Reality TV star in the valley to promote legal moonshine

Tim Smith, the main character of the Discovery Channel hit TV series “Moonshiners” is visiting Columbia Falls to promote his new legal moonshine, Climax Moonshine.

He named the brew after his hometown Climax, Virginia.

His moonshine is one of many legally on the market. But the homemade alcohol got its name from historically being made illegally at night, underneath the shining moon, to evade detection by the government.

The brewing technique is the same, but Smith now has the necessary permits to make it legal.

However, legal moonshine tastes different, Smith said. It’s cleaner and the proof is more consistent on account of being made in a distillery rather than the woods. Overall, the quality is better, he said.

Before Smith’s show first aired, the creators thought that people didn’t make moonshine anymore, he said. They chose Smith because of his family heritage in moonshine. He is the youngest of his family who is still alive and not in jail. He was born into the tradition and learned how to distill whiskey from his dad.

He honors his dad with a picture of them together inside a bottle of Climax Moonshine. Smith says they are “representing the illegal side of it (making moonshine).”

His dad passed away recently. It made Smith realize that he wants to pass on the tradition of making moonshine to his son, J.T., but in a better way.

“I wanted him to know to do it legally,” he said. His son is 19 and learns the craft beside his dad on the reality show. Season five will come out later this year.

Smith will be in Flathead Valley Aug. 20-22. He plans to visit several places each day, including local fire departments. He is scheduled to be at the Columbia Falls Community Farmer’s Market from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 20. He’ll be there to sign bottles, talk about his popular show, offer samples and sell his moonshine. He said they will post a complete schedule on his Facebook page.

Smith is also the volunteer fire chief of Climax, a post he’s held since 2004.

His interest in firefighting began after his house burned down when he was 16. He rescued his mom from the fire, but lost his dog that night.

“I was lucky to get out,” Smith said. He says volunteer firemen are heroes. People forget about them until there is a fire.

“You want them to be there when you need them,” he said.