The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-02-11
MOONSHINE WHISKY.
How 1t Is Made in the Mountains of the
South.

Tow Jne nOOnSnlneT makes MS
mountain dew are loath to tell how,
it is done. They reason, and not with
out good sense, that it is dangerous
secret. and therefore it is a matter of
some difficulty to persuade one to tell
his secret. The "moonshiner" knows
that the very minute he starts a brew,
that minute he is a criminal in the eyes
OF the law. His individual views as
TO the criminality of his act do not at
eli coincide with the law on this sub
icct, however. The moonshiuer be-
ewes that he has as much right to con-
vert his corn into whisky as the gar
dener has to make sauce out of hts
tomatoes, or the grape grower to distiil
the juice of his fruit into wine. That
is the way he looks at the crime of illicit
distilling. All the laws i'll the kingdom
cannot change his view of the matter
lie imagines that the government hasa
particular spite to vent against him, and
therefore he regards civilized man as
his ruthless enemy. He holds the Off
Ger, whose sworn duty it is to enforce
the law, in as much odium as society en-
tertains for the moonshiner. He will
stubbornly insist that he is more sinned
against than shining.
The moonshiners of this country.
have been unjustly compared to the
smugglers who infest the mountainous
regions of Europe and traffic in con
traband commodities and articles. As a
rule, they are not as desperate lot as
trey are painted. Some have slain to
protect themselves from what they
deem unjust and outrageous laws, but
that is done by men in other walks of
life, and such are not denCminated des-
peradoes.
But this is depressing from the sub
| itct. How is "mountain dew" made?
The idea of the average person whose
environments in life have been such as
would afford no opportunities for
cleaning the secret of the moOnshiner,
would take in some fine chemical proc
| ess that could not have originated in
any but college professors mind, and
| Yet the way in which the rugged moon
sinner makes his dew does not in
| clude anything that the college student
encountered i'll his study of chemistry,
from purely practical point of view.
The process is simple. The moon
sLiner sends his corn to mill to have it
| ground. 1t is converted into meal, the
SINE as is used to make corn bread.
This meal is Tut in tub or barrel of
boiling water. In this way it is cooked.
| il sits until L is cool enough to burn
tie hands when they are put in it. 1t
is stirred up we'll and then put in the
still. The still is then filled with cold
water. After that the malt is added.
Malt is made by putting corn in water
and letting it soak two or three days,
or until it sprouts. (Then it is malted.)
The malt is ground the same as the corn
was and to every bushel OF corn is added
| IL single handfuls of malt. The malt
and the cold water are added at the
same time. Then the brew stands until
1t sours, which requires several days.
In that time it begins to work or fer
| ment. A crust, or cap, as it is called by
| the moonshiners, of bran forms on the
top of the water. This cap is blush in
color. 1t is not disturbed at all. In
short time this cap settles to the bot
tom where it came from. The weight of
the solidified mass of bran or husks
causes it to sink. The fire is then start
ed under the still ard it is only a matter
OF two or three hours until about two
| gallons of whisky have been distilled.
The moonshiner then has two gallons
Of dew" which he can sell for from
two to five dollars, as the needs of the
purchaser may justify, and he has coIe
sumed six days and bushel of corn in
making it. Thus one bushel of corn
yields two gallons of whisky, which may
| bring, in the moonshiner's market,
from four to ten dollars. About 80 gal
Ions of water are used to brew one
bushel of corn.
"Do mOonshiners buy or make the
stills?" asked the representative of the
young man who explained the process
o. making the whisky.
They are bought" he answered.;
though l have known of people max
ing their stills. A STILL he continued,
noting the inGuisitive look on the faces
Of his listeners, sis a large copper ket-
lie, shaped like a cistern. They hold
from so to 60 gallons. Over the neck
of the still cap fits the same as
one joint of stovepipe fits over
another. From the top of this
cap an arm runs out about ten
inches long. To this arm is attached
the worm. Well, the worm is coil of
| pipe about IL feet long. 1t is through
this that the evaporation of the steam
from the still passes. The worm is
coiled in the fake stand, which is filled
with water for the purpose of keeping
| the worm cool. If the worm was not
thus cooled no evaporation would take
place, or at least not Immediately. The
other end of the worm runs out of the
tlake stand into the mouth of funnel,
which is placed in the key or jug that
catches the run. From the time the,
fire was started under the still until the
brew is finished has consumed about
two hours"
The whisky made by moonshiners is
pronounced the very best when it has
a little of age on it. They do not color
II. but sell it just as it comes out of the
| still. 1t is then as clear as waters