The still and all the metal piping used are made of copper, which conducts heat well and doesn't leech into the alcohol. This mixture, called mash, is stirred thoroughly and heated for a set amount of time in the still. Then the yeast is put in, which starts the fermentation process.

Sometimes sugar is added (or even used instead of grain), but traditional moonshiners added malted barley to convert the starch in the corn meal into sugar. Traditional recipes take cracked, dry yellow corn (aka field corn) and create a coarse grind. In fact, the winner of the first NASCAR race, Red Byron, had once been a moonshine runner. This created a culture of car-lovers in the southern United States that eventually grew into the popular NASCAR racing series.

They also began racing against each other on the side for fun, and to test their skills. Their mechanical skills developed as they learned to drastically increase the horsepower of their vehicles to outrun the authorities. Bootleggers in the 1930s, '40s and '50s transported their moonshine at night to avoid detection by the local police, racing along backcountry roads. This term was popularized in the 1880s, and came from the practice of concealing illegal liquor in boot tops when going to distribute or trade it. Bootleggers are the smugglers who transport it and sell it. But it wasn't until the late 18th century that it was used (in England) to describe illicit or smuggled liquor, due to the fact that it was made and smuggled during the night.įrom moonshine came the term moonshiners – the people who make the alcohol. The term moonshine has been around since at least the early 15th century. For much of its history, moonshine was produced in secret to avoid high taxes or outright bans on alcoholic drinks. Moonshine is generally considered to be a clear, unaged whiskey with a corn base and a high alcohol content that is made at home. Casey Jones Distillery, which makes legal moonshine, displays Total Eclipse Moonshine, which was distilled to commemorate the upcoming solar eclipse in 2017.

Moonshine thumper