19 minute read
MOONSHINE IN THE JAR MONEY IN THE WALLET
TRENDING PUTTING THE ‘SHINE’ IN BLIGHTY WORLDWIDE, EVERY SINGLE CULTURE THAT DRINKS ALCOHOL, HAS AN ILLEGAL STREAM OF PRODUCERS MAKING HIGH-PROOF BOOZE THAT IS WAY OFF THE RADAR OF AUTHORITIES – AS IF THEY’RE MAKING IT UNDER THE LIGHT ON THE MOON. HOWEVER, IN THE STATES CRAFT AND BIG WHISKEY DISTILLERS ARE JUMPING ON THE LEGAL MOONSHINE BANDWAGON AND MAKING PROFITS BIG ENOUGH TO HAVE BOOTLEGGERS SPINNING IN THEIR GRAVES. VELO MITROVICH REPORTS
Atrail that is becoming very well-worn with UK craft whisky distillers is, while the first barrels of whisky are aging, the distillery starts making gin to keep the business afloat. But some, along with producing gin, are selling new make spirit – whisky that hasn’t been aged. And, indeed, a few UK distilleries such as Johnnie Walker, Holyrood, and Cotswold make it as part of the regular line-up. But these are just side project, there doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of interest from UK consumers to justify treating new make spirits any other way. Across the Pond, however, it’s a different story. Selling under ‘moonshine’ or white whiskey’, it’s huge. How huge? The US distillery which leads all others in visitor numbers is one in Tennessee making flavoured moonshine. No aging; no storing casks; no worries about greedy angels, it does sound tempting to make. And, if you are already making whisky, you already have the equipment and skill. Ingredients? Same as whisky; so, what are they doing different over there to bring in the huge sales? It boils down to one word: Attitude spelled with a capital ‘A’. So, what exactly is moonshine? Traditionally, moonshine is any spirit made without knowledge of tax collectors. In 99 percent of the time, besides being untaxed, it is also unaged. You’re doing something illegal; do
you really want to be surrounded by incriminating barrels of your spirit? Aging moonshine in an oak cask was about as far from a Scottish moonshiner’s mind as trying to sell it on the high street. According to The Scotsman, by the 1820s, as many as 14,000 illicit stills were being confiscated every year in Scotland. This couldn’t have been making much of a dent, however, for more than half of the whisky consumed in Scotland was being enjoyed without the taxman taking his cut. Glenlivet’s founder George Smith was among those who start to whisky began with producing illicit whisky at his farm at Upper Drummin. After the passing of the Excise Act in 1823, he was the first person in Scotland to apply for a licence to legally produce spirit. This decision was unpopular with other whisky-making farmers and Smith was given two pistols to protect his family and his new legal distillery. In Scotland, making illegal whisky gave farmers a way of using a surplus grain for a product that oftentimes was worth much more than they would receive from the actual grain. During periods of major Scottish immigration to the American colonies and then to the fledgling United States, these farmers brought with them the skill to make whisky along with the tradition of doing it illegally and a distain for those who enforce laws against the practice. In looking at ethnic immigration maps from 1700 to 1800, the Scots mostly 36 | AUTUMN 2022 DISTILLERS JOURNAL
Former West Virginia moonshiner John Bowman explains the workings of a still at the American Folklife Center
LEMON LIME INFUSED MOONSHINE
u 2 small fresh lemons, peeled and cut into wedges (or omit for just Lime-Infused Moonshine) u 2 small fresh limes, peeled and cut into wedges (or omit for just Lemon-Infused Moonshine) u 3 cups unflavored moonshine
Using a 1-quart jar, add the lemon and lime wedges and lightly muddle. Pour in the moonshine. Seal the jar with a lid. Shake the mixture. Let sit for three days to one week, shaking once or twice a day. Using a sieve or coffee filter, strain the lemon limeinfused moonshine into a new 1-quart jar. Serve immediately or cover and store in freezer for up to one month.
SPEAKEASY
This lemony moonshine cocktail has all the style and flare you’ll need to bring the carefree, party-the-night away attitude of the speakeasy to your next happy hour.
u 3 cups lemon-infused moonshine u ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice u ¾cup sugar u 4 to 6 lemon wedges (for garnishing)
In a shaker filled with ice, combine all the ingredients, except the lemon wedges. Shake well to combine. Strain into Mason jars and garnish with the lemon wedges.
