Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Whether you prefer the original recipe, apple pie flavored, or any other twist on this classic, Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine remains one of the best moonshine brands out there.
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What state produced the most moonshine?
Moonshine in North Carolina –
Call Family moonshines 
Moonshine running car 
Copper Barrel moonshines
The story of North Carolina moonshine is mostly centered around Wilkes County, which was called the moonshine capital of the world by federal revenue officers. Some might debate that title, but you can’t deny that the mountains of North Carolina are steeped in illegal liquor history.
- Some have carried over into the modern age.
- Call Family Distillers is a one such, led by “The Uncatchable” Willie Call.
- In fact, a relative teamed up with Jack Daniel in the 1800s but later sold his stake in the company.
- Nearby Copper Barrel Distillery uses local North Carolina products and bottles their unique moonshine in custom made milk bottles.
Piedmont Distillers Inc was formed in 2005 as the state’s first legal distillery. Their most well-known product is Midnight Moon, produced by Nascar legend Junior Johnson. And in Asheville, Asheville Distilling Company, also known as Troy and Sons, creates their “true American moonshine” with the finest products available.
Where is the moonshine capital of America?
Many people know a little bit about the era of Prohibition in America or have at least watched films about moonshiners, such as the 2012 Hollywood drama “Lawless” starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy, adapted from the novel The Wettest County in the World by Virginia-native author (and descendant of the Bondurant family) Matt Bondurant.
What country invented 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. 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 nearly 6000 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.
Who is the most famous moonshine maker?
Marvin ‘Popcorn’ Sutton The most recognized modern moonshiner, good old hillbilly Popcorn Sutton was born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina in 1949. After assaulting a 10-cent bar popcorn machine with a cue ball, he got the nickname ‘Popcorn’.
Who is the most wanted moonshine in America?
Climax Spirits – As America’s Most Wanted Moonshiner, Tim Smith is pursued by lawmen and drinkers alike. Tim pot-distills his whiskey the same way his family has for generations. It’s what makes Tim Smith’s Climax Spirits one of the best in the world.
What is the oldest moonshine distillery in America?
Buffalo Trace is the oldest continuously operating distillery in America.
Who first invented moonshine?
Moonshine’s Not Just a Southern Thing – Courtesy Zenith Press While moonshine is deeply rooted in Southern culture and heritage, its origins, in fact, can be traced to Pennsylvania. Farmer-distillers in the western part of the state protested when the federal government passed the distilled-spirits tax in 1791.
- They tarred and feathered tax collectors and fired upon their homes.
- These actions sparked the Whiskey Rebellion and nearly set off America’s first civil war.
- Moonshine production later took hold in big cities.
- In Brooklyn, the waterfront neighborhood known today as Vinegar Hill was a hotbed of illegal whiskey making.
In 1869, law enforcement went hard and fast against the Irish immigrants who’d set up hidden distilleries there and refused to pay government taxes on their product. In a predawn raid they hacked up stills, confiscated whiskey, and hauled it back to the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Of course, this didn’t stop people from making booze. By the early 1900s, more moonshine was produced in New York City than in all the South combined. During Prohibition, a one-day sweep in Chicago, in June, 1925, resulted in 50 raids, 320 arrests, and 10,000 gallons of seized liquor. According to the Chicago Daily Tribune, the Genna crime family had brought laborers over from Italy “to distill moonshine.” Meanwhile, Prohibition agents in Los Angeles found inside a five-room ranch house a 250-gallon still and 800 gallons of mash, the soupy, fermented grain that’s used to make the liquor.
A story in the New York Times reported moonshine being made in San Francisco, Oregon, and Washington State.
Who is the father of moonshine?
Popcorn Sutton: The Father Of Tennessee Moonshine Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton was an all-American moonshiner, hiding out in the backwoods of Tennessee making white lightning. Being a third-generation moonshiner, Popcorn Sutton spent the last three decades building a reputation as one of the South’s elite makers of white whiskey.
