Moonshine & Memories:
The tale of the Begley Family

In the South of Kentucky, deep in the County of Leslie, there was moonshine. This was during the time Mary Breckinridge created the Frontier Nursing Service and before Kentucky Fried Chicken’s secret recipe was perfected by Colonel Harland Sanders. During prohibition, moonshine was more than sabotage against the government; it was survival.

The year was 1923, and as prohibition continued, Monroe Begley was looking for ways to survive. Working in the coal mines didn’t bring enough money to sustain his growing family. A lack of resources was not something he had grown up with, you see, Monroe Begley’s grandfather was a whiskey producer, whose craft was well known in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.

When his grandfather died, Monroe was not interested in making whiskey, his grandfather had raised him after the death of his own father, and they had always brewed together. It was a magical memory he didn’t want to lose, but it was also a memory of dangers he didn’t want to relive. However, Monroe never stopped caring for his grandfather’s yeast. It was kept in a ceramic jug in a cool dark corner of the house and was the secret recipe that had made his grandfather’s brew a success.

Given his current circumstances, Monroe knew a decision had to be made… brew fine whiskey at night, and sell it or trade it for goods, despite the risk of being caught, or let his family struggle.

Monroe Begley knew a lot about brewing. Before prohibition, his grandfather had learned the craft from his father and made a fine whiskey. Monroe always helped him and in return, his grandfather taught him the exact recipe -just as his own father had taught him- which Monroe still knew by heart. Monroe had also inherited his grandfather’s copper stills, the very ones he would use in this new, dangerous venture he was about to embark on. His grandfather stopped producing alcohol in 1919 when the Eighteenth Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol, was announced; he decided it wasn’t worth risking his family’s life. Sadly, he died shortly after in an accident when working at the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad depot. Monroe didn’t agree with prohibition. His family had struggled to make ends meet ever since. So, armed with his rifle and a lantern, he left at night to build his secret distillery.

The recipe was a success, and soon after he began selling his whiskey. Some of his grandfather’s former customers learned about his brewing and immediately sought some. Unlike other brews, Monroe’s whiskey was strong and sweet, it was the best whiskey around, just like his grandfather’s.

But success came with dangerous consequences. His moonshine was never as famous as that of Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, nor was his family recipe as renowned as the Neeleys’. Theirs was a story of gunfire, murder and even an attempt to burn down a courthouse, yet they preserved their recipes and traditions through generations. Monroe wasn’t looking to become famous that way; he was just a family man looking for a way to make a living.

Monroe’s wife Etta Mae helped everywhere she could. The distilling was strictly his job, she took care of creating the mash from the corn and fermenting it. Monroe insisted on running the distilled product through the thump keg. He said he didn’t want to run the moonshine through the still twice. This practice made his moonshine stronger. Monroe’s grandfather always said his white lightning was the best.

Monroe and Etta Mae’s operation was located in a remote hollow in the mountain area, it was the safest place to avoid detection from law enforcement, to increase output, they eventually moved the family closer. In 1929, they found and set up operations in an abandoned cave. This location reduced their chances of being caught. Inside the cave, water ran freely, which they could use it instead of carrying it in.

It was now 1932, one year before prohibition ended. After 9 years of distilling, their three children were helping to ensure their moonshine remained popular and accessible to the townsmen. When old enough, the children made the deliveries and bartered for goods. They were known as the “Begley gang”, each with a special gift. Jasper, the oldest, was very good with words, and could barter for anything; he eventually became a preacher. Ruth, the middle child, was great with numbers, and no one could ever steal a penny from her; she eventually became a teacher. Willard, the youngest, protected his family with his life. Legend says he learned how to shoot a rifle before he learned how to walk, and he eventually joined the Army.

But all was not well. Etta Mae had died in 1931 of childbirth complications, and Monroe’s health was deteriorating. The children, who all knew the craft well and enjoyed it, took over much of the production. Eventually, in 1939, Monroe succumbed to tuberculosis.

As far as we know, their moonshine production slowly disappeared. Leslie County is a dry county, which made it impossible to increase operations. The children, now with families of their own, had other responsibilities. However, the Begley moonshine sometimes shows up in someone’s home. No one knows who is brewing it or where, but the recipe is the same. it’s still the best white lightning available.