Moonshine

Moonshining is the making of whiskey surreptitiously and illegally. Because the activity of distilling whiskey unlawfully was usually done at night under the light of the moon, the word became both a verb, meaning making the liquor, and a noun, meaning the liquor that was made. The reason it is done at night, and usually somewhere away from houses and buildings, is that the distillation process requires heat to boil the alcoholic liquor from the "mash," so it produces a considerable amount of smoke and steam, which can be visible for a great distance if it is done outdoors in the daytime. The fire can be seen at night if the still is not set up inside a building or somewhere hidden by rocks and/or trees, but buildings (and caves) are not considered as safe as outdoor locations, in case of a raid by the law enforcement authorities (or competition).

Some "shiners", as they were called, made a firebox out of stones or bricks, to keep the flames contained while concealing them, and to keep the still off the ground. Quite often, a dry creek bed was employed, particularly in Florida. Many stills were mainly made of copper, which is considered helpful in maintaining a good taste in distilled liquor. A shiner would often make his own still.

Selling moonshine or legally-made alcohol in an illegal manner is "bootlegging". One person may perform both functions. A U.S. synonym for moonshine is hooch, a word apparently borrowed into English ca. 1867 from the Hoochinoo tribe of Alaska, noted for its homemade liquor. White lightning, mountain dew, stumpholewater, liquid stumpblaster, mule-kick, and white mule are also attested.

History of moonshining in Appalachia

Appalachia, generally the rural region of the United States in the vicinity of the Appalachian Mountains, has a history of small-scale whiskey production as part of its culture.

The production of whiskey in this area predates the federal taxation of alcoholic beverages. For farmers in remote parts of the country, it was a way to turn their corn into quick cash when grain prices were down. The imposition of a tax on whiskey was considered an unwanted federal intervention and was largely ignored. The Department of the Treasury sent special agents — "revenuers" — to prosecute unlawful distilling. Gun battles sometimes occurred when revenuers arrived to enforce the tax. Those battles are often referred to as the Whiskey Rebellion.

The grain used to make the mash, which is the mixture of grain, sugar, water, and yeast that ferments to produce the alcohol, is virtually always corn, so the product is "corn liquor" (also known as "corn whiskey"), sometimes called "mountain dew" because it appears overnight, or simply "shine". (The clear, potent (i.e. high-proof) liquor is also called "white lightning" because of its effect, or "kick".) Today, commercial hog chow is often used, because it is primarily corn and readily available, and more importantly because buying it in the quantities required is a normal part of farming operations and thus does not attract the attention of law enforcement. Other corn-based animal feeds can be used instead, and differences in the other ingredients in the feed impart slightly different flavors to the finished product. Ordinary white sugar is often the chief ingredient of moonshine mash, in which case the spirit distilled is technically a rum rather than a whiskey.

The federal authorities who police moonshining are traditionally termed "revenuers" because they historically worked for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), which was part of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service until July 1972, when it became a separate bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury. When the Department of Homeland Security was created in 2003, most of BATF was moved to the new agency, but alcohol enforcement remained in Treasury, handled by the new Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Handling shipments of moonshine is often called "Ridge-Running", "Whiskey-Running", or simply "running" it, by analogy to "rum-running," which originally meant smuggling rum by ship.

Finding old moonshine stills in the backwoods of the mountains and piedmont area of North Carolina is not uncommon. Wilkesboro and Wilkes County in particular were well known for its moonshining operations. The first NASCAR event -- an offshoot of moonshine runners' hopped up cars -- was held at the short track in Wilkesboro. Some towns embrace their moonshine background such as Stokesdale, North Carolina [1] which has a moonshine still on its town seal.

Franklin County, Virginia is known as the Moonshine Capital of the world, although any remote locale in the Appalachian mountains or the US South could probably lay claim to that title.

