I got a call yesterday from a guy in North Carolina who makes a very cool 750 ml glass jug bottle. His pitch was simple. It would make a great container for Tennessee moonshine, and best of all, it’s made in America.

Ever since voters in every precinct of Cannon County voted Nov. 2 to allow us to build Short Mountain Distillery, the calls and emails have provided some perspective on the character of America in a time of great need.

You can hear the eagerness in America’s voice. It’s not defeated. It’s not the voice of fear you hear on cable news. It’s the sound of America doing what we do best: work.

It comes in calls from small businesses who will make the bottles, labels, boxes and barrels, and emails with resumes expressing big hopes to be one of the folks we’ll need to build and produce a locally owned American brand of whiskey.

Countless hands will work to build some part of Short Mountain Distillery. Some may not realize it as they become busy filling our orders, making lunch for a tourist, or passing by acres of local corn we’ll need. Still more will never see our impact in the lives and economy of our community and our great state. But it’s there.

Our needs create jobs: employees, architect, farmers, builder, concrete, steel, consultants, attorney, accountant, boiler, forklift, box truck, fermenters, dry wall, pot still, bottles, bottling machine, labels, paint, barrels, racks, computers, point of sale systems, boxes, grain, air compressors, signage, kitchen sinks, security systems, water, power, prep tables, insurance, phones, landscaping, office furniture, merchandise, advertising, and much more.

Follow our American story on Facebook.

Billy Kaufman and Distillery Organization Group’s Jim Massey talk with News Channel 5’s Kim Gebbia about distillery jobs and tourism on the November ballot in Cannon County. You can read the full story at WTVF-TV CBS Nashville.

Billy Kaufman’s property hasn’t seen a drop of grain liquor since a distillery ran here before prohibition. He wants to see it flowing again at his own craft distillery within the next few years.

“My dream is that we employ hundreds if not thousands someday,” said Kaufman.

Supporters say a craft distillery could also bring in tax dollars and tourism to the county. They add it’s a way to keep small farmers afloat.

“Historically distilleries are the most efficient way to turn crops to cash,” says Jim Massey, an advocate for craft distilleries across the state.

We just got word from Cannon County Administrator of Elections Stanley Dobson that our distillery petition has enough signatures and will qualify for the November 2, 2010 ballot. The certified petition will be presented to a special session of the county commission Aug. 28.

This will be Tennessee’s first distillery referendum under a new state law making it legal for distilleries to operate across the state. The new law requires a referendum process in counties where there is no liquor by the drink or package stores.

The referendum process has been a wonderful opportunity for us to meet voters and to hear their stories and their pride in our history. It’s also been an eye-opener to what we need to preserve our way of life and that’s jobs and tourism.

In November’s general election, Cannon County voters can now vote YES for jobs and tourism.

Over the next couple of months we hope you can help us give voters a reason to be proud of our agricultural heritage and what a new American brand of distilled spirits can do for community and our state.

Also read:

• Group turns in signatures for Tennessee’s first distillery referendum
• Short Mountain Distillery reaches petition signature goal
• Cannon Courier poll shows majority support distillery

Today’s Cannon Courier reports that County Executive Mike Gannon has called a special session of the County Commission for August 28th to address the state’s first distillery referendum. The election commission is currently in the process of validating and certifying the petition signatures we turned in last week.

Cannon County Administrator of Elections Stan Dobson was in the process Monday morning of certifying the signatures on the petition for the referendum, which was presented to him Friday by a group of citizens hoping to start Short Mountain Distillery.

The election office must certify that the petition contains the names of 10 percent or more of the qualified voters of Cannon County, based upon the number of votes cast in the 2008 presidential election, according to state law.

The group turned in over 800 signatures Friday. According to the election office, 554 were needed to hold a referendum.

However, before a referendum can be held, the petition must be received by the Cannon County Commission. Commissioners will not vote on whether the referendum will take place, only that they have received a petition for one which contains the required number of signatures from registered county voters.

If certified, this will be the state’s first distillery referendum under a new law and will allow voters to decide whether they want jobs, tourism and revenue that will come with a new American brand of distilled spirits started right here in Cannon County.

(WOODBURY, TN) – A group wanting to create a Tennessee brand of distilled spirits in Cannon County, Tennessee will turn in petition signatures Friday at noon for a county wide referendum. (photo courtesy of Cannon Courier)

Cannon County farmer Billy Kaufman and supporters will deliver over 800 signatures collected over the past two months to Cannon County Election Commission Chair Stanley Dobson at noon today in Woodbury, TN. The signatures must be validated and approved by the county commission before voters can decide in the county’s November general election whether or not they want a distillery under a new state law.

If voters approve the referendum, Short Mountain Distillery will operate on Kaufman’s 300 acre farm on Short Mountain in Liberty, Tennessee.

“This is about jobs,” said Kaufman. “It’s also about tourism, revenue and the kind of sustainability we need to preserve our way of life.”

In 2009, the state legislature passed a law allowing legal distilleries across the state of Tennessee. Lawmakers put in place a referendum process for counties that do not already allow liquor by the drink or package stores. Distillery referendum petitions require a total number of signatures equal to the county’s total votes cast in the last Presidential election.

Cannon County has a rich agricultural heritage that also produced what some say was the best distilled spirits in the country before and during prohibition. Moonshine from the hills of Cannon County is specifically celebrated in old time country music songs once sung at the Grand Ole Opry by Uncle Dave Macon, Porter Wagoner and others. Tennessee is well known around the world for Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel aged whiskeys.

“Throughout this process we spoke with a lot of people, young and old, who have called Cannon County home all their life,” Kaufman said. “The support and enthusiasm people are sharing with us has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Short Mountain Distillery will bring tourism, jobs and needed county revenue while honoring the community’s history and character.

“We want to work directly with local farmers and businesses as we grow,” Kaufman said. “We want to share our local history with the world, and we want tourism to bring new opportunities for local businesses.”

Kaufman and his brothers, David and Ben, are the great-grand children of Jesse Shwayder, the founder of another well-known American brand Samsonite 100 years ago in 1910. Their grandfather, Louis Degan, ran Samsonite’s Murfreesboro, TN location for decades employing many Middle Tennesseans.

Short Mountain Distillery will be a small-batch craft distiller creating specialty brands of moonshine and aged whiskey. For more information and photos from today’s filing, visit our website at http://www.shortmountaindistillery.com. 

If you were in town today, you probably wondered who that was on the square with the little table, sign and an American flag. That was Billy Kaufman with John Whittemore and me. We were collecting signatures we need so the voters can decide in November whether they want a distillery in Cannon County.

In about 3 hours, we got about 20 signatures. It wasn’t what we needed, but there weren’t a lot of people out today. The square has been closed off under renovation for some time now, but it’s now open and looks pretty nice.

The Cannon Courier stopped by and took our picture and wrote up something on their website if you’d like to check that out.

If you’re in town Tuesday and Wednesday, stop by the table at the courthouse and say hi to Billy and sign our petition. If you check the thermometer to the right, we’re now 30% of the way there. We’ve got about 19 days to go, and every valid signature counts.