ABSTRACT This article explores the organization of the bootlegging of illicit alcohol in “dry,” rural counties located in Kentucky's Appalachian region. Using a participant observation methodology, the study focuses on organizational variables such as size of the illicit enterprise, its geographic scope, the characteristics of participants and other illicit goods and services provided in an attempt to describe the rural bootlegging industry. The article also explores the logistics of rural bootlegging and the operations of the illicit alcohol industry. Comparisons are drawn between the rural bootlegging industry and studies of organized criminal activity in urban settings, pointing out both similarities and dissimilarities. The importance of bootlegging to organizing rural organized crime is also discussed.