Talk:Moonshine

message: Moonshine is now legally produced and sold in at least Kentucky and Tennessee.  It has been legal for a little more than a year.  One distiller that is within 20 min of my location is MBR http://mbrdistillery.com/products.aspx .   It seems inappropriate to continue to class moonshine as entirely illegal in this article since this is not the truth. Jacklarwa (talk) 03:30, 27 December 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: What makes something "moonshine" is if it's unlicensed (according to the article).  The distiller you linked to states on their "About Us" page that they are licensed. Quite a few companies produce things they call "moonshine" as if it were a style of spirit but that's just a marketing ploy.  SQGibbon (talk) 04:21, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

text: So it is your position that moonshine is not the process but rather the legal nature of the product?  The "moonshine" that is sold in Kentucky is made just exactly like the illegal product from start to finish.  It is the understanding here that moonshine is the product and not the legality.  What authority do you cite to make your claim? Jacklarwa (talk) 05:30, 27 December 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Like I said, I'm taking that definition from the article itself (and the sources it uses) and I believe that is the standard or most common definition of "moonshine" (the OED, for instance, only mentions this usage).  That said, every state I've ever lived in has sold products labelled as "moonshine" that were clearly licensed and taxed.  I've never looked closely at them to see if this refers to a specific method of production or was merely a marketing ploy as I have always assumed.  If you can find a reliable source that talks about "moonshine" as a style of liquor then by all means that should be added to the article.  However, and this is key, your initial claim that "moonshine is now legally produced and sold in at least Kentucky and Tennessee" is not quite accurate.  Unlicensed liquor (what the article calls "moonshine") is still illegal in those states (unless you have a source to contradict that).  It was never illegal, as far as I'm aware, to sell something labelled "moonshine" even if it was produced in the same or similar manner as illegal producers do as long as it was properly licensed.  Again, that distillers sell a licensed product that they are calling "moonshine" (even though that's not the standard definition for the word) merits inclusions in the article if you can find some reliable sources talking about it.  SQGibbon (talk) 06:04, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

text: apple 69.57.119.233 (talk) 00:02, 23 September 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Legality of Moonshine 

message: Considering the folksy nature of the burn test, the description of the moonshine picture should be a little less assertive. Considering the material is already described above, perhaps something like "Appalachian moonshine ... showing its blue flame in a burn test." Strangename (talk) 10:15, 15 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Moonshine Picture 

message: Moonshining/bootlegging has led to some "family traditions", at least in the Southern Highlands.  Whereas "Great-grandpa" and "grandpa" often made 'shine and bootlegged it, "Dad's" generation often grew marijuana, and grandson is often involved in "cooking off" methamphetimine.  The reasons for this are at least threefold.  One is that once a family becomes rather comfortable breaking the law and comes to see lawyers, jail time, and the like resulting from the occasional police raid as just part of the "cost of doing business", it is less disturbing of a prospect than it would be to others.  A second is that these activities are generally considerably more renumerative than other options widely available to often poorly-educated rural Southerners in poor areas such as agriculture, timper-cutting, and the like.  A third is that the same sort of remote, sparsely-populated area is most suitable to all three activities.  Whether this sort of info belongs here, and/or in the War on drugs article, I would like to see discussed before doing anything rash.  Rlquall 02:06, 22 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Family business 

message: I feel like the context of history that created moonshining has not been portrayed here, and for the layman not familiar with American history (or a non-American) that having a mention of prohibition and a link to its history might be useful for them. - Ashi moonshine is the best thing you can drink
OK, but in America making distilled alcohol was a common activity back to Colonial days (1700s) legal and taxed or illegal and banned according to time and location. National prohibition was 1919 to 1933. Prohibition did not create moonshining, for moonshining pre-existed prohibition. Prohibition is good for a side bar on moonshining: it did create a big-city market for rural moonshine (Johnson City TN got its nickname "Little Chicago" during the prohibition era as a source of illegal whiskey for Chicago IL). Naaman Brown (talk) 17:13, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Prohibition history? 