- He earned the name Popcorn Sutton after an unfortunate incident with a balky barroom popcorn machine, according to interviews with his friends.
- Popcorn Sutton was a hard-as-nails moonshiner who didn’t keep the fact that he was making moonshine hidden.
- Sutton appeared in several documentaries and tourist gifts, and he even wrote an autobiography about his life as a moonshiner called “Me and My Likker.” He was very active in the community of Parrotsville, Tennessee and helped the local Misty Mountain Ranch Bed & Breakfast in nearby Maggie Valley, N.C.
Crowds would gather on the inn’s porch to listen to Popcorn serenade guests with his banjo and singing.The government took notice of Popcorn Sutton’s work, and they raided his property in 2007. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discovered 850 gallons of moonshine that was stored on his property, and they convicted him of two 18-month sentence for illegally brewing spirits.
However, Sutton never saw the inside of a jail cell, as he passed away in 2009. Today, the Tennessee moonshine tradition lives on with the Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery. Located in downtown Gatlinburg, Ole Smoky Moonshine (legally!) sells white lightning made the old fashioned way. Visit their to learn more about their free distillery tours and tastings.
If you will be in Gatlinburg in late September, be sure to check out Ole Smoky Moonshine’s Fast Cars N Mason Jars Festival. This free event features music, racing and plenty to drink. Learn more about the Moonshine Festival ! : Popcorn Sutton: The Father Of Tennessee Moonshine
Why do people shake moonshine jars?
The experienced, old school moonshiners are able to tell the proof of their moonshine by simply shaking the mason jar and observing the bubbles. If the moonshine has large bubbles that dissolve quickly it indicates the moonshine has a high alcohol content.
What is the proof of real moonshine?
What is the Proof of Moonshine? – Moonshine has a minimum alcohol content of 150 proof (75 percent ABV) and the maximum alcohol content is 190 proof (95 percent ABV). In this way it is very similar to Everclear and the same warnings should be considered in regard to its consumption.
Why was moonshine illegal in the US?
Why is Moonshine Illegal? – “While many people understand that making distilled spirits at home is illegal, they’re not sure why or how these laws came to be,” Colin Spoelman, co-founder of Brooklyn’s Kings County Distillery and author of Guide to Urban Moonshining: How to Make and Drink Whiskey, tells Inverse,
- The law seems unreasonable on the surface, but when you dig into its history, it becomes a little more clear.
- Rather than the government fearing you’ll turn yourself blind, the restrictions on moonshine actually boil down to taxes.
- It all began right after the American Revolution, Spoelman explains, during which time the government began to place excise taxes on alcohol in order to pay off its debt from the war.
From the start, American farmers producing the grain that’s used in moonshine were not having it — after all, they did just fight against the British’s tax tariffs. This tension eventually led to the Whiskey Rebellion, in which George Washington lead a crackdown on farmers making money by distilling their grain into moonshine.
- Fast forward to the Civil War era, and making moonshine without paying taxes was officially deemed illegal.
- In 1862 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’s (ATF) passed the 1862 Revenue Act,
- This act officially imposed a tax on alcohol, among other items, which made distilling without a permit even harder to get away with.
The law is meant to “collect taxes, including highly lucrative tariffs on imported distilled spirits and tobacco products.” Unfortunately, this also covered homemade spirits, and it’s been illegal to make spirits in American homes ever since.
What state produces the most whiskey?
Kentucky and Tennessee – Of course, the search for America’s best whiskey starts with the two states that are the spiritual home of the American whiskey industry – Kentucky and Tennessee. Many experts generally acknowledge Kentucky to be the premier whiskey-distilling region in the country, followed by Tennessee as a close second.
