1. Not all moonshine is illegal, nor is it dangerous. – Historically, moonshiners made their own liquor to avoid laws, taxes, and regulations. Without any FDA inspectors around to ensure safety and quality standards were met, bad batches or poor production techniques (think distilling in car radiators) could result in a product high in dangerous chemicals, like methanol.
- Consuming methanol can acidify the blood, causing blindness, seizures, and even death.
- Of course, many moonshiners in these small communities had reputations to keep for their regulars — many of which were friends and neighbors.
- If their liquor was inferior, or people got sick or died, then the moonshiner responsible would be run out of the business.
Today, the term “moonshine” continues to be used to describe illegal liquor; but in the distilling business it has taken on another meaning. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) doesn’t offer an official definition for moonshine, so it generally covers the “other” or “specialty spirit” classification.
- Moonshine remains the Wild West of spirits, but not because of legality reasons,” says Colin Blake, Moonshine University’s Director of Spirits Education,
- Unlike other spirits, legally produced moonshine can be made with any source material, at any proof, can have coloring and flavoring added — the works.
There are no rules for its classification.” In other words, the “moonshine” label we see on spirits today is flexible. It serves as an all-encompassing term for liquor that doesn’t fall into a specifically defined category. That means the moonshine you purchase at your local liquor store is legal and safe for responsible consumption. 
Contents
Why did people make moonshine?
What Is Moonshine? – Casey Jones Distillery, which makes legal moonshine, displays Total Eclipse Moonshine, which was distilled to commemorate the upcoming solar eclipse in 2017. Scott Olson/Getty Images Moonshine is generally considered to be a clear, unaged whiskey with a corn base and a high alcohol content that is made at home.
- For much of its history, moonshine was produced in secret to avoid high taxes or outright bans on alcoholic drinks.
- The term moonshine has been around since at least the early 15th century,
- But it wasn’t until the late 18th century that it was used (in England) to describe illicit or smuggled liquor, due to the fact that it was made and smuggled during the night.
From moonshine came the term moonshiners – the people who make the alcohol. Bootleggers are the smugglers who transport it and sell it. This term was popularized in the 1880s, and came from the practice of concealing illegal liquor in boot tops when going to distribute or trade it.
Bootleggers in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s transported their moonshine at night to avoid detection by the local police, racing along backcountry roads. Their mechanical skills developed as they learned to drastically increase the horsepower of their vehicles to outrun the authorities. They also began racing against each other on the side for fun, and to test their skills.
This created a culture of car-lovers in the southern United States that eventually grew into the popular NASCAR racing series, In fact, the winner of the first NASCAR race, Red Byron, had once been a moonshine runner. Related to moonshiners and bootleggers are rumrunners,
How did moonshine get made?
How is Moonshine Made? · Liquor by Moonlight: Moonshine in Appalachia (Student Exhibit) You can watch a short video about the process ! Like all alcohol, moonshine is made though fermentation and distiliation. While wine is made by fermenting grapes, moonshine and other whiskeys are made by fermenting grains with sugar and yeast.
Who first invented moonshine?
history of moonshine In the South, tracking down and drinking moonshine is a rite of passage. Whether it’s the booze’s rebellious history or its dangerous reputation. Moonshine has cemented a place in the culture at large. Moonshine defines as “whiskey or other strong alcoholic drinks made and sold illegally.” With that definition, it may be confusing to walk into liquor stores and find booze labeled as moonshine.
Part of the problem lies in the lack of federal requirements for labeling something as moonshine. Unlike whiskey, which you must from grain, distilled and bottled at a certain alcohol content, and aged in oak, ‘shine has no equal. Like vodka, you can make it from anything fermentable: fruit, sugar, grain, or milk.
Like vodka, there’s no upper limit on its alcohol content. Unless you want to describe it as white whiskey on the label, you can make it any way you please. So, despite what you might have read in the OED, legally made hooch labeled “moonshine” is all over the place.
Despite its super Southern connotation, hooch isn’t only a Southern drink. The term moonshine has been around since the late 15th century. But, it was first used to refer to liquor in the 18th century in England. The American roots of the practice have their origins in frontier life in Pennsylvania. Also, other grain-producing states.
At the time, farms with grain mills would distill their excess product so that it wouldn’t spoil. Back then, whiskey was even used in some places as currency. history In 1791, the federal government imposed a tax on liquor made in the country, known as the “whiskey tax.” For the next three years, distillers held off the tax collectors by less-than-legal means.
- This brought a U.S.
- Marshal to Pennsylvania to collect the taxes owed.
- More than 500 men attacked the area’s tax inspector general’s home.
- Their commander was then killed, which inspired a protest of nearly6000 people.
- The tax repealed in 1801, and the events from the decade prior came to be the Whiskey Rebellion.
A lot of the lore and legend surrounding moonshine is true. Bad batches or certain production techniques (like distilling in car radiators) could result in liquor that could make you go blind—or worse. Some moonshiners claim that these stories were an effort to discredit their work.
- Legal producers differ.
- Either way, the federal government commissioned Louis Armstrong to record radio ads about the dangers of drinking it.
- You should see all the Moonshine we have in our store,
- Don’t confuse moonshiners with bootleggers.
- Moonshiners make the liquor, while bootleggers smuggle it.
- The term bootlegger refers to the habit of hiding flasks in the boot tops around the 1880s.
But, with the introduction of cars, it came to mean anyone who smuggled booze. Mechanics found ways to soup up engines and modify cars to hide and transport as much moonshine as possible. In running from the law, these whiskey runners acquired some serious driving skills.
- On their off days, they’d race against each other, a pastime that would eventually breed NASCAR.
- The two were so closely linked, in fact, that a moonshiner gave seed money for NASCAR to its founder Bill France.
- Another well-known link is Robert Glenn Johnson, better known as Junior Johnson.
- As the son of a notorious moonshiner, this former driver and NASCAR team owner recently partnered with a North Carolina-based distillery to produce “Midnight Moon.” Whether you call it “shine”, rotgut, white lightning, firewater, skull pop, mountain dew, or moonshine.
Its rebellious history and contentious present make it a helluva drink. If you want to learn more about the History of Moonshine, please follow Tennessee Shine. CO.
Why you should drink moonshine?
It’s Versatile – One of the top reasons people like to drink moonshine is its versatility. Depending on the flavor, you can mix it, drink it on ice, make your favorite cocktails, or enjoy it neat. Here are some ways people prefer their moonshine:
An Arnold Palmer: instead of vodka, add moonshine to your mix of lemonade and sweet tea. Mix it with Coke. A grapefruit juice and moonshine combination is refreshing in the summer.
Why is moonshine made in the woods?
The term ‘moonshiner’ was popularized in the 18 th century, where individuals deep in the woods of the Appalachia attempting to avoid being caught by police distilled under the light of the moon. Moonshine consists of: Corn. Barley.
Why is moonshine made in the woods?
The term ‘moonshiner’ was popularized in the 18 th century, where individuals deep in the woods of the Appalachia attempting to avoid being caught by police distilled under the light of the moon. Moonshine consists of: Corn. Barley.