message: In brewing the mash is produced when the grain (mainly malted barley (or malt)) is heated in water to allow the naturally occurring enzymes in the malt to convert the starches from the grain into sugars. The product of mashing is called wort, which is boiled with hops. This is the starting point of fermentation. Given that there is no alcohol in the mash I can't see how this statement can be correct:
the distillation process requires heat to boil the alcoholic liquor from the "mash,"
Does the word have a different meaning in moonshining? Alun 03:59, 14 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: No, the above is correct, however the fermentation near room temperatures allows yeast added to the water and mash to convert the sugar to alcohol.  The wort is fermented giving off CO2 and making alcohol.  This is boiled to give off vapours and recondenses in a cool tube, distilling the alcohol.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.251.112.206 (talk) 01:35, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Mash

message: There seems to be two reasons given for the name white lightning, maybe one should be removed. Shogun 13:25, 1 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  White Lightning 

message: I have just read this article for the first time, since stumbling upon it, and I think that it reads extremely well, and contains just the right amount of information. Has anyone considered nominating it as a Good Article? EuroSong talk 23:32, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Good article? 

message: :Iron poisoning can sometimes result from uncoated iron tubs in which the mash has been boiled.
Is this true?  Even if a clinically significant amount of iron was absorbed into the mash during the boil, shouldn't the iron be left behind during distillation? NTK 22:47, 17 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: elevated iron content in water has adverse effects on both yeast metabolism (therefore damaging efficiency) and the taste of the final distillate. the only essential requirement for water suitable for distilling is that it be relatively free from iron. i have never heard of "iron poisoning" from any spirit and it would likely not originate from "uncoated iron tubs" if it did occur. rather, it would be acids in the evaporate leaching metals from joints, seams, or low quality metals used in the construction of the apparatus. Blockader 16:44, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Iron poisoning 

message: I added lead: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moonshine&diff=942262081&oldid=942261367 --Bawanio (talk) 18:19, 23 February 2020 (UTC)
thread_title: Lead poisoning

message: The article now includes many types of beer or perhaps wine, just becuse they are made without paying tax to the government, and it should be stripped back to illegal distilled spirits. Beer, wine, and other fremented alcohol beverages which are not concentrated by distillation are not moonshine. In the Columbia section, it goes on about people chewing up food and spitting it into a container where it ferments to produce an extremely low percent of alcohol. Then they  drink the stuff. But if it is not distilled, it is not moonshine. The material about homemade alcohol from several other countries is unclear about whether distillation is involved, and lack articles on the beverages and lack references, so some cleanup and deletion is needed if references cannot be found. Edison 13:41, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Moonshine is distilled

message: This trial might want to be integrated into this article somehow, which a book was written after: The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, T. Keister Greer, 2002,  (review) ∞ΣɛÞ² (τ|c) 09:51, 23 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 

message: Good grief! Is this article going to be added to every geographic WikiProject for every geographic subdivision where moonshine has been produced? --orlady 21:11, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Geographic WikiProjects 

message: Shouldn't this be included in the relevant country's section? It's certainly not a statement which is true universally. If it's not relocated within a few days, I'll just delete it.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.7.106.54 (talk) 14:41, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I commented this section out for now. — Kpalion(talk) 21:36, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: "Punishment" section

message: I've found an etymology on this blog, and it sounds quite plausible too. Can anybody find a backup for this ref? "Moonshine, or untaxed liquor, is made from fermented corn mash distilled in a cooker. It derives its name from the term moonlighter used in England to describe the night time runners that smuggled brandy from France." --Farry (talk) 20:57, 7 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Etymology Found! 

message: in an episode of the 20s cartoon Felix The Cat (felix finds out), felix gets drunk on moonshine, and because of this is unable to solve the riddle; why does the moon shine>  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.83.121.172 (talk) 15:00, 21 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Felix The Cat Finds Out!

