Moonshine

Not to be confused with moonlight.

For other uses, see Moonshine (disambiguation).

The Moonshine Man of Kentucky, illustration from Harper's Weekly, 1877, showing five scenes from the life of a Kentucky moonshiner

Moonshine (meaning illicit distillation, also called white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, "Tennessee white whiskey", and many other names) is a very high proof, often 190 proof (95% alcohol), distilled spirit. The word is believed to derive from early English smugglers and illegal Appalachian distillers who clandestinely (i.e., by the light of the moon) produced and distributed whiskey.

Production

Moonshine is any distilled spirit made in an unlicensed still. As with all distilled spirits, yeast or naturally occurring bacteria (such as Zymomonas mobilis) ferments a sugar source to produce alcohol; the alcohol is then extracted through the process of distillation.

Because of its illegal nature, moonshine is rarely aged in barrels like proper whiskey, and it sometimes contains impurities and off flavors. The off flavors may come from improper mashing, fermentation or distillation, and unsuitable storage containers. In popular culture, moonshine is usually presented as being extremely strong and in North America is commonly associated with Appalachia and Atlantic Canada.

Moon-shining is usually done using small-scale stills. Typically, the still is built by the moonshine producer, thus avoiding the legal ramifications of obtaining a still commercially. The pot still is made of copper or stainless steel, and is traditionally accompanied by a water filled barrel with a copper tubing coil acting as a condenser. This traditional structure was popular with early moonshine producers due to its simplicity and ease of construction. More efficient Reflux stills are available to the modern moonshiner, either self-built, assembled from a kit, or purchased fully assembled.

Prevalence

Main article: Moonshine by country

Varieties of moonshine are produced throughout the world.

Uses

Usually, illicit distillation is associated with the making of ethanol for drinking; however, it is also practiced for creating biofuel.

Safety

Former West Virginia moonshiner John Bowman explains the workings of a still. November 1996. American Folklife Center

Poorly produced moonshine can be contaminated, mainly from materials used in construction of the still. Stills employing used automotive radiators as a condenser are particularly dangerous; in some cases, glycol products from antifreeze used in the radiator can appear as well. Radiators used as condensers also may contain lead at the connections to the plumbing. Both glycol and lead are poisonous and potentially deadly.

Although methanol is not produced in toxic amounts by fermentation of sugars from grain starches, contamination is still possible by unscrupulous distillers using cheap methanol to increase the apparent strength of the product. Moonshine can be made both more palatable and less damaging by discarding the "foreshot"—the first few ounces of alcohol that drip from the condenser. The foreshot contains most of the methanol, if any, from the mash. Methanol may be present because it vaporizes at a lower temperature than ethanol. The foreshot also typically contains small amounts of other undesirable compounds such as acetone and various aldehydes.

West Bengal has a thriving moonshine industry, and a methanol-tainted batch killed 143 people in December 2011.

Alcohol concentrations above about 50% alcohol by volume (100 proof) are flammable and therefore dangerous to handle. This is especially true during the distilling process in which vaporized alcohol can accumulate in the air if there is not enough ventilation.

Mixtures

Moonshine has sometimes been mixed with an adulterant (e.g. methanol, lye) with the intent of increasing its apparent alcohol content. Large bubbles with a short duration would indicate a higher alcohol content. This practice has sometimes resulted in a toxic mixture that can cause blindness or death. Although poisoning incidents are rare, particularly in developed nations, they are a cause for concern about the safety of moonshine.

Moonshine may be flavored with fruit or bark. The mash may be cooked with birch bark to achieve a mint-like flavor. Fruit flavoring may be added to the product before bottling.

Tests

A common folk test for the quality of moonshine was to pour a small quantity of it into a spoon and set it on fire. The theory was that a safe distillate burns with a blue flame, but a tainted distillate burns with a yellow flame. Practitioners of this simple test also held that if a radiator coil had been used as a condenser, then there would be lead in the distillate, which would give a reddish flame. This led to the mnemonic, "Lead burns red and makes you dead." Although the flame test will show the presence of lead and fusel oils, it will not reveal the presence of methanol, which burns with an invisible flame.

The traditional test used by British sailors involved gunpowder to "prove" that their brandy was not watered down (contained at least 57% ABV.)

See also

• Bathtub gin
• Bootleggers and Baptists
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
• Dixie Mafia
• Moonshine by country
• Moonshine in popular culture
• Nip joint
• Poitín or Poteen

• Rum-running

Further sources

• Moonshine! History, songs, stories, and how-tos by Matthew Rowley (2007) ISBN 9781579906481
• Minnesota 13: "Wet" Wild Prohibition Days by Elaine Davis (2007) ISBN 9780979801709
• Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine by Max Watman (2010) ISBN 9781439170243
• "Moonshine – Blue Ridge Style" An Exhibition Produced by the Blue Ridge Institute and the Museum of Ferrum College
• Déantús an Phoitín (Poteen Making), by MacDara Ó Curraidhín, is a one-hour documentary film on the origins of the craft.

External links

• North Carolina Moonshine – Historical information, images, music, and film excerpts
• Moonshine news page – Alcohol and Drugs History Society
• Georgia Moonshine – History and folk traditions in Georgia, USA
• "Moonshine 'tempts new generation'" – BBC on distilling illegal liquor in the 21 century.
• Moonshine Nicknames Common names used for describing Moonshine.
• Moonshine Franklin Co Virginia Moonshine Still from the past – Video