Retired Kentucky dentist returns to family business: Moonshine
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Retired Estill County dentist restarted family moonshine at Route 52 Distillery.
- He expanded production, four signature shines sell in 600+ liquor stores.
- Distillery added cafe, lodging and trails to boost visits and on-site sales.
One longtime Eastern Kentucky dentist is flourishing in an entirely different career during his retirement — moonshining.
From 2014 on lifelong Estill County native Howard Arvin has run Kentucky Mountain Moonshine from Route 52 Distillery in Ravenna. The son of a moonshiner, he was drawn to start his own operation for three reasons — to keep busy in his post-dentist life, carry on his father’s legacy and make more use of the 600-acre farm it’s on that was previously home to a paintball course before the pivot to spirits.
What Flavors Does Kentucky Mountain Moonshine Make?
Using a sweet mash recipe and distillation process, Arvin and fellow distillers Stacey McFarland and John Beckler have come up with four signature blends so far: Classic clear moonshine, smokey apple pie, cranberry and vanilla bean. According to Arvin, the cranberry has long held the title of most popular, although it’s likely to get overtaken soon by the vanilla bean, which he says is like their version of a bourbon.
“We call it smokey vanilla bean because we don’t put it in a barrel to age it, we instead put it in quart jars with vanilla bean,” says Arvin. “The smokey aroma then comes from setting discarded white oak boards on fire and dropping them inside the 80-proof clear to marinate for nearly three months.”
The various shines can be purchased by the bottle at over 600 liquor stores including Liquor Barn and Liquor World in addition to being available to sample, both on their own or in a mixed cocktail, during a day out at the distillery. Those drinks include the Naked Hillbilly (cranberry shine, grapefruit juice), Rooster Juice (cranberry shine, cranberry juice, sweet & sour, Amaretto, a splash of lemon lime soda and a squeeze of lime), and the Kentucky Mountain Mary (Bloody Mary mix, clear shine, Modelo beer, a squeeze of lime and a few drops of Sriracha.)
Also among the distillery’s signature cocktails is the Peach Cobbler Moonshine Cocktail, which is a flavor profile that Arvin mentioned an interest in wanting to explore in a larger moonshine release (it’s currently available at the distillery by the quart) along with a Long Island Iced Tea concept. Opportunities like that are more possible than ever thanks to Kentucky Mountain Moonshine’s growing capacity.
“I like to call ourselves the Volkswagen of distillers and the bigger guys are like the Cadillacs,” says Arvin. “We started small in the kitchen using 55 gallon barrels before upgrading to 400 gallon vats previously used by Wilderness Trail Distillery — where we still get our yeast from — a few years later,” says Arvin. “
Food And Other Happenings
Last year the distillery expanded to offer wood-fired pizzas and other bites under the umbrella of the Kentucky Mountain Wood Fired Oven Cafe. Using their own dough made using a 48-hour ferment, sauce made fresh daily and fresh basil and other ingredients straight from their farm, the pies are as artisanal as they are customizable.
Options range from the classic margherita and meat lovers to specialties like the Buffalo Chicken Ranch (tomato sauce base, pulled roast chicken and mozzarella with a buttery buffalo sauce and ranch drizzle) and the Dillbilly (ranch base with sliced dill pickles, mozzarella and bacon.). Or you can take the reins and make your own (I recommend a pizza with a barbecue base, pulled pork, mozzarella, pineapple, bell peppers and bacon.)
“We wanted to hold people here a bit longer, and what better way to do that than give them something to eat while they visit,” says Arvin.
“The food and moonshine go hand-in-hand due to how locally sourced both are,” says McFarland. “There’s no artificial flavorings, colorings or red dye #5. We’re not vegan or anything like that, but we do take a lot of pride in using high quality ingredients because they simply taste better.”
But the food isn’t where the ideas end. The sprawling property is also home to a couple of Airstream rentals, hiking trails, a Wagyu beef cattle herd, and one of the most extensive cave systems in Estill County — California Cave. And with nothing but time on his hands there’s no telling what else Arvin may cook up, both inside the distillery and out.
Kentucky Mountain Moonshine
Where: 465 Cow Creek Rd, Ravenna
Distillery Hours: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., closed Sunday
Cafe Hours: Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 3-9 p.m., closed Sunday-Thursday
Online: KentuckyMountainMoonshine.com