Dawsonville distillery offers samples with tours

DAWSONVILLE - Operators of a private moonshine distillery in Dawsonville now have permission to serve samples of the product to folks who tour the facility.

Cheryl Wood, who owns the distillery set up inside Dawsonville's City Hall building, said the okay to offer the half-ounce samples came from the state last Friday.

The moonshine tastings are a first for Georgia, according to Wood.

She said despite the fact that she hasn't done any formal advertising to announce the sampling that accompanies the tours, the distillery has been busy.

"We tell them [visitors] how we make moonshine, they learn a little bit about the history...then at the end of the tour if they want, with their driver's license, of course, they can take a half-ounce sample," said Wood.

Right now, Wood does not have state permission to sell the homemade moonshine on the premises, although the product is bottled and sold at other Georgia businesses.

State Rep. Rusty Kidd of Milledgeville, who introduced legislation to make the samples legal, predicts there will be more legislation during the upcoming session that would allow the distillery to sell a single bottle of moonshine to visitors who want to take one home.

"It would be nice because I do get people from out of state...so they want to take a bottle with them, but I can't sell them a bottle," said Wood.

Right now, four people staff the distillery, but Wood plans to add another employee in the near future. Plus, she plans to add more equipment that will enable her to double the moonshine production.