Mountain State Matters

Let’s talk about moonshine.

This potent beverage, also known as “white lightening,” “’shine,” “corn likker” and “rotgut” is still technically illegal in the United States. It used to be brewed in the light of the moon, hence the name, in old-fashioned moonshine stills (like in the picture). Today, however, it’s just as likely to be brewed in someone’s kitchen. Depending on the distiller’s taste, you can get many flavors, ranging from apple to cherry to peach.

The truth is though, that moonshine tastes like very strong liquor, regardless of the flavor. So why the allure? Is it a desire to get drunker while drinking less, or curiosity about moonshine? It sure isn’t cheap to buy, and will definitely set you back more than a cheap bottle of vodka.

A recent article in the Knoxville Voice addresses the mystique surrounding moonshine. The whole article is really interesting, but here’s a snippet:

The average jar of moonshine ranges between 90- and 140-proof. The masters say once beyond the 100-proof level, 50 percent alcohol content, the fun component begins to wane and the headaches increase exponentially. Everclear grain alcohol is sold at 190-proof. Southern Comfort whiskey is 100-proof. Moonshine can be made stronger than those, but it usually isn’t. Even if it were, most wouldn’t want to drink it, as it would contain a flavor similar to lighter fluid — which it practically is; 190-proof alcohol is highly flammable.

Although I couldn’t find the fabled land of moonshine bars and open stills, I’ve still seen plenty of jars passed around at parties and gatherings in the area. So why do some go to the trouble of obtaining it, paying cash and risking arrest or fine? Why do people still risk everything they have to make it?

“Right now, there’s a whole lot of nostalgia involved,” says Stephen Feinstein, East Tennessee moonshine maker and historian. “My grandfather did it. He got sick, but then his uncle was one of the largest bootleggers in Nashville. It’s a family thing, and it’s very important to me. My grandfather was a legend, and that’s why I got into the whiskey.”

And that is a common answer: People who make moonshine are celebrating their family’s history and culture. Perhaps people who drink moonshine want a piece of that history, want to be a part of that narrative.

“People buy it now out of curiosity,” says Feinstein. “People call other people to say ‘I got moonshine.’ It’s expensive, but people want to say they have it. I don’t think most of them like it. Some just buy it to have it at a party. It’s the allure.”

For anyone who wants to try their hand at manufacturing it, here’s a convenient video from YouTube. I’m not a huge fan of the music choice (”Banana Boat Song” and “Eye of the Tiger,”) and I have no idea how accurate it is, but I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

Photo by: Bluegrass Annie