Still & Barrel

Making liquor in North Carolina is nothing new. Wilkes County, which was once dubbed the “Moonshine Capital of the World,” was a leading producer of illegal liquor for decades. Today, descendants of famous moonshiners are craft distillers carrying on the family tradition legally. They include people like master distiller Brian Call at Call Family Distillers, who is descended from Reverend Daniel Call, who sold his still seven generations ago to burgeoning entrepreneur Jack Daniels. Author John Trump traces the history of manufacturing moonshine from its storied past to the modern artisan movement, in which passionate distillers’ wares include vodka infused with Tobago pepper, rum made from sorghum and molasses, and aged red-wheat organic whiskey. Trump’s book doubles as a guide to visiting the state’s many distilleries, and is imbued by history and compelling stories about people and their passion. Illustrated with black and white photographs and published by John F. Blair, Publisher, in Winston-Salem. Softcover, 208 pages, $19.95.