How to tell Good Moonshine from Bad Moonshine

In the days when Moonshine was illegal, Tennessee moonshiners like Ronald Lawson had to be able to work out the difference between Good Moonshine and Bad Moonshine by eye. Bad Moonshine has too high a alcohol content and can be dangerous to drink, causing such problems as blindness.

[neuro.weaver]

"Moonshine? Hell, no, officer! We making hand-sanitizer!"

[knugenavswarje]

I fucking love this accent, man.

"ALKEEHAWL"

[dereklea]

I grew up in Southeast Tennessee near the North Carolina and Georgia State lines. Everyone I knew talked just like him.

[gregoryyoung]

I'm a visual learner. I learned a lot in just 1:08. Thank you.

[bamabrad]

Daddy grew up during the depression- dropped out of the 6th grade after 3 months to go to work felling trees to help the family eat- subsidized by ‘shining- told me a few stories about his youth. Grew up hard, self taught, served in WW2.
VERY proud of him!

[gafoot]

Last name Lawson, wears jean overalls, pronounces alcohol 'alkeehawl'- certified moonshine expert detected...

[AntonSeim]

Good info! A friend of mine makes moonshine. I handed a bottle to a friend with hillbilly roots and the first thing he did was give it a shake test. I'd never seen it done before!

[joejohnson]

This is the perfect stereotypical moonshine maker

[bluemind]

Alchy-hol! Gotta love that ole Appalachian speak I'm from the area so it's good to see them getting some love on here lol.

[Tomc]

My papa taught me to make shine when I was a kid, lol I remember the first time papa shook a quart of shine and ask me what I see, I didn’t know at the time but he did his little chuckle and said you will in time. . I sure miss that old man.

[Stikibits]

That's some Southern culture I can appreciate.

[mardamek]

Reminds me of my grandpa distilling vodka. Of course, he had an alcohol meter, but he rarely used it. Or, lets say someone else offered him something in a bottle/jar, he would use this same method to tell roughly how strong it was.

[davidcowee]

Wow ! I just love his accent/dialect 👍

[jerryclark]

Good thing these old timers are being recorded so this wisdom isn't lost!

[claytonmaddrey]

This is not alcohol officer this the cure for Cancer

[snakemanmike]

My dad made moonshine for most of his life. He was a perfectionist, and had a reputation for making the best in the area. Hist first cousin always took a couple of gallons every month. He was the county sheriff and I suppose this was a bribe. My dad taught me this trick, but he used a hydrometer.

[freedomfamily]

Thats how us hillbillies from the mountains talk i understood every word and hes telling the truth no way to check it on the creek bank where my pawpaw used to do run after run every week

Lifetime ago Dad visiting a property scared the owner when he said I found your still. As they talked the guy complained worried about the feds when he bought mollases . Dad said we use lots to add to the chicken grain. Later there was a trade of one for the other. About the early 1920s

[jchenry]

Really enjoyed comments about Henry Ford and Getty

[ep]

The real reason home distilleries are illegal may surprise a few people.

Henry Ford devised the first flex fuel carburetor in the early days of building automobiles. He had a friend named John Paul Getty who was trying to corner the market on the petroleum industry. In Ford's original design, he incorporated the ability to burn both petroleum based fuels in his cars as well as grain alcohol.

Getty was afraid he'd lose his shirt in the oil business if people were allowed to produce their own fuel - those who didn't own home distilleries could purchase fuel from any farmer. So he convinced Ford to redesign his carburetors to use only petroleum based fuel.

Getty then went on to fund much of the temperance movement to get prohibition passed. With Ford's redesign and laws against manufacturing distilled alcohol, Getty realized his fortune. Public outcry eventually ended prohibition, but the legalities against producing your own distill spirits remained unchanged.

The old "because it can't be taxed" is a load of bullshit. If home distilleries were legalized, they could be regulated and taxed very easily. Most people would be willing to pay the tax. There will always be those who try to undermine the system, and this wouldn't be prevented in any case - they're circumventing the tax laws now. With an annual tax stamp (to be displayed prominently or presented upon request) along with an annual inspection of the operation to insure that it meets health standards, there's no reason to deny it.

Except for one - allowing home distilleries would take too much away from the oil companies. And this is the reason it has been made illegal - not the inability to tax it.