What do you think of when you hear the term “moonshine”? More than likely the word conjures images of white-bearded hillbillies using home distillery equipment to clandestinely “cook up” a batch in a dilapidated shed out in the back of the homestead. Perhaps you think of the mafia doing the same in an abandoned warehouse in Norther New Jersey.
To the contrary, you don’t have to look like Uncle Jesse or Jay Gatz to home brew whiskey with your very own home distillery equipment. Even better news is that it won’t cost you much either, because today’s home distillery kits are widely available and easy to use. Even if you don’t know how to distill spirits it won’t take too long to learn. After all, people have been distilling at home for centuries, and modern kits have simplified and shortened the process of distilling whiskey at home to the point that complete novices can do it.
As most Americans know, moonshine regained much of its popularity during the years of the infamous Prohibition, which made the production and consumption of alcohol illegal between 1920 and 1933. Perhaps not coincidentally, the laws governing the Prohibition were overturned at a time when the Great Depression had reached its nadir. Almost certainly making alcohol legal again at this time was a huge relief to millions of Americans who probably needed a nice bottle of 150 or 170 proof moonshine whiskey almost as much as a job.
However, during the Prohibition years bootleggers who produced whiskey via home moonshine stills did their best to quench the thirst of a populace that was in the throes of the Roaring Twenties. As one might imagine, there wouldn’t have been a whole lot of roaring going on had it not been for the illegal bootleggers, many of whom became very wealthy as a result. In fact, there have been plausible rumors around for decades that the origins of the Kennedy fortune can be traced back to the production and sale of bootleg whiskey.
The good news for moonshine lovers everywhere is that it has never been easier and more convenient to make your own moonshine whiskey. All you need is an affordable home moonshine kits, some home distilling supplies, the patience to learn how to distill spirits, and you will be well on the way to making moonshine whiskey strong enough to blow fire with!