Our Story
Cedar Mountain Moonshine was founded by Wes Dearbaugh, a.k.a. Papa Moonshine.
After recently "retiring", what Papa Moonshine thought was going to be a hobby to pass the time with a little fun, turned into a full-blown family business. It took almost a year to complete all of the Federal and State requirements to start a Distillery in a dry county and thus Cedar Mountain Moonshine became Transylvania County’s first LEGAL distillery in over 100 years!
The real story begins in the middle of Covid 2020, with a few Music + Moonshine nights to support local musicians who had to cancel their gigs for the year due to the pandemic. As the modest crowds began tasting the Cedar Mountain Moonshine, the demand started to grow just from our local community! Initially, people were not sure what to expect from a new small batch, handcrafted micro distillery. Moonshine is still a taboo spirit after all of its history. The thought of Moonshine can add some hesitance for those who have never tasted. Most of this reluctance is quickly followed by a story that starts with, "I knew a guy who..." . Nevertheless, the taboo melts away and curiosity is rewarded with FREE TASTINGS to pick their new favorite flavor of Cedar Mountain Moonshine! Papa Moonshine is becoming well known for his tastings and long stories (famous for some, not for others!) during the Friday night Music and Moonshine events.
This business born during quarantine, could not have happened without the involvement of the entire entrepreneurial Dearbaugh clan. Adam Dearbaugh (son of PM), owns Mountain Living Realty and devotes time to being the General Manager of CMM Distillery. Amy MacHale (daughter of PM), owns her own art/graphic design business in Scottsdale, AZ and created the branding for CMM. Sarah Dearbaugh (daughter-in-law), owns Studio276 Art&Co. as the artist and events organizer for CMM/Studio276 Art&Co. And most importantly, is Pat Dearbaugh aka Grammy (wife of PM), our CTO (Chief Tasting Officer) who enjoys her time with the grandkids during the summers in Cedar Mountain!
Thank you for being apart of our adventure! Stop in before or after your trek into DuPont State Forest with all of its waterfalls, hiking and biking trails and get your Shine On! Free moonshine tastings available year round (see hours) located inside of Cedar Mountain Moonshine/Studio276 Art&Co. in the heart of Cedar Mountain, N.C.
After recently "retiring", what Papa Moonshine thought was going to be a hobby to pass the time with a little fun, turned into a full-blown family business. It took almost a year to complete all of the Federal and State requirements to start a Distillery in a dry county and thus Cedar Mountain Moonshine became Transylvania County’s first LEGAL distillery in over 100 years!
The real story begins in the middle of Covid 2020, with a few Music + Moonshine nights to support local musicians who had to cancel their gigs for the year due to the pandemic. As the modest crowds began tasting the Cedar Mountain Moonshine, the demand started to grow just from our local community! Initially, people were not sure what to expect from a new small batch, handcrafted micro distillery. Moonshine is still a taboo spirit after all of its history. The thought of Moonshine can add some hesitance for those who have never tasted. Most of this reluctance is quickly followed by a story that starts with, "I knew a guy who..." . Nevertheless, the taboo melts away and curiosity is rewarded with FREE TASTINGS to pick their new favorite flavor of Cedar Mountain Moonshine! Papa Moonshine is becoming well known for his tastings and long stories (famous for some, not for others!) during the Friday night Music and Moonshine events.
This business born during quarantine, could not have happened without the involvement of the entire entrepreneurial Dearbaugh clan. Adam Dearbaugh (son of PM), owns Mountain Living Realty and devotes time to being the General Manager of CMM Distillery. Amy MacHale (daughter of PM), owns her own art/graphic design business in Scottsdale, AZ and created the branding for CMM. Sarah Dearbaugh (daughter-in-law), owns Studio276 Art&Co. as the artist and events organizer for CMM/Studio276 Art&Co. And most importantly, is Pat Dearbaugh aka Grammy (wife of PM), our CTO (Chief Tasting Officer) who enjoys her time with the grandkids during the summers in Cedar Mountain!
Thank you for being apart of our adventure! Stop in before or after your trek into DuPont State Forest with all of its waterfalls, hiking and biking trails and get your Shine On! Free moonshine tastings available year round (see hours) located inside of Cedar Mountain Moonshine/Studio276 Art&Co. in the heart of Cedar Mountain, N.C.