Broadslab Distillery: A Legacy of North Carolina Moonshine Perfection

Jeremy Norris, Broadslab Distillery’s owner and master distiller, traced his family lines back in order to capture the rich heritage of the region’s famed moonshine when building Broadslab Distillery. It’s a history rich with exploits, perseverance and a quality product.

Their recipes are the embodiment of this legacy and were passed down by Jeremy’s great-great grandfather, William “Bill” McLamb. Bill was active in the dawn of the moonshine trade and was distilling smooth, sipping whiskey long before prohibition.

Jeremy’s grandfather, Leonard A. Wood, actually passed on the family recipe to him. As Jeremy’s mentor and personal advisor, he was integral in building the Broadslab still, but passed away shortly after the distillery actually opened. The Distillery sits in the footprints of many of his still sights on the family farm outside Benson.

As Norris set about to operate Broadslab Distillery, he focused on absolute authenticity. From the corn he used in his secret recipe, developed through generations of his family, he cut no corners in doing exactly what he felt was necessary to deliver the subtle taste that would allow his patrons to enjoy the best authentic whiskey. Nowhere is this commitment more apparent than in the very heart of Broadslab Distillery — the 500-gallon, copper pot still he had built to produce Broadslab Distillery’s distinctive product line.

“I started this distillery producing a true, handcrafted, dirt-to-bottle, authentic moonshine using my grandfather’s recipe as a way to diversify and produce a value added product utilizing the grains grown on the farm,” Norris said. “My goal was to stay engaged in farming on a small scale by making it profitable at a time when small family farms were becoming unprofitable and fewer in numbers.”

“As the years have passed, we are continuing the tradition of producing authentic moonshine but we have also grown into producing some very fine bourbons and rye whiskeys,” he said.

Our flue-cured process of aging whiskey honors North Carolina’s long rich history of tobacco farming and whiskey production.