One of the reasons Short Mountain was well known for its moonshine is its ice cold spring water. Many old-timers tell us the colder the spring water, the faster the still condensed its spirits. They also tell us speed was an important factor when trying to out run the law.

On the 300+ acre Kaufman farm on the North West side of Little Short Mountain, there are three springs putting out water so cold you can’t keep your hands in it too long, and they flow just as steady in the hottest days of summer as they do any other time.  One of the springs, Spring #1, comes from a small cave that has evidence of being used as a source of drinking water at one time.

You can see an old rock wall had once created a pool area right at the mouth of the cave. Nearby, two old concrete support structures indicate a large cistern had once sat here creating pressure to send the water to a nearby location or to store it for using in an old whiskey still. We’re not sure which it is and are looking for old stories or photos showing what this might have been used for.

The use of these springs will introduce a renewable energy source to the Short Mountain Distillery operations. By capturing the ice cold water, the distillery will save power by not having to refrigerate the water supply used to condense the spirits. This water will then travel through a cooling tower and into a nice pond before returning back into its natural environment.

You can view the springs on this interactive map that will eventually include video and a look at where we’d like to locate the distillery.