The start of Prohibition in the USA brought moonshine into a new light
Prohibition ending in 1933 did not end moonshine’s realm
In 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of Prohibition in the United States, Cotswolds Distillery released White Pheasant New Make Spirt, which was awarded Best English New Make at the World Whiskies Awards 2020. While still commonly marketed as moonshine, whisky pre-maturation has a plethora of nicknames; commonly known as new make spirit in the UK; other names include white whisky, white dog, and white lightning to name but a few. Made simply by fermenting and distilling grain, water and yeast, each new make spirit is truly unique. The type of grain, fermentation process, shape of the still and distillation cut points all have an influence on the flavour of the spirit, and while most are completely clear, some may show slight colour due to a very short period of maturation. As previously mentioned, unaged whisky has historically been regarded as impure and lacking the flavour and complexity of a fully matured whisky. Thanks to the burgeoning craft cocktail scene and curious whisky aficionados, however, new make spirits have become increasingly popular, with distilleries across the world releasing their very own whiskies-in-waiting. In keeping with the tradition of naming the colourless spirit, Cotswolds named its ‘White Pheasant’ after the beautiful, long-tailed gamebirds that roam the fields and roads of the Cotswolds. Previously only available to sample on tour and tastings in its cask warehouse, the distillery decided to make it available to purchase exclusively in its shops and on its website. White Pheasant begins its journey the same way as Cotswolds’ single malt whiskies – with 100 percent locally grown, floor-malted barley. After the malted barley has been milled and mixed with hot water in the mash tun, the sugary liquid is fermented with two different strains of dried yeast in steel washbacks for over 90 hours. According to Cotswolds, this unusually long fermentation generates plenty of fruity flavour compounds which brings a fantastic fruity complexity to its new make spirit. Bottled at 63.5% ABV, Cotswold says its White Pheasant is remarkably “quaffable” when enjoyed neat, delivering a series of flavours including tropical fruit notes of banana and pear drops, toasted oats and barley sugars. The distillery believes that White Pheasant is worth trying if consumers are keen to sample its whisky before it goes into cask, or if they’re looking for an alternative spirit on which to build superior cocktails. It demonstrates just how refined an unaged whisky spirit can be.
Author John Schlimm
settled in the Appalachian Mountain regions of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia – especially in regions that would later become West Virginia – and Kentucky. All states which became famous for moonshine. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 was the first test of federal authority in the United States. This rebellion enforced the idea that the new government had the right to levy a tax that would impact citizens in all states.
Small farmers in the backwoods and hills of western Pennsylvania distilled and consumed whiskey which was easier to transport and sell than the grain that was its source. Moonshine became an informal currency, a means of livelihood, and an enlivener of a harsh existence – much like in the Scottish Highlands. The distillers resisted the tax by attacking – often tarring and feathering – federal revenue officers who attempted to collect it.
After several years of this unrest, 500 distillers broke out in an organised rebellion against the US government – probably fuelled by their own product. The government sent in the army and the rebellion disappeared away without a shot being fired. While the tax was then imposed, the illegal making of moonshine did not end. Although Hollywood and TV might portray the making of moonshine in the USA as something only ‘redneck, good old boys’ do, in reality all poor communities in the States had someone
making a type of moonshine to supply their community with cheap booze. Indeed, the author’s grandfather made moonshine in a chicken coop in San Diego during Prohibition with grapes leftover from his illegal wine making. It was only until my father – then a young boy – failed to keep a check on the still’s pressure and it exploded, that my grandfather’s side business came to an end. Truth be told, the explosion didn’t do the chickens any favours either.
But no matter which community, there was – and still is – a sense of rebellion with spirits made by the light of the moon.
HISTORY AND COCKTAILS
If you have ever wondered more about the history of moonshine and what to do with a bottle – or mason jar – of the potent elixir, look no further than John Schlimm’s ‘Moonshine: A Celebration of America’s Original Rebel Spirit’. Distillers Journal recently spoke to the Harvard graduate from his home in western Pennsylvania.
“I think American moonshine stands out because of the incredible history and mythology that has been built up around it. Literally, from the beginning of the United States – and even before that – all the way to present day, moonshine has run parallel to our history,” says Schlimm. “It’s been with us; it’s intimately woven throughout our history – more so than any other alcoholic beverage, And of course, it’s a rebel; it’s the ultimate outlaw. That has certainly helped to boost its reputation and really transform it into an icon that is unparalleled.” In the long history of distilling, aging spirits is a relatively new idea that occurred when people noticed that the longer a spirit was stored in an oak cast, the better it tasted. But, with moonshine, there has never been an aging process. While leaves you wondering if anyone ever thought it was a fine tasting drink or was the whole reason behind it was to just to get drunk? “I don’t even know if today someone would necessarily say it’s a fine tasting drink in its purest form; it’s all about that first sip and that amazing burn down your throat which is so incredible,” says Schlimm. “I think any old-time moonshine-loving drinker would say yes, they love the taste. They love the burn. But ultimately, it’s that amazing feeling you get.” If you’re wondering if it tastes more like vodka than bourbon whiskey, you
Left top: Old Smoky’s moonshine shows the potential Left bottom: RTD moonshine. Who would have ever imagined?
