Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. with its moonshine and other spirits started in Blairsville but now has a second location in Dawsonville, both about an hour-plus drive north of Atlanta.
Times were hard in the South during the Great Depression, but ironically Prohibition helped ease the pain. Folks growing corn found a new market selling their moonshine for a hefty price, due to alcohol being illegal and in great demand. North Georgia Mountain residents in the towns of Blairsville and Dawsonville, among others, distilled their corn liquor and souped up their cars to outrun the feds.
Over time those gearing their cars for speed turned to stock car racing, eventually leading to the creation of NASCAR. Today, Dawsonville is considered the Birthplace of Stockcar Racing and home to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. Some of the biggest names in racing hail from Dawsonville, including Bill and Chase Elliott, Raymond Parks, Red Vogt, Roy Hall, Lloyd Seay, and Gober and David Sosebee.
But back to that moonshine.
During the illegal days, Tommy Townsend’s grandfather, Jack “Mimm” McClure sold beer and bootleg alcohol near the Georgia-North Carolina border with illegal gambling happening in the back. He may have been profiting illegally but he donated to churches and gave to the needy at Christmastime.
“He was one of those people everyone respected,” Townsend said.
Townsend works as the lead singer in the Waylan Jennings Band, performing all over the country. The thought of distilling alcohol never entered his mind, despite his family’s heritage.
“I heard family stories but it wasn’t talked about a lot,” he said.
But he got the idea to open his own distillery after visiting a friend in Texas, who encouraged him as well as offered to invest. Townsend thought he might give it a try.
It began as a hobby but early attempts at distilling didn't pan out well. Townsend called his uncle who remembered his grandfather’s recipes and his uncle happily emailed him the details. The rest is moonshine history.
In 2016, Townsend opened Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. in Blairsville near the North Carolina border. This year, he opened his second location in Dawsonville, home to all those bootleggers and their fast cars. He works with his daughter Megan Kimsey and other family members.
“It was a family business during bootlegging days," he said, "and it’s a family business now but it’s legal.”
Products include barrel-aged moonshine, Owltown vodka, sorghum rum and a wide variety of high-proof “shine,” from pure “Mule Kickin’” to flavored moonshine, such as Wild Cherry Cobbler, Apple Brown Betty and Georgia Cream Pecan Roll that tastes like a Stuckey’s treat (for those of you who remember Stuckey's pecan rolls).
Plans are in the works to install a stage in the Dawsonville venue and add concerts to Mimm’s monthly music bingo. Both Mimm’s locations are family- and pet-friendly.
Want a taste?
We purchased the Mimm's Georgia Cream instead of imbibing eggnog this year—makes an interesting White Russian too! But here's another recipe, their take on the Bushwacker, a cocktail likened to an adult milkshake with a kick.
The Backwoods Bushwacker
Fill a Cup with Ice and add:
2 ounces Georgia Pecan Roll Cream Moonshine
2 ounces Grandaddy Mimm's Sorghum Rum
Splash of Piña Colada Mix
Caramel Mocha Mix
2 Pumps of Crème of Cacao Syrup
Whipped Cream + Chocolate Syrup
Pro tip: Top your drink with some fresh nutmeg and a cherry.
Watch the video on how to make your own Bushwacker with a few water balloon fights thrown in.
Want more recipes, perhaps some that don't require quite so many ingredients? Visit Grandaddy Mimm's website and read their blog.
Want to learn more about moonshine and NASCAR? Check out Judy Garrison's "North Georgia Moonshine" by Arcadia Publishing.
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by travel and food journalist Cheré Dastugue Coen who used to write cocktail stories for DeSoto magazine of Mississippi back in the day. She loved visiting Mimm's and sampling their fare, as well as the fascinating town of Dawsonville nestled in the North Georgia Mountains. If you go, be sure to stay at the delightful Amiacolola Falls State Park & Lodge with its miles of hiking trails, a cozy lodge situated on top of a mountain with breathtaking views, and a dramatic 729-foot waterfall, the third-highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. It's beautifully decorated this time of year.
