Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/701904
58 / the tasting panel / july 2016 "The proof is in the taste," King notes. "These are not the harsh, mythical moon- shine of legends. We make them drinkable by using the best ingredients and sticking to our heritage. Customers are so surprised by the taste that they actually wonder if the liquid we serve is 'real' moonshine." King assures them that it is: "The only difference nowadays is we pay taxes." That may not be the only difference: The brand has reached markets far beyond those of the moonshiners of yesteryear. It has found explosive growth in off-premise retail- ers and continues to build on its progress in on-premise establishments. "With an unfamiliar category like moonshine, on- premise can be tricky," says Michael Bender, Ole Smoky's President of Wholesale. "But through trial and error, we have learned what works and what doesn't. Complex didn't Ole Smoky's Master Distiller Justin King in his test kitchen, where many of the brand's expressions were developed.