Doo never actually made moonshine, but he hauled about an ocean of it. ~Loretta Lynn
The South has long been given more credit than is due for an industry that achieved great notoriety in the 1920s. That would be manufacturing a beverage for pleasure and profit—making moonshine. This type of distilling operation actually began in Pennsylvania, according to Tennessee Shine Co. When I read this, I didn’t know whether to feel vindicated or disappointed, since I’m a native Tennesseean. I decided to learn more, because there has to be a reason we (Southern states) are associated with those types of illegal activities.
The beginning
The folks in Pennsylvania who were responsible for initiating the homestyle moonshine business were farmers in the western part of the state, which was then a frontier. This was definitely not a Philadelphia, brotherly love kind of problem. It’s more of a “my family is hungry and you’re impinging on my ability to feed them” kind of problem. Here’s why. The Domestic Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco of 1791 cut into the profits farmers had been enjoying with their cottage industries, as it were. They continued their domestic alcoholic beverage production and showed the tax collectors no hospitality. Some went as far as tarring and feathering these unwelcome visitors. So what does this have to do with the South?
Plenty. When people didn’t have much, they used whatever was available just to get by. The South not only had a sizable population of folks scraping by, but also it was (and is) made up of grain-producing states. This is partly because corn grows easily down here and people eat mounds of it. That, and there are a plethora of serving options. Corn is one of the main ingredients of moonshine, so it was a perfect marriage. Effectively, the South looked at Western PA and said, “Hold my beer.” Kind of. Our region took the idea and ran with it. Almost literally.
Subordinate operations
Initially, the problem with running a moonshine still (or several stills) was the taxation that no one wanted to pay. At that point the stills weren’t illegal. The operations were covert because they wanted to keep all the money, but the advent of Prohibition in 1920 certainly upped the ante. And that, my friend, created a side gig.
If moonshiners wanted to keep their operations on the down low, they had to mitigate supply chain issues, including distribution. They needed to get it to end users as quickly as possible. Once automobiles were an option, the goal was to speed up delivery. According to Tennessee Shine Co, there are links between moonshiners and the evolution of NASCAR racing. Apparently, more than one “delivery” driver raced others during their downtime to determine superiority; it isn’t a leap to see the emergence of formalized racing. There were financial links as well. And the downside is what, exactly? I’ll tell you.
What could it hurt?
A number of unintended consequences arose from the taxation and subsequent illegal status of moonshine. Here are a few from an article in Wide Open Country:
- Non-drinkers were tattlers. That is, neighbors who knew about the operations occasionally shared their knowledge with authorities. Retaliation was swift and sure.
- Competing moonshiners tried to steal the product. More violence.
- As mentioned earlier, tax collectors frequently received decidedly inhospitable greetings.
However, a bigger issue with unregulated moonshine operations is the quality. Or the lack of quality. In that same article, the author warns of serious health consequences from using improper vessels. Lead poisoning, anyone? Probably not a good idea. Any metal object through which toxic materials run cannot be a logical candidate for processing, as there might well be some metal that leaches into the product. That has happened, though, however hard to believe. And if you don’t know how to ferment the grain properly, you can end up with methanol instead of your target beverage. That kind of beverage can make you blind. Or dead. Oh, that reminds me. Stills can explode.
Terms
If you decide to dig further into this subject by sampling the product or reading about it, familiarity with terms might enhance the experience. Here are a few:
- Moonshine – an alcoholic beverage distilled illegally in defiance of government regulations. Also called rotgut, white lightning or firewater.
- Moonshiners – they’re the individuals who actually distill alcoholic beverages illicitly.
- Bootleggers – think of them as Uber Drinks.
- Revenuers – agents of the U.S. Treasury charged to enforce laws against illegal distilling or bootlegging.
If you want to get into the weeds, read more about the 1791 Domestic Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco by going to the ATF site. (Thank you, Alexander Hamilton. Not.) More on the Whiskey Rebellion? See the History Channel website.
Fun facts and the spread of shine
But let’s end on a high note. Or at least irony.
- Obviously, moonshiners attempted to evade police. Some tried to disguise their footprints by attaching wooden blocks to the bottom of their shoes. These were carved to mimic a cow’s hoof so they would mislead their pursuers. Read more at the History Colored website, and thank you, Ellen, for the topic prompt. 😉
- Making moonshine in your home/garage/man cave/she-shack is still illegal if it’s for personal consumption. You can, however, use a still to produce ethanol for fuel, according to Wide Open Country. I’m confident laws vary on this, so do not rely on my words for your defense.
- Prohibition was due, at least in part, to an effort to stem the violence that erupted after the alcohol tax went into effect. I wasn’t there, but I don’t think that miserable 13 years was that effective in reducing intake. And maybe not violence, either.
- Moonshine production was deep in the woods, and perhaps in the dark 100 years ago. Now, however, it enjoys high visibility in East Tennessee tourist destinations. Maybe everywhere else, too. What I’ve sampled goes down pretty easy. The taste is probably not much like the harsh, earthy-flavored liquid of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Whatever your position on partaking of alcoholic beverages, you have to admit those moonshiners worked hard and their lives had to have been anxiety-inducing. I’m not saying I approve of their decisions, but maybe their story calls for deliberation. And a sip of something smooth while I look out over the holler.
You?
Great read Gayle
Thank you!
A fun read and particularly relevant to our neck of the woods, or holler. Love the historic still at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and the story that goes with it. I tried moonshine pickles one time – thought they should be renamed pickles on fire.
Moonshine pickles? Where on earth did you find those? Let’s talk. 😉