That’s the spirit!
That's the Spirit!
Today is a very special day! It might not be BLINDINGLY
obvious why, so we’ll tell you…
It’s National Moonshine Day!
The term Moonshine is generally used to refer to high proof alcohol,
usually homemade and illicit! The most common spirit under this name is typically
made from corn mash – it is defined as ‘unaged whiskey’ by the American government.
It has a curious and well-documented history. The Moonshine
we all know and love came to prominence during prohibition-era America, where
it was illegally distilled and distributed to the very THIRSTY crowds in
speakeasies and home bars. The country was rife with illegal smuggling and even
rifer with poor quality alcohol – as the spirit was made in people’s homemade
stills (a piece of equipment used in alcohol production), it often picked up
dangerous trace elements from the ramshackle pieces they used to cobble it
together.
A pot still works by heating the fermented corn mash so the alcohol
(Ethanol) vapours evaporate. These vapours travel through a tube to another
container where they...