message: It is naive indeed to think that the Baldwin sisters had no idea that "The Recipie" was in fact moonshine.  They were well aware of this but could not openly admit this fact due to their well-cultivated status as genteel Southern ladies.  All such "information" is subjective and of questionable encyclopedic value IMO.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.154.47.86 (talk) 02:50, 9 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Television 

message: How can there be an article on moonshine, without there being a mention of NASCAR? Stock car racing has moonshine running at its origin.  Greg Salter (talk) 17:36, 7 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Go right ahead and add it - if you have a reliable source. Roger (talk) 17:49, 7 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  NASCAR? 

message: I deleted the image because, as it is drawn, the output tube protrudes below the lid. As pressure rises, the steam will pump the undistilled mash right out of the pot until the mash level drops below the tube's opening. DavidOaks (talk) 22:48, 5 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Deleted crockpot still image 

message: I believe that a beverage can only fit into the broad definition of Moonshine if it is distilled. A number of examples in the articles are not explicitly stated as being distilled. Homebrew is not the same as Moonshine. Roger (talk) 08:59, 16 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Must be distilled 

message: I think the content should be divided into illegal products and those that are legally produced though in the tradition of historically illegal ones (small scale "boutique" distilleries). Roger (talk) 09:08, 16 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Moonshining is always, per definition, illegal (E-Kartoffel (talk) 10:39, 17 November 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually making alcohol for personal use has almost always been legal, even moonshining.  It's transporting and selling without a license.  Also, legal moonshine (often called White Lightning) is readily available in liquor stores.  Emperor001 (talk) 02:07, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Split into legal and illegal? 

message: The idea that "siddique" comes from SID, "Saudi International Drink" implies that this name is commonly written in English.  This sounds like folk etymology, and at very least needs a citation as a possibility. 67.186.21.23 (talk) 22:39, 28 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Saudi Arabia 

message: A Moonshine in popular culture section was deleted from this article some time ago.  I agree that this material is best not placed here, but it should be presented in Wikipedia because this information is notable and will be of interest to many readers.  Therefore, I have created a new article with the Moonshine in popular culture material formerly in this article. --Zeamays (talk) 17:12, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Popular culture

message: Content on this page pertaining specifically to moonshine production by locale has been relocated to a newly created Moonshine by country page.  Please add further comments regarding moonshine production by country to that page. Wikiuser100 (talk) 20:30, 27 November 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: When was this split proposed? Where was the proposal discussed? Was a proper concensus obtained to do this split? If, as I believe, this split was done without following the proper procedure it should be reversed asap so that the correct procedure can be followed. Roger (talk) 21:23, 27 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  'Moonshine by country' content 

message: Being somewhat of an expert in moonshine and a big fan of Scotch whisky, I have to say that anyone who is of the opinion that moonshine is substandard to tax-paying spirit just hasn't been around the block.  Scotland still produces some of the best illicit whisky in the world, and in some Central American countries the "guaro controbando" is the only spirit worth drinking.  I sampled a Yankee brandy moonshine aged in the char of the french oak casks in which the wine was aged.  Its illegal to add charred staves into a cask in Scotland.  Thus, we can achieve "faster" aging in the same amount of time and make a superior illicit spirit.  I do ethanol consulting and do college lectures about alcohol production, and I'm from a very long lineage of unlicensed distillers going back to Ireland and Scotland, but the thing that really qualifies me to have a valuable opinion that moonshine can be superior is the simple fact that I have tasted the stuff.  This article should not so "as-a-matter-of-factly" dismiss the idea of superior moonshine!  'Twould be an unfortunate stereotype.  "Stolen water tastes sweeter," Proverbs.   insightfullysaid  —Preceding undated comment added 01:29, 16 December 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: If you can substantiate your claims with references to reliable sources you are welcome to contribute to the article. Please note that "I am an expert" is not accepted on WP. Roger (talk) 12:45, 16 December 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Taste & Quality of Moonshine

message: The article says moonshine is made from corn, but then there is a reference to "moonshine [distilled] from potato skins". What gives? I always thought moonshine was made from potatoes anyway, not corn. Is there a better definition? Some dictionaries just define it as "illicit" alcohol. -124.168.91.226 (talk) 04:46, 2 February 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: It can be made from anything that contains a substantial proportion of carbohydrates in the form of starches and/or sugars. Roger (talk) 09:00, 2 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Potato, corn or something else? 

