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09 September 2016

You Can Buy A Moonshine Still For A Lot Of Different Reasons

By Donna Bell


People who love to drink coffee and tea will often get excited trying new varieties of beans and leaves. They have their own coffee grinders and loose tea strainers. Individuals who enjoy the taste of wine and beer sometimes get intrigued about making their own alcoholic beverages, bottling and labeling them, and sharing them with adult family and friends. They might even go a step farther and want to try their hands at distilling whiskey in a moonshine still.

This liquor has a history that goes back before the era of Prohibition, although that is the time that probably thrust it into the mainstream of society. When alcohol was banned by federal law, bootleggers knew there was a lucrative business in illegal sales of outlawed liquor. Moonshine, also known as white lightning, hooch, shine, and by many other names, was easy to manufacture and bottle. It quickly found an eager public ready to break the law in order to buy it.

Today owning stills is becoming more and more popular with the public. They are legal to own and easy to find on the internet. Companies sell new and used ones, and there are plenty of websites that offer kits and plans for those interested in building a still from scratch. New and restored stills are moderately priced, some less than five hundred dollars. You can even bid on them online.

Not everyone interested in purchasing a still is interested in making liquor. When you see well made stills, they can be quite beautiful, and some have even been elevated to the level of art. You can find antique equipment to add to your home and delight your guests with your creativity.

Individuals interested in producing moonshine usually do some research, end up knowing something about the liquor, and try to impress their drinking buddies with interesting facts. They may explain that it became popular with rural Americans because it was cheap and easy to make. Most of the ingredients needed they already had on the farm, like corn and hog feed mash. It was also potent, about one hundred sixty proof when ready to drink.

There is a NASCAR connection. Moonshiners often built cars specially fitted to be able to outrun a suspicious sheriff. Eventually someone decided it would be fun to race these vehicles on a track, and that was the beginning of stock car racing. There is also a connection with popular soft drinks that routinely sponsor drivers.

Most people know the answer, but still ask if moonshine production, even for personal use, is illegal. They already know it is outlawed in almost every state. You can manufacture the liquor for mass consumption in certain states with approval, licenses, and payment of taxes. If you decide to go ahead and make it for yourself anyway, you should be aware that you risk being arrested and fined.

Making alcohol for personal use can be a really fun hobby. If you decide to venture into the world of moonshine production, just be careful the "revenuers" don't find out.




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