands.

Agree.
As an above board outfit it ain't big enough to handle much overhead.
But as an outfit supporting minimal overhead (if any beyond the capital investment) it's a nice outfit.

Edit: I take that back. That's a pretty big outfit.

tommysb wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:29 pm

Tater wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2022 4:42 pm
“If course, Nance’s manufacture and delivery of less expensive untaxed liquor undercut the profitability of” distillers who bear the cost of maintaining a legal distillery and paying applicable federal and state taxes.

This is the bit that strikes me. Taking bread out of the mouths of those who try to do things properly and by the book.

Of course that assumes that it is the same market, a different subject I know but in NZ when they legalised home distilling there was a huge and cry it will send the legal distillers and importers to the wall, what actually happened was the complete opposite interestingly. Was a similar story for beer and wine in Australia back in the 1970s when they legalised home brewing. Now I'm not arguing equivalence or anything, I'm just pointing out it may not be and for the most part likely isn't the same market so is less likely to impact directly on the industry in that way, I could be wrong (it's happened before) but it seems that way to me

Something similar happened here in the states, when it became legal to homebrew beer.
Next thing you know, small artisan breweries began to open and prosper.

shadylane wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 12:35 am Something similar happened here in the states, when it became legal to homebrew beer.
Next thing you know, small artisan breweries began to open and prosper.

And then, as the “mom & pops” began to prosper, the majors started buying up their breweries (to re-acquire the marketshare). It was profitable for the small startups who could capitalize long enough to establish a market, but for the “little guys” the competition ate them up. Too much work for too little profit, and they closed up shop.

I suspect that the craft distiller’s industry will follow the same path. If invested enough to develop a market, then the majors will look to buy them out. I think the distiller groups in Kentucky and Tennessee are already buying small batch distilleries that have a product and market that is viable.

The “left coast” was where a lot of the craft brewing centers began in the ‘80’s and 90’s and now there are a lot of craft distilleries there too. It makes sense because of the knowledge-base and history. But, there are new startups all the time located all around the country, especially now that the population has become more “liberal-minded” towards consumption.

For me, brewing has always been a hobby. And home distillation is simply an extension of that hobby. It is not my objective to turn this into a business, rather I enjoy the “craftiness” and creativity with a product as my reward.
ss

still_stirrin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 5:10 am And then, as the “mom & pops” began to prosper, the majors started buying up their breweries (to re-acquire the marketshare). It was profitable for the small startups who could capitalize long enough to establish a market, but for the “little guys” the competition ate them up. Too much work for too little profit, and they closed up shop.

I suspect that the craft distiller’s industry will follow the same path. If invested enough to develop a market, then the majors will look to buy them out. I think the distiller groups in Kentucky and Tennessee are already buying small batch distilleries that have a product and market that is viable.

The “left coast” was where a lot of the craft brewing centers began in the ‘80’s and 90’s and now there are a lot of craft distilleries there too. It makes sense because of the knowledge-base and history. But, there are new startups all the time located all around the country, especially now that the population has become more “liberal-minded” towards consumption. ss

Sazerac inc. currently has 450 different identities listed. that's a lot of mom and pops and a bunch of majors sucked up

450 gee whiz