From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Type | Whisky |
---|---|
Alcohol by volume | At least 40% |
Proof (US) | At least 80° |
Colour | Clear to off-white depending on ingredients |
Ingredients | Grain ( mashing ), sugar ( fermented water ) |
Related products | Bourbon whiskey, corn whiskey, Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, rye whiskey, Tennessee whiskey |
Moonshine is high-proof liquor, generally whiskey, traditionally made, or at least distributed, illegally, Its clandestine distribution is known as bootlegging, The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection.
Contents
Why did moonshine get banned?
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 is the story behind moonshine?
The History of Moonshine in the United States Inspection of Homemade Moonshine Moonshine has played an important role in American history. In fact, moonshine wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for American history. Mankind has produced alcohol for thousands of years. However, the American government was one of the first major governments in the world to tax and control the alcohol industry.
- The moment the government started to tax and control alcohol was also the moment the moonshine industry began.
- The term “moonshine” comes from the fact that illegal spirits were made under the light of the moon.
- In every part of America, early moonshiners worked their stills at night to avoid detection from authorities.
The United States started taxing liquors and spirits shortly after the American Revolution. In the years following the Revolution, the United States was struggling to pay the bills of the long war. Taxing liquors and spirits was an effective way to generate revenue for the government.
- In the early frontier days of American history, moonshine wasn’t a hobby: it was a part-time job,
- Many farmers relied on moonshine manufacturing to survive bad years.
- Low-value corn crops could be turned into high-value whisky.
- Back in those days, Americans hated paying liquor taxes.
- They hated taxes so much that revenuers, the government agents who came to collect taxes, were often attacked, tarred, and feathered when they came to visit.
The tension between the government and its citizens eventually boiled over into a conflict called the Whisky Rebellion, which began in 1791 during George Washington’s presidency. Although the Whisky Rebellion was a violent resistance movement, fewer than 15 people were killed throughout the entire conflict. To suppress the rebellion, George Washington led a coalition of 13,000 militia troops into western Pennsylvania – which was the center of the rebellion and America’s frontier country at the time.
- Washington successfully suppressed the Whisky Rebellion.
- This marked an important point in U.S.
- History because it proved that the newly formed country could suppress violent uprisings within its own territory.
- But, ultimately, the rebels were successful because in 1801 Thomas Jefferson and his Republican Party repealed the tax to widespread public support.
During the Civil War, the American government once again imposed excise taxes on its citizens to fund the war. Revenuers and IRS officials cracked down harshly on moonshiners, leading to many violent conflicts throughout the country. During the Whisky Rebellion, moonshiners were portrayed as heroes standing against an oppressive government.
After the Civil War, that attitude shifted. Many now saw moonshiners as violent criminals. In 1920, moonshiners across the country rejoiced: Prohibition was passed across the nation. Legal alcohol was no longer available anywhere. Overnight, illegal liquor became one of the most profitable businesses in America.
Organized crime took over the moonshine business and distillers sprung up across the country to keep up with demand. Producers began to sell watered-down moonshine based on sugar instead of corn. Speakeasies – complete with hidden doors, passwords, and secret escape routes – could be found in every city in America.
- The good times couldn’t last forever for moonshiners.
- In 1933, Prohibition was repealed and the moonshine market dwindled to a shadow of its former self.
- Today, moonshine is viewed much differently than it was a few decades ago.
- Only a few developed countries in the world let residents legally produce their own home-brewed spirits.
New Zealand, for example, allows home distillation for personal consumption but not for private sale. Whether producing or running a clandestine distillery, you’re sipping on American history every time you pour yourself a glass of moonshine. : The History of Moonshine in the United States
Why did people drink moonshine?
Prohibition and Bootlegging – Because liquor and all other alcoholic substances were illegal, moonshine became more and more popular during prohibition, and for good reason. It was hard to sneak booze, but moonshine was so potent that you didn’t need to have too much of it on hand to get drunk.
That made it the most cost-effective alcoholic beverage to purchase and share with friends. Bootlegging moonshine was also popular during prohibition. Many people transported moonshine throughout the United States because it was easy to hide from the authorities. Instead of having to hide a large container of beer, they could smuggle a small amount of moonshine that was capable of getting the same amount of people drunk.
During prohibition, moonshine was made with a few different methods. However, the most popular was “The Studer Method” popularized by brothers Robert J. and Joseph M. Studer. They used a distiller and added sugar, yeast, water, rye, and fruits to the barrels.
Is moonshine real or not?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Type | Whisky |
---|---|
Alcohol by volume | At least 40% |
Proof (US) | At least 80° |
Colour | Clear to off-white depending on ingredients |
Ingredients | Grain ( mashing ), sugar ( fermented water ) |
Related products | Bourbon whiskey, corn whiskey, Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, rye whiskey, Tennessee whiskey |
Moonshine is high-proof liquor, generally whiskey, traditionally made, or at least distributed, illegally, Its clandestine distribution is known as bootlegging, The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection.
What’s another name for moonshine?
Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group. On this page you’ll find 22 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to moonshine, such as: bootleg, firewater, hooch, rotgut, bathtub gin, and home brew.
Can moonshine hurt you?
Consuming Methanol In Moonshine – Upon first sip, the dangerous potential of methanol is undetectable. It will simply get people drunker. However, after it is metabolized, the methanol can have an extremely harmful effect in someone’s body.10 milliliters (ml) of methanol is all it takes to permanently damage the optic nerve and cause partial, if not complete, blindness.30 ml of methanol is lethal.
