Discovering the Legend Behind Casey Jones Distillery

Harvest Hosts is an incredible membership program with a diverse network of available hosts. So far, \6000 locations have opened their hearts and their homes and/or businesses to members of the Harvest Hosts RV community, allowing them overnight accommodations with no camping fees in serene places across North America. In return, members must make a small purchase to support the business. One of our unique hosts is Casey Jones Distillery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Continue to learn all about this host’s incredible history, its origins within the Harvest Hosts program, and what visiting guests can expect to find.

The History

Casey Jones Distillery first opened in November 2014, but the history began many decades prior. During Prohibition, Al Capone got moonshine from many different places. But the shine he liked the most came from Golden Pond, Kentucky, where it was crafted by Casey Jones. Casey was Golden Pond’s master stillmaker. The stills he designed were unique and meticulously crafted. Revenuers could tell a still was Casey’s just by looking at it. Fellow moonshiners and Chicago’s most famous gangster knew Casey’s stills by the superior product they produced.In Golden Pond after World War I, jobs were scarce and moonshining became a necessity. There was plenty of great water, and abundance of corn, and sugar was easy to come by. But to be a great moonshiner, you needed a great still. And for that, you called Casey Jones. Casey’s craftsmanship and innovative design made him a legend in The Land Between The Lakes. When asked where he learned to build stills, Casey would grin and say, “The first still I ever saw was the first still I built.” For over thirty years, Casey Jones built stills all over Kentucky using only copper. He charged around $20 (about $350 in today’s dollars) and a gallon or two of the product, of course. Casey’s legendary ingenuity and passion inspired his grandson Arlon Casey Jones (“AJ”) to follow in his footsteps. Casey built his last still in 1967. AJ used that still, which is on display in the Casey Jones Distillery Lounge, as a guide to build the still we use today. As our Master Distiller, AJ handcrafts every batch of Casey Jones Moonshine using a recipe that has been handed down through generations of the Jones family. A family recipe cooked in a family still – it doesn’t get more authentic than that.