Moonshine Tensions Boil Over as Legal Distillery Construction Clashes with Old Habits
Virginia– Approximately 500 kilometers north in rural Virginia, the foundation of Tim Smith’s legal distillery has finally been laid. But the road to legitimacy is proving far from smooth. As Tim labors to remove the wooden forms surrounding the freshly set concrete, his long-time partner and friend, Steven “Tickle” Tickle, has taken a rogue path—leaving Tim to shoulder the project alone.
“I’m out here sweating trying to get this thing going,” said Tim. “I got JT helping me out, which is good, but Tickle should be here too. We started this thing together.”
The split comes just a week after a heated argument between the two. Tensions flared when Tim floated the idea of bringing in outside help to move the project forward. Tickle, offended, stormed off. “Tim don’t want to do anything illegal,” Tickle said. “He don’t want to come out in the woods and make a run, so I had to branch off and do it on my own.”
Now operating independently, Tickle is back in the woods with a new partner, Howard, chasing quick cash through illegal moonshine runs. “Tickle gave me a call,” said Howard. “Said he needed help making some moonshine. I figured I could come out here, learn the ropes, and hopefully line my pockets.”
Their search for the perfect still site led them deep into the Appalachian wilderness, where they scouted an abandoned still and eventually found a secluded spot near a dry creek. While the location lacked a natural water source, the two men saw potential. “I don’t see water flowing through this stream,” Tickle said. “I see money.”
Meanwhile, Tim continues to lead a double life—by day, a small-town fire chief; by night, a moonshiner still moving illegal product. With no backup, he recently relocated his hidden stash of moonshine from an underground cellar to a nearby tobacco field, camouflaging the jugs under hay bales. “This is everything I got,” said Tim. “And if I get caught, I’m finished.”
Authorities, however, are on high alert. North Carolina and Virginia both have dedicated task forces aimed at dismantling moonshining operations, no matter the size. Surveillance, traffic stops, and citizen tips all play a role in how investigations unfold. “If someone sees lights in the woods, that’s usually a red flag,” one agent commented.
For now, both Tim and Tickle remain on precarious ground—one building a future aboveboard, the other gambling everything for a quick payout. But in the world of moonshine, it’s only a matter of time before the law catches up.
