HOLLY HILL, S.C. — A large, active liquor still has been broken up in the eastern portion of Orangeburg County, according to Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell.
Ravenell said investigators developed information leading to the still’s location a few miles east of Holly Hill in a remote and deeply wooded area.
On Monday, narcotics deputies and Ravenell himself loaded up axes and a shotgun to destroy the liquor maker.
When investigators arrived at the site around 1 p.m. they raised the makeshift covers on the more than 12 55-gallon barrels. The liquor inside was actively fermenting.
With the sheriff in lead, the OCSO investigators grabbed a weapon of choice and began rendering the barrels useless by slicing holes into them.
Some were simply shot with a 12-gauge shotgun.
As the nearly-ready hooch ran downhill, a wharf rat ran out of the large setup, perhaps in an effort to locate a quieter neighborhood.
PHOTOS: Liquor still busted in Orangeburg County
At least four barrels of mash – a starter for the liquor – were also destroyed along with tools and a generator that fed the operation.
“If people up and down the east coast could see how this stuff is made, they’d reconsider their orders,” the sheriff said. “As it is there will be some empty glasses pretty soon.”
In all, an estimated $6,000 worth of illegal liquor won’t make it to the streets.
No arrests have been made at this point.