Blairsville Legend Becomes Must-See Distillery - The Untold Story of an Outlaw Named Mimm
Ida ( Jack”Mimm” McClure’s daughter and Mother to Tommy Townsend) & Sonny McClure (One of Mimm’s sons)
Take a sip of Blairsville history.
“Everything comes back to home - it’s who we are, where we’re from, and what makes us.”
Jack “Mimm” McClure has deep roots in the city of Young Harris, Georgia. Our shine recipe was born from a good man who made damn good liquor. Not all people know the full story… hell, even us. But, here’s what we do know.
The Story of Mimm - A True Legend as Told by His Grandson
How the Best Moonshine Recipe Fell into the Hands of a Songwriter
Ways Grandaddy Mimm’s is Still Making History
Tommy Townsend - GDM Founder and Grandson of Jack “Mimm” McClure
Tommy Townsend - GDM Founder and Grandson of Jack “Mimm” McClure
“Bootlegging was just a way of life back then.
I’ve asked my mom for stories of Jack throughout the years - she’s the one who grew up with a bootlegger father after all. She doesn’t remember much specifically, but says people were always coming in and out at all hours of the night. Jack never let her near the stills, and she didn't know anything about it until she was older.
Jack started making bootleg moonshine in 1933 during the Great Depression. He wasn’t the only one - many folks made liquor as a means to feed their families.
After a few years in the business in 1941, Jack opened up a spot on the border of Georgia and North Carolina called The Border Hop. It was technically a beer joint, but he bootlegged his liquor and offered illegal gambling in the back. In fact, we have one of his slot machines in the distillery, and the Victrola record player we have was from there, too.”
Theodore "Thee" King and Sonny McClure, son of Jack “Mimm” McClure
“Several people around town made shine, but Jack’s was known for being the best in Town’s County.
Jack had his infamous recipe, but he was mostly involved in the selling process. Theodore "Thee" King (pictured above) made a lot of the liquor for him. Thee supposedly taught Popcorn Sutton how to make moonshine, but who knows if that’s true or just some mountain folklore…
People who couldn't pay with money would pay Jack with guns and other goods. The McClure’s had a knack for always makin’ sure people in the community had what they needed, whether it was food, clothes, shoes, or Christmas presents for their kids.
Whatever anyone needed, Jack surely would be there to make it happen.”
“Bootlegging wasn’t always the safest gig…
There are countless stories of the local law getting close to catching Jack and his stills, but they never got him.
One time, the law was onto them, so Jack and his buddies hid the stills under Old Brasstown Church - the last place you’d expect to find them.”
“Mom says she remembers Mimm letting me smoke cigarettes with him when I was barely two years old, and while I have no memory of it, it doesn’t sound surprising.
The only faint memories I have of Jack are in a hospital bed at home. He passed in 1969 of pancreatic cancer. Apparently he used to sit me down in a little chair beside his hospital bed and smoke a cigarette with me. Mom and Dad wouldn’t stop me because they knew that made Mimm happy. I guess I use to say “Mimm, I wanna moke’ and that would make Mimm laugh.”
“As the years went on after Jack, his recipe was lost, but his legend was kept alive by the stories we’d share around campfires and holiday tables.
My mentors, Jerry “Jigger” Bridges and Waylon Jennings, produced one of my albums and my family moved to Nashville, Tennessee for a season, so I could tour and pursue music.
In 2011, I was in Texas talking with a friend, and moonshine had just become legal to produce. We got to talkin’ about my family’s history in the business and I suddenly had a wild idea…”
“‘Are you crazy?!’ and ‘Yeah right.’ were the responses from my wife and my publicist about my idea to open a moonshine distillery…
Mimm never wrote down his recipe, but I did some digging and called up my Uncle George, Mimm’s son. He had helped Jack make moonshine growing up and remembered every step exactly.
Me and some buddies tried it out and, believe it or not, the first batch was really good.
Around this time, Clint Eastwood was in town wrapping up a movie called Trouble with the Curve, and I got to attend the wrap party with Clint and the cast and crew. I grabbed a bottle of shine as I was running out the door to make it in time, and we made sure Clint got one of the very first bottles of Grandaddy Mimm’s moonshine.
Just like that, the legendary Town’s County moonshine was alive again.
We started producing shine in-house and selling it in 2016. Back then, we were bottling up around 40-50 cases a month, and these days it’s closer to about 2,000 cases a month. Not bad for five years…”
“Everything we do here comes back to home.
Every decision Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. makes always has a reason, a story, and a family connection.
Owltown Vodka is named after the street I grew up on and where our spring water we mix with comes from. A lot of Mimm’s Moonshine flavors have stories behind them, and even many of the knick knacks around the distillery have a rich past.
Our history will never change, but how we drink to celebrate will. Jack made moonshine, and I make moonshine, vodka, and now whiskey.
Over time, a lot of things change around you, and you realize to slow down and enjoy what matters most. A good whiskey helps you do just that. We’re excited to launch our Mimm’s 5 Year Barrel-Aged Whiskey this September to keep the legend growing.
As we hold on to history, we’re also making history - and always keepin’ it in the family.
Thanks for being a part of the story.
Cheers.”
- Tommy
Tommy Townsend - GDM Founder & grandson of Jack “Mimm'“ McClure, Megan Kimsey - General Manager of GDM & daughter of Tommy Townsend, Michael Kimsey - Production Manager of GDM & son-in-law to Tommy Townsend.
