ELMIRA — Ben Murphy heaves the large sacks of cracked corn from the back of his pickup truck and carries them into his new business on Earl Martin Drive where he makes authentic, Appalachian-style moonshine.

Tall, lean and athletic, Murphy easily hoists the big bags of feed corn and brings them into the first craft moonshine distillery in Waterloo Region — and among the first in the country. He invested about $60,000 to get Murphy's Law Distillery up and running.

"Down in the States it has blown up, so people like Ole Smoky, which dominates the market right now, have grown from 160 per cent to 230 per cent a year," Murphy says.

"It has become a very competitive market down there; up here, not so much," he adds.

Murphy's Law is producing four moonshines — The Original, Apple Pie, Peach Pie and White Lightin'.

"There is just one moonshine in the LCBO, which is under the blends and American whisky at the moment, but they do really well, as well," Murphy says.

The cracked corn will be used to make mash that sits in large, plastic barrels called fermenters. This is the first step in the process. Each barrel holds 55 gallons of mash. Murphy does not like talking about his mash recipe, other than to say its ingredients are all natural.

After two weeks in the fermenters, the mash is strained and then pumped into the bottom of the still. The shiny stainless steel still, with copper tubes rising out of the top, was handmade in Missouri.

Heating elements inside the still slowly bring the temperature of the mash up to 170 F. The vapour rises through the copper tube at the top, and then down a condenser where it cools and turns into moonshine. The apple pie flavour is made from scratch on a nearby table and added to the moonshine when it is pumped out of the still.

"It is distilled twice, so that brings it out to 80 per cent, 160 proof, and then I dilute it with the mixes so it is a really nice, smooth tasting whisky," Murphy says.

Apple Pie Moonshine has an alcohol content of 23.6 per cent and sells for $30 a jar. White Lightin' will sell for about $35 a jar with an alcohol content of 40 per cent. When White Lightin' comes out of the still it is 81.4 per cent alcohol. It is diluted before it is put in jars.

"We sell it at 40 per cent, not 81," Murphy says. "We mix it at 81 to give it that solid flavour. You can put it over ice, you can mix it with club soda and just anything, anything you mix whisky with."

Craft moonshine is a booming business in the U.S., and Murphy believes it will be a lucrative trend here before long. First came craft beers, then craft cider, and now craft moonshine, he says.

"Our business plan is pretty solid."

As he sits in the second-floor office of his business, the 23-year-old talks about first tasting moonshine while studying at an American university.

Murphy went to Ohio Valley University in West Virginia on a scholarship for cross-country running. When he wasn't studying psychology, Murphy learned about moonshining from the local population.

"While I was down there running cross-country in my first and second year at university, I met someone who was moonshining," he says.

"I knew some guys and introduced them to him, and he ended up selling that way. He asked me to come out and see how he does everything. I started following him out, and learning it that way."

For generations, illegal stills dotted the Appalachian Mountains and the hollows along the Ohio River Valley that runs through the state. The practice is both illegal and widespread in West Virginia. This is where Murphy learned to do craft shines.

"I met some people down there who were into distilling moonshine, and I just followed them around for a while, ended up picking it up over the years," Murphy said.

The Shelburne, Ont., native wanted to be a police officer, but an unlucky punch during a sparring match left a hole in an eardrum. It never healed properly, and a botched operation left him deaf in his right ear. So, he is doing his master's degree in applied disabilities studies, and running his moonshine distillery.

Finding the right sized space at a decent price was a challenge. Murphy found a spot in Guelph, but zoning rules would not allow him to run a still. He was happy to find a place in Elmira, even if it is a 70-minute drive from his home in Shelburne.

Murphy set up the business in April. When it is fully operational, it will produce 3,000 to 4,000 jars of moonshine every month. Murphy plans to open a retail store at his location on Earl Martin Drive, as well.

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He currently has a distributor in Alberta and has applied to have his product sold in LCBO outlets. Next year, Murphy plans to expand his sales into Newfoundland and New Brunswick.

"It is all about the turnover, getting it out there, top quality and staying true to your moonshine roots," Murphy says. "So, not using huge, fancy stills. We can easily do between 3,000 and 4,000 jars a month." A Canadian whisky needs to be aged a minimum of three years. Moonshine is something that was made in the last 30 days.

"You are getting it, basically, as soon as it comes out of the still it is going to the LCBO," Murphy said.