For reference, and standard shot glass in the United States holds 40 ml. If less than 10 ml of methanol is consumed then the worst someone will experience is a hangover, (albeit, quite possibly the worst hangover of their life). However, if someone consumes 10 ml or more of methanol, even split up among drinks, that can be enough to cause permanent damage or kill them.
While there are processes today to discard the toxic alcohol that is visually indistinguishable from water, some illegal Moonshiners will add methanol back in to provide a stronger potency. Obviously, without regulation, there is no way to know if illicit alcohol contains methanol.
Who started 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.
Why is moonshine in a jar?
3 Surprising Moonshine Facts With its long and rich history in our region, we East Tennesseans love our moonshine. Coupled with its delicious taste, it is something our state is known for and takes pride in. However — like anything deep in tradition — no matter how much we think we know about moonshine, it has plenty of secrets. Here are a few little-known facts about the beloved spirit:
The Meaning Behind Those Three X’s
Ever seen one of those cartoons of Appalachian folk holding big jugs marked “XXX”? Those three X’s became an iconic symbol of moonshine — if a jug had that special marking, you knew what was in it. But what is the meaning behind it? Simply put, the X marking indicated how many times that particular batch of moonshine was distilled.
The Reason for the Mason Jar
For people new to moonshine, they might see the classic mason jar as quite difficult to manage, especially when trying to pour it into a glass. However, there’s a reason modern moonshine distillers have stuck to the age-old jar — tradition. In the south, everything is canned, from fruit preserves to green beans to alcohol.
It’s Smoother Than You Might Think
Moonshine has the reputation of “burning” and being hard to swallow. Maybe it’s the high alcohol content. But interestingly, most modern moonshine from distilleries are bottled at 100 proof, which can be lower than many popular liquors like whiskey, vodka, and gin.
Why is moonshine illegal in the UK?
You are allowed to distill alcoholic drinks, but you must get a licence. This is because the tax on alcohol is very high and the Government want to maximise their tax revenue. There has also recently been a health based concern.
Is moonshine banned in the US?
While individuals of legal drinking age may produce wine or beer at home for personal or family use, Federal law strictly prohibits individuals from producing distilled spirits at home (see 26 United States Code (U.S.C.) 5042(a)(2) and 5053(e)). Producing distilled spirits at any place other than a TTB-qualified distilled spirits plant can expose you to Federal charges for serious offenses and lead to consequences including, but not necessarily limited to, the following:
Within title 26 of the United States Code, section 5601 sets out criminal penalties for activities including the following. Offenses under this section are felonies that are punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each offense.
- 5601(a)(1) – Possession of an unregistered still.
- 5601(a)(2) – Engaging in business as a distiller without filing an application and receiving notice of registration.
- 5601(a)(6) – Distilling on a prohibited premises. (Under 26 U.S.C.5178(a)(1)(B), a distilled spirits plant may not be located in a residence or in sheds, yards, or enclosures connected to a residence.)
- 5601(a)(7) – Unlawful production or use of material fit for production of distilled spirits.
- 5601(a)(8) – Unlawful production of distilled spirits.
- 5601(a)(11) – Purchase, receipt, and/or processing of distilled spirits when the person who does so knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that Federal excise tax has not been paid on the spirits.
- 5601(a)(12) – Removal or concealment of distilled spirits on which tax has not been paid.
Under 26 U.S.C.5602, engaging in business as a distiller with intent to defraud the United States of tax is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Under 26 U.S.C.5604(a)(1), transporting, possessing, buying, selling, or transferring any distilled spirit unless the container bears the closure required by 26 U.S.C.5301(d) (i.e., a closure that must be broken in order to open the container) is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each offense.
- Under 26 U.S.C.5613, all distilled spirits not closed, marked, and branded as required by law and the TTB regulations shall be forfeited to the United States.
- In addition, 26 U.S.C.5615(1) provides that unregistered stills and/or distilling apparatus also will be forfeited.
- Under 26 U.S.C.5615(3), whenever any person carries on the business of a distiller without having given the required bond or with the intent to defraud the United States of tax on distilled spirits, the personal property of that person located in the distillery, and that person’s interest in the tract of land on which the still is located, shall be forfeited to the United States.
Under 26 U.S.C.5686, possessing liquor or property intended to be used in violation of the law is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Such liquor and property is also subject to the seizure and forfeiture provisions in 26 U.S.C.5688.
Under 26 U.S.C.7201, any person who willfully attempts to evade or defeat any Internal Revenue Code tax (including the tax on distilled spirits) has committed a felony and shall be fined up to $100,000, imprisoned for up to 5 years, or both, plus the cost of prosecution. Under 26 U.S.C.7301, any property subject to tax, or raw materials and/or equipment for the production of such property, in the possession of any person for the purpose of being sold or removed in violation of the internal revenue laws may be seized and shall be forfeited to the United States.
In addition, any property (including aircraft, vehicles, and vessels) used to transport or used as a container for such property or materials may be seized and shall be forfeited to the United States. Further, 26 U.S.C.7302 adds that it is unlawful to possess any property intended for use, or which has been used, in violation of the internal revenue laws; no property rights shall exist in any such property.