Moonshine production today

Moonshine continues to be produced in the U.S., mainly in Appalachia and parts of the South. The simplicity of the process, and the easy availability of key ingredients such as a corn and sugar, make enforcement a difficult task. However, the huge price advantage that moonshine once held over its "legitimate" competition legally sold has been reduced. Nevertheless, over half the retail price of a bottle of distilled spirits typically consists of taxes. Many of those who buy moonshine do so for the thrill of obtaining and consuming an illicit product and as a defiance of authority. Also, the number of jurisdictions which ban the sale of alcoholic beverages is steadily decreasing. This means that many of the former consumers of moonshine are much nearer to a legal alcohol sales outlet than was formerly the case. Moonshining is far from totally over, but is certainly far less widespread than was the case decades ago. For individual moonshiners, with purchase of cheap refined white sugar, moonshine can be produced at a small fraction of the price of heavily taxed and legally sold distilled spirits. This alcohol is also used for some for herbal tinctures.

Product safety

Sloppily-produced moonshine can be contaminated with toxins, mainly from materials used in construction of the still. Despite the well-known hazards, it is claimed that stills constructed using car radiators for a condenser are still used. The lead used in soldering these radiators ends up in the moonshine, and in some cases, glycol products from antifreeze used in the radiator can appear as well. Both are poisonous.

Occasionally moonshine is deliberately mixed with industrial alcohol-containing products, including methanol and denatured alcohol. Results are toxic, with methanol easily capable of causing blindness and death. This resulted in moonshine being known as white lightning, since anyone drinking this mixture would literally be 'struck blind'.

In the past moonshine has been mixed with soap, in order to fool people into believing that it is of a higher proof.

Methanol and other toxic alcohols can occur naturally in distilled spirits and are called fusel oils. The methanol is concentrated in the first few percent of condensate produced in a batch. The fusel oils are mostly found at the end of a batch or run. Ordinarily these portions are discarded, though if ingested alone or included with the rest of the distilled product it may cause toxic effects. Like commercial beer, wine, and liquor, properly produced moonshine contains small amounts of methanol at levels that are not toxic. A common way to determine the "quality control" of a batch of moonshine was to see if the moonshiner would dare to drink it.

A common quality test for moonshine was to pour a small quantity of it into a metal spoon and set it alight. Safe distillate burns with a blue flame, but tainted distillate burns with a yellow flame. If a radiator coil had been used as a condenser there would be lead in the alcohol, which would give a reddish flame. This lead to the phrase: "Lead burns red and makes you dead." Of course, these tests should not be solely relied upon to test the purity of moonshine or any distilled alcohol.

In addition, moonshine that is over 100 proof (i.e. 50%) is very flammable and easily ignitable. This is especially true during the distilling process in which oxidized vaporized alcohol can accumulate in the air if there is not enough ventilation.

Iron poisoning can sometimes result from uncoated iron tubs in which the mash has been boiled.

Moonshining worldwide

Armenia

The Armenian name for moonshine is aragh (interestingly, in Farsi, it means "sweat" which is probably a reference to the similarities in color); however, the Russian word samogon is used more often, as aragh is synonymous with regular vodka. The production of samogon is widespread in Armenia. White mulberry, grape and apricot moonshine are especially popular, particularly in the countryside.

Czech Republic

Czech moonshine is traditionally made from distilling plums and is known as 'slivovitz'. Traditionally produced in many garages and cellars, it is particularly popular in the east of the country, Moravia.

Finland

Finnish moonshine is home-made vodka, usually made from any fermentable carbohydrates, most commonly grain, sugar or potato. The most common name is pontikka. It is said that this name came about due to the poor quality French wine from Pontacq. Other names are kotipolttoinen (home burnt), ponu (short from pontikka), tuliliemi (fire sauce), moscha (most common finnish-swedish term), korpiroju (wildwood junk) or korpikuusen kyyneleet (tears of wildwood spruce) as stills often are located in distant and badly accessible places. Pirtu refers to Rectified Spirit, currently illegal outside medicinal or technical purposes.