Illegal moonshine and all its forms around the world have a reputation of being a cheap potent drink and a dangerous one as well which can lead to blindness, liver damage, and death. While there have been a few cases of illegally made vodka in the UK causing illness and deaths in eastern European communities, it remains a large problem in India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Indonesia. For example, more than 120 people died in western India in 2009. The victims in Gujarat state were mostly labourers who had purchased small plastic pouches of illegally brewed moonshine for as little as 2p each. Within hours of drinking the brew, the victims began exhibiting symptoms of poisoning including severe stomach cramps, vomiting, and blurred vision. Within days 122 people died and nearly 200 more were hospitalized. “The drink was pure poison,” says Abhay Chudasama, a senior police officer in the state capital Ahmedabad. According to Indian police and health workers, poisoning arises when home brewers try to up the potency by mixing in chemicals like methanol – called commonly wood alcohol – and in some cases battery acid. Contaminated water and rotting vegetables – added to speed up fermentation – can result in a fatal drink. Cases of poisoning are quite common and a real danger. One of the most common places where this happens is at wedding parties. According to Maxwell Pereira, a former joint commissioner of the Delhi police, most arrested bootleggers find it easy to get release orders from lower courts and quickly go back to making illegal hootch. “It is a shame,” says Pereira. “Poor Indians live in unhygienic conditions, eat rotten food, and die by drinking poisonous liquor.” More recently in June, 21 teens were found dead in a tavern in South Africa. All were found to have methanol in their bodies. The teenagers died at the Enyobeni tavern in East London’s Scenery Park township in the early hours of June 26, shocking the country and resulting in several investigations by the police and liquor license authorities. Many of the teens, ranging in age between 13 and 17, were found dead in the tavern, their bodies slumped across tables and couches and collapsed on the dance floor, according to officials. The reason why moonshine has a bigger problem with methanol than commercial distillers of spirits has nothing to do with the fact that it’s not aged and fresh off the still. But, instead, due to greed or lack of knowledge, illegal distillers do not understand – or care – about how distilling temperature effects alcohol. While methanol is found naturally in certain fruits and vegetables, it is an unintended by-product during the fermentation process. Spirits distilled from fruits, such as apples, grapes, and oranges are more likely to contain methanol – such as grappa, brandy, and raki – than spirits made from grain. If wine and beer contain methanol, why aren’t they ever considered a risk? It is all in the concentration of methanol in distilled spirits. The boiling point of methanol is 64.7 C – as opposed to 78.37 C for ethanol – so distillers will discard or find another use for the first point (the head) of a boil. An unscrupulous or unknowledgeable distiller won’t and use it in the final product. This unfortunate history is the biggest obstacle modern day producers have in selling legit moonshine.
wouldn’t be too far off. “I would say it stands alone, due to its flavour. But if I had to say which of those is maybe a cousin – a close cousin – it would be vodka. The beauty of both vodka and moonshine is they are really great bases and foundations for cocktails from which you can create pure magic,” says Schlimm.
One thing which made US moonshine stand out from others was the use of Indian maze, corn. The native American grain is high in sugars, making it ideal for fermentation and is used today in sour mash bourbons, Tennessee whiskey, other US spirits, along with fuel for cars. According to Schlimm, George Thorpe in 1620 was the first in the New World to make a distilled spirit using just corn, yeast, and water. Amazingly, the recipe hasn’t change since then.
BOOTLEGGERS
In the USA, while moonshine was always there in the background, it went to the forefront during US Prohibition which led to the first golden age of American moonshiners from 1920 to 1933. While in theory illegal booze could be made pretty much anywhere – and probably was – it was in the Appalachian Mountains where moonshine really took off. Cutting through 13 states, parts of the region are dirt poor today and were dirt poor back then. Moonshine gave these rural farmers – many of Scottish heritage – a way to make money, while being relatively close to big markets such as Chicago, New York City, Atlantic City, and Washington D.C.
“The ultimate lesson is, when you tell people they’re not allowed to do something, it’s the surest way to make sure they’re going to do it. When the United States government outlawed alcohol, it became a total boom for all the outlaw moonshiners out there to make it,” says Schlimm. “Demand grew even more, because, again, people were told you couldn’t have it. So, for those budding entrepreneurs out there at the time, who were rebels themselves, it was an amazing time. And it really did become that first golden age that planted a lot of the seeds of the mythology around what we think of moonshine is today.”
