Just a quick note here before I get back to the 'stuff' that maketh the money. The 'want to write' list is heavy on the right side and the 'must write' list is waiting on the left side. Decisions, decisions.
Did you know there is an Ozark, Alabama. I didn't. I wonder how it got the name?
According to the recent issue of Garden and Gun magazine Moonshine is making a comeback. The article states that self distilled whisky began in the fall of 1620 when George Thorpe convinced Powhatan natives to part with a mound of corn. I wonder who tattled?
The article also stated that George Washington was the largest distiller in the colonies, producing 11, 500 gallons of corn whiskey a year at Mount Vernon. When the members of the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, every signer was known to drink home brewed whiskey. John Hancock, being the prominent distiller in Boston.
Moonshine, sometimes known as Hooch, Mountain Dew, White Lightning, Home Brew, Bathtub Gin, Stagger and Fall, Rotgut, Firewater and Tommyhawk, seems to be thriving because law enforcement is distracted by other concerns. This article targets East Tennessee as the most 'gettable' place to find moonshine.
One man named Chuck Miller claims to make the only legal corn whiskey since George Washington. It seems he makes it, sells it to the state, they put a tax on it and sell it. He makes Virginia Lightning and Kopper Kettle that is 150 proof watered down to 100 proof. His biggest market is Japan.
I found this article interesting because I grew up the boondocks of Missouri. It was well known in our area who had a 'still.' The first airplane I ever saw was flying low over our farm. Dad said they were looking for 'stills'. They didn't find any on our farm because my parents were teetotalers.
When I attended high school in West Plains one of my teachers asked me where I lived. I told him, west of West Plains on Hway 14. He said "Oh, I know the place. Siloam Springs. They are famous for moonshine 'stills. I let him know real quick I didn't live in Silaom Springs and my family didn't make moonshine.
I'm sure ya'all really wanted to know all this. Now Back To Work.
2 comments:
I loved your post. Very interesting, Pat. Enjoyed hearing all the "names" moonshine is called as well as the history.
My late second cousin used to make his own wine and another friend of the family still makes his own wine (I guess it's wine) in the Ozarks. I haven't yet tried it but I'll let you know if it's any good! :)
My elderly neighbor told me that her husband used to run moonshine and had the "still" running through the house pipes. She was quite a character--80+ years old when she passed.
I also enjoyed the various names for the moonshine--some I had heard before but a couple were new to me.
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