Chuck Miller starts a new batch of corn whiskey yesterday at his Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper County. Miller recently obtained an ABC license to sell his own products at the distillery. Before he could sell only through ABC stores. Photos by MIKE MORONES/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Gordon Lightfoot applies labels yesterday to new bottles of Virginia Lightning, a corn whiskey produced at Chuck Miller's Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper. Lightfoot has been working with Miller at the distillery for more than two decades. Photos by MIKE MORONES/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Chuck Miller stirs a mixture of corn and water at his distillery. He recently obtained a license to sell his own products at the distillery. Photos by MIKE MORONES/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Chuck Miller signed a label on a bottle of Copper Fox Whisky for customers in the shop yesterday at his Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper County. Photos by MIKE MORONES/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Culpeper's moonshine man now has a license to sell his home brew

By DONNIE JOHNSTON

Date published: 7/7/2006

Only Chuck "Moonshine" Miller could pull it off.

He's now selling homemade whiskey from a shed out behind the barn. And doing it legally, mind you.

One July 1, Miller's Belmont Farm Distillery became Virginia's only licensed on-the-farm liquor store.

"We've been dreaming about this for years!" exclaims Culpeper's most famous modern-day moonshiner.

As of last Saturday, Miller and his wife, Jeannette, are duly licensed by the Virginia ABC Board to sell either of their two products--Virginia Lightning (real moonshine) and Copper Fox (Virginia whisky)--at the gift shop in the front of their distillery.

It didn't take an act of Congress to get the job done, but it did take special legislation by the Virginia General Assembly.

"We got the idea from [county Supervisor] Steve Walker," says Miller. "He said that we should be treated just like wineries. Walker said that since we grew the corn for our whiskey right here, we should take the 'value-added farm' approach."

Miller, who has been making whiskey and selling it through ABC stores since 1987, says he thought the idea had merit and approached Del. Ed Scott, R-Culpeper, about getting special legislation passed.

Scott, who will back almost any agricultural effort--even one that is 90 proof, also liked the idea. But he figured the prospect of a back-yard liquor store might not sit well with the ABC Board.

"This was a small business that was growing and bringing in tourists," Scott says. "Folks could come by the gift shop and buy T-shirts and mugs, but they couldn't buy the product he was making."

Before pushing his plan further, Miller approached A. Smith Bowman in Fredericksburg and Mount Vernon Distillery, the two other small legal distilleries in the state, to see if they would help him in Richmond.

"At first, they were excited and thought it was a good idea, but they thought it was impossible to get done," says Miller. "Then I was all alone."

That didn't scare Miller, a 61-year-old retired airline pilot. With Scott in his corner, he set out to do the impossible.

After Scott introduced the legislation, which was written by the ABC Board lawyers, the measure slowly worked its way through the system.

"There were subcommittee and committee meetings and Chuck and Jeannette were right there for every one," says Scott. "They answered questions and put a face on what Chuck was trying to do."

'Folks could come by the gift shop and buy T-shirts and mugs, but they couldn't buy the product he was making.' Del. Ed Scott, R-Culpeper

Read more stories about Culpeper
Date published: 7/7/2006