So, at this point we have moonshine being made but we need a way to get it to market. Thus began the hot-rod bootleggers – or so Hollywood would like us to believe. Did American NASCAR racing really come from bootleggers trying to outrun Johnny-Be-Law or is this
just a good story? “No, it is the truth. And it’s one of the most incredible parts of moonshine story that this icon in the beverage world gave birth to an icon in the sports world being NASCAR,” says Schlimm. “The makers of moonshine needed a way to get their hootch to the speakeasies and other establishments. So, they would use bootleggers in their hot-rod cars, to race through the mountains, often with the authorities in hot pursuit of them.
“They developed a little bit of an ego which tends to happen. They decided to take that ego and take the amazing driving skills they had developed to local fields where the first car racetracks were created. As that went on and it became more sophisticated over time, some entrepreneurs came in and realised, ‘Hey, there is an amazing spark of a business here’. And eventually that turned into what we know as NASCAR.”
MODERN ‘SHINE’
Prohibition ended in 1937 but restricted laws against moonshine remained on the federal books until 2010 for reasons which are less than clear. But the fact that moonshiners were adding everything from unadulterated alcohol to battery acid (fact) to ramp-up their spirit’s kick did not help. Those days are over, however, and there is truly a renaissance of premium moonshine – or white whisky – being made, leading to another golden age of the spirit. What defines this modern moonshine is the purity of the drink – corn, yeast, and water – but along with flavours which are helping it appeal to new drinkers. For the purist, there remains 50% ABV shots to knockback; for others there is a range of flavours from apple pie to butterscotch. Regardless of your drinking pleasure, it has turned into a huge business and there is a moonshine for you.
Tennessee’s Old Smoky Distilleries, the world’s largest producers of moonshine, is the most visited distillery in the world, with 5.7 million visitors last year. That’s more than Jack Daniels, Buffalo Trace, and is twice the number of visitors to all of Scotland’s distilleries combined. Besides Old Smoky, there are numerous craft moonshine distilleries, and all the big US whiskey distilleries seem to have at least one – or more – white whiskies.
“I think the appeal is the fact that moonshine really is this iconic, fabulous, outlaw rebel that has this great history, both here in the United States, and now elsewhere around the world. In terms of the world of alcohol, it’s one of the ultimate celebrities,” says Schlimm. While some distilleries bottle their moonshine in traditional Mason jars and really try to play up ‘Made in a holler over yonder’ marketing, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and other big players sell it as white whiskey and there is nothing hillbilly about it. Distillers Journal asks Schlimm if he’s surprised by this?
“No, not at all. I think that’s good business. I think you’ve got to continually be taking steps forward and rethinking and reimagining and reinventing. That’s the great entrepreneurial spirit that the moonshiners always have had, those farmers way back when and others in the backwoods and hollers, that made the moonshine first and foremost, they were smart entrepreneurs. Not only did they know what tasted good, but they knew how to do business in an amazing way. So, I think the companies you just named, as well as others, they’re just carrying on that spirit and tradition, making it available in new ways to even more people, which is what moonshine has always been about.”
WHAT TO DO WITH ‘SHINE
While it is clearly evident that Schlimm thoroughly enjoyed researching the history of moonshine, you have to suspect that it was the second half of the book which he really enjoyed creating. In this large section are recipes using moonshine as the key ingredient, and all are recipes that Schlimm created.
“I did come up with the recipes. I did try all the recipes, and I had a lot of fun. And I certainly didn’t have to look far for willing volunteers to help taste test. So that was a really great and fun process,” he says. “Moonshine becomes the base; it becomes the fire of that recipe. And then it’s really about what you mix and match in with it. In the first part of the cocktail section, I do a lot of different infusions. I really thought outside of the box so there are infusions using sage and basil and cucumbers, but also jellybeans, marshmallows, and even gummy candies.
“I wanted this book to be a very definitive book for anyone who loves moonshine, but anyone who also just loves history as well as the history of alcohol. So, I tried to create the most beautiful book I could. I knew the first half would be history told in a fun way, and in a way that someone could really sit down in an afternoon or two and easily read through it with pictures, because we all love pictures.
“But for that second part with the cocktails and the infusions, I really wanted there to be something for everyone there. And I wanted people to ultimately have fun with those recipes. And you know, there are going to be people who liked some of the recipes and don’t like other recipes. That’s the beauty of sampling and trying all the different recipes. So ultimately, I wanted to create a party in a book,” says Schlimm.