Unlicensed moonshining is illegal in Finland, but it is often considered a challenge or hobby. In practice prosecution follows only if authorities become aware that the product is being sold. Most Finnish moonshiners use simple pot stills and flash distillation. Some have constructed sophisticated reflux or rock stills for fractional distillation, containing plate columns or packed columns, with reflux filling components of Raschig rings, crushed glass, nuts, glass pellets or steel wool.

Iceland

Icelandic moonshine is largely made by hobbyists as a protest against the high liquor taxes enforced by the government. Due to the lack of natural cover and harsh weather conditions, most "moonshining" activity occurs indoors in a controlled environment. Although potatoes are the most common constituent of Icelandic moonshine, any carbohydrate can be used, including stale bread.

Ireland

Potato-based moonshine made illegally in Ireland, is called poitín (IPA [ˈpˠocʲiːn], anglicized as poteen or potcheen) or formerly potheen (IPA [ˈpɒtiːn] but in Ireland [ˈpɔtʃiːn]). The term is a diminutive of the word pota 'a pot'.

Poland

The Polish name for moonshine is bimber; although the word samogon (from Russian) is also used. Far less common is the word księżycówka, which literally means moonshine. The tradition of producing moonshine might be traced back to the middle ages when tavern-owners used to manufacture vodka for local sales mainly from various kinds of grain and fruits. Later on, other means were adopted, particularly those based on fermentation of yeast with the help of sugar. Some of the moonshine is also made from distilling plums and is known under the name of śliwowica (similar to the Czech word 'slivovitz'). The plum moonshine made in area of Łącko (Southern Poland) called Łącka Śliwowica gained nation-wide fame, with tourists travelling long distances to buy one or two bottles of this strong liquor.

In Poland, the simplest recipe for producing moonshine by fermentation of yeast with the use of 1 kilogram of sugar, 4 liters of water, and 10 dkg of yeast is jokingly abbreviated as 1410 - the year of the Battle of Grunwald, most famous victory of Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and their allies over the Knights of the Teutonic Order in the Middle Ages.

Scotland

Illicitly produced whisky from Scotland is called peatreek. The term refers to the aroma (or reek) infused in the drink by drying the malted barley over a peat fire.

Slovenia

In Slovenia, especially in the western part, moonshine is destiled from fermented grapes, which were left from wine production, and sugar if necessary. It is called tropinovec (tropine, means squeezed half-dried grapes, in the west of the country) or Šnopc. Because it has around 60%-70% of alcohol is often mixed with boiled water to make it lighter( vol. 50%). Tropinovec is rarely drank in large quantities. It is often mixed with fruits (cherries, pears, etc.) to cover the strong odor and taste, or herbs (Anise, Wolf's bane, etc.) for medical treatment.

Sweden

The most common moonshine ("hembränt", literally "home burnt") in Sweden is made of potatoes and/or sugar. Common nicknames are "Skogsstjärnan" (forest star), "Garagenkorva" (a wordplay on "garage" and "Koskenkorva") and "Chateau de Garage" (a pun on French wine brands).

Swedish moonshine is often used for the drink "Höger, vänster", meaning "Right, left", in which you have moonshine in the right hand and soda in the left, and drink one mouth-full each, in that order.

New Zealand

New Zealand is one of the few countries where home distillation is legal. In New Zealand, stills and instruction in their use are sold openly.

Norway

Due to very high taxation of alcohol, moonshining continues to be a popular albeit illegal activity in various parts of the country, especially in rural areas of the Trøndelag and northern parts of the Østlandet regions and Solør. Moonshine is called Hjemmebrent in Norwegian, and the Mash is called Sats. In the county of Telemark mash is also referred to as Bæs. In the old days on Finnskogen they called the mash The Wine of the Forest (Skogens vin), this name was mostly used by the poorer people who didn't have access to distilling equipment. Moonshine is commonly enjoyed mixed with coffee, and sometimes a spoon of sugar, in Norway. This drink is called Karsk in Trøndelag and the northern parts of Østlandet, and Kaffedoktor (in Solør). While brewing is permitted in Norway, distilling is not permitted, and it is illegal to possess equipment for distilling. All alcoholic beverages above 60% (NOT vol. %) are considered hard drugs in Norway, and as such prohibited, and heavily punished.

