Jeremy Bartel Wines and Liquors [NASDAQ: JBWL] was established as a formal company contracting with the Federal Government during the War between the States when it supplied witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, and chemicals for gunpowder, but it was a local business in western Virginia years before that.

Great Granddaddy Jeremy was a moonshiner in the western Virginia hills. His great success was due to his skill, generosity, distribution network, and the willingness of his customers to cover for him.

Jeremy's high quality creations made a very favorable impression on the population.  Unlike other "Mountain Products," Jeremy's potables packed a wallop without leaving the customer blind, dead, a drooling idiot, or gingerly tiptoeing around with a 72-hour hangover.

Jeremy tithed to the local towns to help with schools, books, and libraries. Education was always in painfully short supply in rural western Virginia.  Government agents would occasionally drop by looking for their tax cut, but Jeremy was so well liked that a process of "managing revenuers" was devised.

Western Virginia tea-totaling, non drinkers would have no idea about any of this and give the agents a blank look -- or better, send them packing. Faithful clients would welcome the agents warmly and profess to know exactly where the facility was -- always in the hills around the next town, and always over the worst Great Smokey Mountain roads imaginable.

One tenacious agent almost made it around the region full circle before he threw in the towel and headed back to Washington.

Jeremy's son Clarence was a neighbor and school buddy of a man elected to represent the newly formed and admitted West Virginia in the United States Senate.  And so it was that Senator Wilber Evlyn Bright paid a visit to his home state and awarded Clarence a warrant from the Union Army to produce chemicals.  In his other hand, he had the papers to form a corporation in the fresh, new border State of West Virginia.

Clarence maintained the company's high quality and government contracts up to the beginning of World War II.  Profits dipped a bit during World War I and increased during prohibition, but there was always a Jeremy Bartel product that somebody wanted.

The company passed to William Robert Bartel who, to this day will pierce the spleen of anybody who tries to call him "Billy Bob."  Will Bartel shifted the company production to solvents, chemicals, and paints in perfect synchronization with the World War II war effort and at one time was the highest contributor to the West Virginia tax base as well as a significant contributor to the United States Senate dining room.

The modern day Jeremy Bartel runs the corporation with his dad from a shiny glass office tower on McFarland Street in downtown Charleston. Unlike his hard-working forebears,  Jeremy also enjoys the fruits of the corporation's bookkeeping.  He jets off for skiing in Biarritz or snorkeling in Barbados, but with a twist.  The company maintains a Hollywood Body Double.

Early in 2008, Jeremy was both kicking back with friends in a chalet on Neubruckstrasse north of Bern, and Scuba diving from Lady Elliot Island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.  Most of the time, the corporation has no idea which Jeremy is which, and the publicity department, most of whom are fans of the original company product, isn't talking.

In December, Jeremy jetted into Los Angeles to get away from the east coast weather and discuss Asian distribution with west coast officials in their Wilshire office tower.

At least it looked like Jeremy.