To think that the story of American moonshine is only a story about getting drunk is dead wrong. The real story of American mountain moonshine is the story of a proud people who fanned the flames of independence, that have defined the Appalachian region and our nation, by standing up for what they believed and finding a way to support their families at all costs during some of the most difficult times in our country’s history.
Moonshine whiskey has played a central role in many chapters of the American story. The roots trace all the way back to Jamestown and came to prominence during the Whiskey Rebellion following the War of Independence – when patriots of our new nation took a stand against unfair taxation. But the story really began to take shape some 70 years later.
Imagine marching back home to the South in 1865, after five years of bitter war, only to find the place where you grew up burned to the ground and pillaged by the very government you were forced to return to. Many were made to watch as that government sent their agents to take advantage of their community’s economy and enforce a prohibitive tax on their mountain art form that had long been a cornerstone of their livelihood. This tragic moment marked the beginning of the deep tradition of Appalachian mountain moonshine.
These were not the kind of folks to give in without a fight. So the communities rebelled and let loose the free spirit that burned inside of them every night by the light of a full moon and in the shadow of a mountain still. This rebel spirit helped support their families and allowed them to recover during one of the darkest times in American history and screamed out to anyone in its way – Don’t tread on me.
Fifty years later, as the United States plummeted into depression, these same communities fell back on what they had known for generations and continued to support their families by distilling their excess corn crop into mountain-made moonshine. This period sparked the public awareness of a legend that filled the roaring speakeasies and depression-racked nip joints of the 1920s and ’30s with white lightning and a shot of freedom inside every mason jar.
From the moonshiners, to the bootleggers, to the hush of the speakeasies, the story of American moonshine whiskey is the story of the indomitable rebel spirit of America. It’s the story of people who asked only one thing from their government – to be left alone so they could ensure the survival of their families by any means possible – and in doing so demonstrated all the best in American ingenuity and patriotism.
Today, a little bootlegger lives on in everyone. A code of living thrown in the face of anyone who dared to stop it. And a spirit that, in today’s spirits, hasn’t been seen since. One that is American born in every way. We are honored to carry the banner for this incredible spirit in our American Born Moonshine. Every ounce handcrafted from timeless recipes. Every American-made mason jar raised to honor the fiercely independent spirit of America and filled with just the right blend of corn, sugar and water along with roots that trace all the way back to the hills of Appalachia. Three distinct flavors – Original, Apple Pie and Sweet Tea – all made to pay homage to the past and to continue telling the story of the smooth side of a rough history.