Moonshiners Mark Ramsey and Digger Manes Host Pahrump Tasting March 6

Mark Ramsey and Eric “Digger” Manes will descend on Liquor and Tobacco Express in Pahrump on Friday, March 6, for a Sugarlands tasting and meet-and-greet that the store says includes an exclusive Richard Petty’s Petty Punch Moonshine not sold elsewhere in Nevada. Liquor and Tobacco Express co-owner Nisha Raju said, “This bottle, the Richard Petty’s Petty Punch Moonshine, only one store in each state has this. In all of Nevada, this is only available at our store here in Pahrump.”

Co-owner Raj Raju described the pair’s visit as a promotional stop tied to that exclusive release: “Mark and Digger are going to be here to do a meet-and-greet and there is an exclusive bottle they have put out.” Liquor and Tobacco Express runs twice-monthly tasting events on the first and second Friday of each month, and the March 6 appearance is scheduled as part of that series.

The Pahrump stop will feature Sugarlands Shine products, a line the store lists among its most popular and that includes flavors such as Butter Pecan and Chocolate Coffee. Mike Starr of Blazing Star BBQ is listed as a food vendor for the March 6 tasting; the store has identified the event as its regular Friday tasting night, though exact start and finish times for the meet-and-greet have not been posted.

Beyond the Petty Punch bottle, Ramsey and Manes are promoting Sugarlands releases. BottleRaiders reports their Mountain Legacy Corn Whiskey is a new 120-proof, 750-milliliter offering produced and bottled at Sugarlands Distilling Company, made from corn grown in Tennessee. Mark Ramsey said of the whiskey, “Our new Mountain Legacy Corn Whiskey is made with a recipe Digger and I have been perfecting for years. We had the privilege of learning the art of making whiskey from scores of old backwoods liquor producers, and we’re excited to work with our friends at Sugarlands to bring this traditional corn whiskey to everyone.” Eric “Digger” Manes added, “This is a tried and true backwoods liquor recipe. No fancy frills, just good ol’ fashioned authenticity in every jar.”

The appearances in Nevada are part of a string of retail and distillery events. An Instagram post lists a March 7 appearance at Lee’s Discount Liquor from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 4230 S Rainbow Blvd, listed in the post as “Las.” Industry coverage also notes special 2:00–5:00 p.m. appearances at Sugarlands Distillery on a Friday and Saturday tied to a release celebration, though specific calendar dates for the distillery events were not published in that excerpt.

Ramsey and Manes are best known as stars of the television series Moonshiners and as co-founders of Sugarlands Shine. Their backwoods roots and mentorship under the late Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton are part of the brand story; Mark reflected on that relationship, saying, “Popcorn was, challenging,” while Digger quipped about their persona, “Mama always told me to grow up and I told her I didn’t like grown ups.”

Past in-store appearances by Ramsey and Manes have produced long lines and cross-state turnout, with one retailer owner recalling, “They personally picked us.” For Pahrump, the Raju co-owners’ exclusivity claim for the Petty Punch bottle positions Liquor and Tobacco Express as the only Nevada retail stop for that release and makes the March 6 tasting the county’s focal point in Ramsey and Manes’ multi-stop weekend of promotional appearances.