United States

Although home distillation of ethanol for commercial purposes is still illegal in the United States, legislation was introduced [2] in November of 2001 to legalize home distillation in much the same way as home brewing of wine and beer were legalized in 1978. This bill had a single sponsor and did not make it out of committee. Despite the illegal status, home distillation is growing in popularity in the U.S. with ready availability of instructions, materials and support. In Glen Rose, they have an annual moonshine festival.

Russian Federation

The Russian name for any home-made distilled alcoholic beverage is called samogon (ru: самого́н), literally translated as "self-distillate". The most popular source for samogon is sugar as it is quite effective. Samogon of one distillation only is called pervach (ru: первач), literally translated as "the first" - it is well known for its impressive smell. The production of samogon is illegal but widespread in Russia. Samogon, oftentimes had a strong repulsive odor but for lack of any other alcohol, was very popular at one time.

Thailand

In Thailand, home-brewed alcohol, most commonly distilled from rice, is called lao khao (white spirit). It is sometimes mixed with various herbs to produce a medicinal drink called yadong.

Moonshine in popular culture

Moonshine is often portrayed in the media in a clay jug marked only with XXX. Supposedly, the moonshiner would inscribe a single X on the jug each time the mixture passed through a still. This image of a jug or bottle marked XXX is used in comic strips and cartoons to depict an intoxicating beverage. For example, Drinky Crow is often shown drinking from one of these stereotypical jugs. Although clay jugs may have been widely used in the 19th-Century, glass "Mason Jars" have predominated since at least the early 20th-century, with plastic jugs also coming into use in the 1970s. Devotees of Moonshine usually prefer to purchase and consume the elixir from Mason Jars because it is easier to judge quality and lacks the plastic aftertaste.

The 1958 movie Thunder Road was about running moonshine. During Prohibition cars were "souped-up" to create a more maneuverable and faster car. Many of the original drivers of NASCAR were former Ridge-Runners in the cars they raced in.

The the official state song of Tennessee, Rocky Top, was written in the 1960's and makes several references to moonshine.

The official fight song of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) includes the line "Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear" which refers to the consumption of moonshine.

In the popular television series M*A*S*H, the characters Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John, later replaced by B.J. Hunnicutt, made moonshine in a make-shift distillery in their tent.

In The Great Escape (1968), Hilts (Steve McQueen) and Hendley (James Garner) brew moonshine to help celebrate the Fourth of July. It's so strong, upon tasting it, they can only comment "Wow!" very hoarsely.

In the 1980's television show (and 2005 movie) The Dukes of Hazzard, both based on the 1975 movie "Moonrunners", moonshine was a central element of the backstory. The Duke family were covert moonshiners, until the nephews were caught running moonshine out of the county. "Uncle Jesse" made a deal with the government to shut down the moonshining operation; in exchange, his nephews were released and were on probation for most of the series. Many of the early episodes center around moonshine made by someone else, usually associates of Boss Hogg, planting said liquor on Duke property in an effort to revoke the younger Dukes' probation. This series plays off of a large number of the stereotypes commonly associated with the Appalachian moonshiners.

Moonshining (along with alcohol in general) is a common theme in American Country music. It is also the subject of New Zealand rapper Savage's hit single, "Moonshine".

In 2004, the American rock group, Drive-By Truckers recorded a song about moonshining written by Trucker, Mike Cooley's, uncle, Ed Cooley. The song, Where the Devil Don't Stay, became the first track on their 2004 LP, "The Dirty South".

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