Belly up to the bar for some hooch history at Bondurant Brothers Distillery in Chase City, Virginia. There you’ll find owner and moonshine maker Robert Bondurant. This tall, gregarious Southerner was born and raised in Mecklenburg County and comes from a long line of Virginia moonshiners.
His grandfather was Jack Bondurant, one of the three famous Bondurant Boys who ran an illegal moonshine business in the 1930s during prohibition. There’s lots of local lore around the family bootlegging business, and eventual trial and conviction by the Federal Government for tax evasion, but the illegal activity remains in the past. The only tradition Robert carries on is how he makes his moonshine. And yes, he pays his taxes.
"It’s a fairly simple operation," said Robert. "What you see is what you would have seen in the 1920s, a traditional pot type still."
You can take a gander at his 586-gallon still at the Bondurant Brothers Distillery, housed in a restored 1912 warehouse across from the Old Southside Roller Mill on 3rd Street. It’s an inviting, open space with pole and beam architecture and a front row seat to the operation.
"I run 500 gallons of mash at a time in open top fermenters like they would have used in the woods," he explains. "It works out pretty good. I try to stick to the old way of doing it, and it’s more self-sufficient."
The recipe is simple, a combination of barley, white corn, sugar, and yeast, but the Bondurant Brothers Distillery has one thing that other distilleries don’t: Chase City water.
The mineral spring water put Chase City on the map back in the early 1900s when visitors flocked to the Mecklenburg Mineral Springs Hotel and Sanitarium for the restorative powers thought to be in the mineral water.
"You’d have to drink enough of the water to float the Titanic to get the health benefits," said Robert with a chuckle. "The hotel burned down in 1909, but Chase City still has good water. You can taste it."
He claims the water is a big factor in the flavor of his whiskey. After a tour of the distillery and learning the full history of the Bondurant Brothers, don’t miss the tasting where you can try:
- 94-proof moonshine
- 80-proof cinnamon-infused moonshine
- 80-proof peach brandy (Robert refers to this as "whiskey made with fruit" and he’s right. The flavor is not overbearing)
- bourbon (coming late summer 2021)
"My bourbon is softer than other bourbons, it doesn’t have that bite and bang that a rye has," said Robert. "With bourbon, I know when it’s good and I know when it’s bad. That’s about as complicated as my taste gets."
The other thing Robert has is an innate taste for BBQ. He’s been cooking and selling BBQ with his brother since the late 1980s. Once the Distillery was up and running, he started offering it in his tasting room. It got so popular, he opened a restaurant, Blackwater Station, on Main Street in February 2021.
"It’s only got six booths and we just poured the outdoor patio," said Robert. "We’ve got brisket, pork BBQ, and three signature burgers named after my grandfather and two uncles."
The most popular is the Jack Burger, a seasoned 6 oz patty, BBQ sauce, pepper jack, lettuce and tomato. The Forrest Burger is also a big hit topping the burger with smoked gouda and Robert’s "Lawless" sauce (a nod to the 2012 film about the original bootlegging Bondurant Boys).
"BBQ should be able to stand on its own beyond a sauce," he said. "But I like it with a good dry rub and my sauce is a combination of spices, ketchup, and vinegar."
In addition to all the good grub, Bondurant carries the largest selection of bottled craft beers in the region at Blackwater Station. The future looks bright for this iteration of Bondurant Brothers.
"We’re playing it by ear," said Robert, "but I expect we’ll experiment with some new infused flavors and the bourbon of course. We’re already in 130 ABC stores, so folks can give us a try."
Next time you’re in Mecklenburg County, make time for Bondurant Brothers Distillery and Blackwater Station. When you’re sitting on the patio, listening to live music and washing down brisket with a craft beer, your tastebuds will thank you.