A new distillery operator is in Maggie's future

Aug. 2—After a more than two-month bidding process, the property formerly operated as Elevated Mountain Distilling has been sold to part-time Maggie Valley resident Kenneth Wells.

The property will be rented to a company that will operate it as a distillery and showroom, Wells said. The new owner is in negotiations with the bank to purchase the distillery equipment still in the building that was to be sold separately.

Wells has been in contact with two different companies interested in operating a distillery in Maggie Valley, with one ready to move forward more quickly than the other.

"It won't be a music venue like it was before," Wells said. "It will be a factory like Sugarlands Distillery in Gatlinburg. You go in, there's a big showroom and you see the distillery in the background. There's like 10 flavors of moonshine and for a fee, you taste them all, pick the ones and buy them."

The showroom will have plenty of selections in both bottle size and flavors for customers to choose from. There will also be tours available.

Wells said he will start negotiations with the entity most interested in leasing first, and will have a backup ready in case that doesn't work out. He also has a plan C.

"I'm paying cash for this, so won't have to pay a mortgage, just insurance and property taxes. I can let it sit for a year."

Wells, 70, spoke of his vast business experience, and said he has had a successful 30 years in businesses that he gets into more on premonitions more than a business plan based on extensive market studies.

"I've been in business since I was 19 — never worked for anybody," he said. "I don't do business research. I research areas. For this, I researched the possibility of flooding. It's right on the creek. It's never flooded in the last 100 years, and there's a 1% possibility it will flood in the next 100 years."

Wells said during his business run in Key West, he was extensively involved in numerous community efforts, including starting a Rotary Club, serving as Navy League president, where he brought a submarine to the community, and was active with the 100 Club that raised funds to support law enforcement, as well as the Chamber of Commerce.

During his business run, Wells was in the contractor business, where he said he's remodeled "every hotel in Key West at least once," operated a paint store and was even in the short-term rental business for several years following the 2007-8 recession when he rented out his Maggie Valley property to help recoup losses.

"I've done it all," he said. "My wife keeps telling me to stop, that it's time to retire, but you rest, you rust. I tried it three times and it's too boring."

The Wells have been in Maggie Valley since 2005 when they purchased 12 acres with a "log cabin from the 1700s that was rotting away," he said.

Since then, the property has been renovated to accommodate sleeping quarters for 18, he said. At one time it was so booked up, the family had to make a reservation to stay in their own home.

Now, the Wells stay there six months of the year, and have a home in LaBelle, Florida, where they live the rest of the year.

The win

The bidding competition for the Elevated Mountain Distilling property began on May 24 with a bank bid from First Citizens for $364,450, an amount close to the price of the property in 2016 when the original owner David Angel purchased it.

The business property fronting Soco Road that was once known as Carolina Nights, a dinner theater, attracted a number of interested bidders. Wells and Micheaux Resource Management, a Monroe company working with developer Frankie Wood and former business owner Dave Angel to purchase the property were the two last remaining bidders.

Wells' July 18 bid of $630,000 on July 18 was successful, and the new owner said he closes on the property Aug. 3.