Buffalo Trace Distillery: Frankfort, Kentucky George Dickel: Tullahoma, Tennessee Jack Daniel’s: Lynchburg, Tennessee Jim Beam: Clermont, Kentucky Maker’s Mark: Loretto, Kentucky Tom Moore: Bardstown, Kentucky Wild Turkey: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky Woodford Reserve: Versailles, Kentucky
Also read, Distilleries That Are Making Top Bourbon Whiskeys Of course, those are just the operational whiskey distilleries that are open to the public. There are many more craft distilleries that have legions of fans, all of them loyal to Kentucky whiskey.
Angel’s Envy Distillery: Louisville, Kentucky Bulleit Frontier Whiskey: Louisville, Kentucky Evan Williams: Louisville, Kentucky Four Roses Distillery: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky Heaven Hill: Bardstown, Kentucky Lexington Brewing and Distilling: Lexington, Kentucky
And those are just the biggest distilleries. Kentucky also promotes the Bourbon Trail “Craft Tour,” which takes visitors to places like Bardstown, Lexington, and Louisville to check out the state’s best craft distillers.
What is the biggest moonshine distillery?
GATLINBURG, Tenn.-( BUSINESS WIRE )- Ole Smoky Distilleries were once again the most visited distilleries in the world in 2021. According to on-premise traffic counters, the four Ole Smoky Tennessee distillery destinations welcomed more than 5.7 million visitors in 2021, up from the distilleries’ previous record of 4.5 million visitors.
- Ole Smoky Distilleries craft both moonshine and whiskies and feature tastings for visitors every day of the week.
- Ole Smoky’s The Holler in Gatlinburg welcomed 2.6 million visitors, The Barrelhouse in Gatlinburg welcomed 1.1 million guests, Pigeon Forge’s distillery, The Barn, welcomed 1.3 million visitors, and Nashville’s 6 th & Peabody welcomed 0.7 million visitors in 2021.
“In 2021, Ole Smoky Distillery saw significant brand growth and more than one million additional visitors experiencing our four distilleries in Tennessee. We are proud that each year more and more people visit our distilleries to try our growing variety of quality moonshine and whiskey products,” said Robert Hall, CEO, Ole Smoky Distillery.
“We know that part of the increase in visitors came from our regional drive markets, as more people took to the roads last year. We are also fortunate to be in Gatlinburg, a family-friendly destination that hosted more visitors at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, more than 14 million, as well as other new local attractions.
East Tennessee truly became a more desirable travel location for so many this past year.” By comparison, Ole Smoky entertains more than twice as many guests as all of Scotland’s distilleries combined. According to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), Scotland’s 134 whiskey distilleries saw 2.2 million visitors in 2021.
Ole Smoky’s 5.7 million visitors is more than triple the 1.7 million people who visit all of the distilleries combined on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail each year. Each Ole Smoky distillery location includes working stills and fermentation tanks and an expansive visitor experience, including self-guided tours, moonshine and whiskey tastings, live music, and large retail shops featuring Ole Smoky moonshine, whiskey, apparel, accessories, and food.
As the largest craft distiller in the U.S., Ole Smoky Moonshine is also the No.1 selling moonshine brand in the world and Nielsen indicates that Ole Smoky’s market share is over four times that of its nearest competitor. In 2021, Ole Smoky Distillery introduced its small-batch premium whiskey brand with their first expression honoring family ties, James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
About Ole Smoky® Distillery LLC Ole Smoky is one of the fastest growing spirits companies in the US and is the leading distiller of premium moonshine in the world, the leading craft distiller in the US and the first federally licensed distillery in the history of East Tennessee. Founded in 2010, Ole Smoky’s roots are traced to the Smoky Mountains’ earliest settlers, families who produced moonshine with enduring pride and Appalachian spirit.
Ole Smoky Distillery has been recognized for two consecutive years on the notable Inc.5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies. Today, Ole Smoky retails in all 50 states and over 20 countries around the world and offers more than 25 creative moonshine flavors and 17 inventive whiskey flavors.
What percent is Tennessee moonshine?
How strong is Ole Smoky Moonshine? Ole Smoky Moonshine has an alcohol by volume (ABV) measure of 50% or 100-proof.
