Bootleggers and deadly feuds: How this distillery keeps its 'illegal' moonshine history alive Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal In one display case, Royce Neeley keeps his first gold medal from a worldwide spirits competition. In another, he’s got the pistol his great grandfather used to kill another moonshiner deep in the Eastern Kentucky mountains. Today, there’s a large landmark sign that beckons travelers along Interstate 71 near Sparta to the rapidly growing Neeley Family Distillery where Royce, 29, makes his own bourbon mash bill alongside the moonshine his family has passed down through generations. The family's moonshine recipe hasn't changed in more than 150 years, and their spot on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour is a point of pride for the whole Neeley family.