🥃 One Man. One Mine. One Hell of a Whiskey Story.

💥 Opening Pour

Some moonshiners run through the woods.
One man went underground.

Silas McGraw didn’t just make whiskey—he built a still in a coal mine. No smoke. No noise. Just silence, shadows, and sweet corn liquor.

📖 The Story

In the backwoods of 1950s Kentucky, Silas McGraw was more than a miner—he was a magician of mash.

He hauled his still deep into an abandoned coal shaft where the walls sweated black dust and the echo of pickaxes long gone still hummed through the dark. Feds never found him because he never left a trace. No chimney smoke. No noisy operation. Just barrels aging in the earth like buried treasure.

He even built a decoy still in a busted-up barn—burnt mash, rusty pipes, and a stench you could smell two hollers over. Revenuers poked around, sniffed the wrong trail, and rode off muttering curses.

Meanwhile, Silas would sip a pour in the cool dark, nodding to himself and the coal dust spirits who kept his secret.

🥇 The Weekly Pour

Bottle: Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine
Price: ~$30
Proof: 80
Age: Unaged

Nose: Sweet corn, vanilla, faint cinnamon
Palate: Silky mouthfeel, marshmallow, cracked pepper
Finish: Short, clean, with a lingering corn sweetness

✅ Old-school Southern character
✅ Smooth enough for sipping or mixing
✅ Honors the roots of Appalachian shine

🛒 Buy it now → Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine – $29.99

🍹The Art of Mixing

The Coal Miner’s Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 oz Catdaddy Moonshine

• 3 oz fresh lemonade

• 0.5 oz maple syrup

• Dash of Angostura bitters

• Lemon wedge + mint for garnish

Instructions

1. Shake Catdaddy, lemonade, and maple syrup with ice.

2. Pour over fresh ice in a rocks glass.

3. Add bitters, garnish, and sip slow.

Tip: Serve in a mason jar with a coal-black napkin for extra flair.

🍖 Flavor Pairing Picks

Pair it with:

🍗 Smoked Country Ribs — That smoky char brings out the mellow spice in the moonshine
🍑 Cast Iron Cornbread with Honey Butter — Sweet meets smooth, just like Silas’s strategy
💨 Medium-Bodied Maduro Cigar — Earthy tones echo the coal mine’s grit

🧠 Big Lesson of the Week

Hiding in plain sight is for amateurs.
The real moves are made where no one’s looking—and no one thinks to look.

🥂 Final Toast

To coal dust, clever minds, and moonshine beneath the surface.

🥃 Repeatable Proverb

“The deeper the roots, the stronger the spirit.” 🌱

✨ Step Inside The Lounge — Where Whiskey Stories Live

You’ve been writing your whiskey journey.
Now share it with others who pour with the same passion.

When you join The Lounge, you’ll get:

• 📖 Exclusive Report — Top 10 Whiskeys Under $50 (yours free the moment you join).

• 🏆 Real Rewards for Real Participation — earn whiskey swag gifts just by showing up and sharing.

• 💬 Civilized Conversation with Pour-Curious People — no snobbery, just good pours and good company.

• 🌍 Connect with Like-Minded Whiskey Enthusiasts from All Over the World — your tribe is waiting.

🕰️ Free Lounge Entry — Secure Your Spot at the Bar

Now Its Your Turn

If this story stirred your spirit, share it:

• 🔁 Save it for your next pour.

• 💬 Drop a comment or question.

• 📤 Send it to a fellow whiskey outlaw.

Cheers to smoke, steel, and outlaw sips,

Ethan “Neat” Whitmore

P.S. Friday’s story: The Prohibition Widow Who Outsold the Mob from a Church Basement. Salvation served neat. Don’t miss it. 😏