message: Hoochinoo is a specific liquor made by the native americans of what is now Alaska. This is so fucking stupid and offensive god I hate this shitty encyclopedia. Wikipedia? More like shittypedia.
: This is possibly a legitimate objektion, and for the reader it is anyway unsatisfaying to be redirected to a page without any trace of the searched word.
"hooch also hootch, "cheap whiskey," 1897, shortened form of Hoochinoo (1877) "liquor made by Alaskan Indians," from the name of a native tribe in Alaska whose distilled liquor was a favorite with miners in 1898 Klondike gold rush; the tribe's name is said by OED to be from Tlingit Hutsnuwu, lit. "grizzly bear fort." ( http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hooch )
So one could explain the cited denomination "hooch" and one could explain the redirection as well.
-- 176.0.191.45 (talk) 14:06, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hoochinoo redirects here and that's ignorant as hell 

message: You can easily detect Methanol using the Boric acid test. (Pour a sip of the destillate on Boric acid and set it on fire - a green flame indicates Methanol)
--188.106.138.102 (talk) 16:08, 22 June 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Safety: tests 

message: I will be working on this page and I wanted to let anyone involved know.  I'm wanting develop a section on the history and prevalence in Appalachia.  I also wanted to looking moonshines ties with Mountain Dew.  I am open to any suggestions or ideas.  I am starting my editing in  sandbox  if anyone would like to take a look.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Jp302408 (talk • contribs) 22:01 21 July 2014 (UTC)
:: Hi there, just saw your comment, please see my reaction below (section 'Appalachia? US Centric'), I feel this doesn't belong here, otherwise I could for instance start writing here about regional differences in Swedish moonshine as well.158.223.164.73 (talk) 12:04, 31 July 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Planned Edits 

message: Not mentioned in article. Is it some kind of Asian moonshine? Equinox (talk) 04:08, 20 July 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Why does "lao khao" redirect here? 

message: The 2nd and 3rd paragraph of this article need to be moved to the US section of the article Moonshine by country, otherwise we might as well reimport all the info from there. Yes sure there are local history sources listed that claim that the word moonshine comes from Appalachia, but that doesn't justify anything beyond mentioning the etymological origin of the word itself. The phenomenon of moonshine is a worldwide one and this article simply doesn't reflect that, it comes across as having been relegated to a footnote.158.223.164.73 (talk) 11:59, 31 July 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Appalachia? US Centric 

message: How to make moonshine or something better ?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.173.48.53 (talk) 19:03, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Create a 'How to' ? 

message: 1. distilled spirit produced without state control (eg: home made, may be illegal depending on the jurisdiction of the time and country).
2. distilled spirit sold illegally but not necessarily produced illegally.
3. non distilled spirit drink produced as (1).
4. non distilled spirit sold as (2).
5. anything of illegal origin (slang for illegal).
6. anything marketed under the name (brand name).
176.63.176.112 (talk) 02:47, 27 December 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  definition-moonshine 

message: The way the article describes moonshine is a little confusing. The term moonshine originally meant illegally produced liquor, a good deal of which was of a clear variety such as corn whisky, though some might be of the same style as the commercially produced variety such a bourbon whiskey or gin (bathtub gin). Then in 2010, they started selling legal moonshine which used the same recipe/styles as illegal moonshine of the past but this stuff could be sold legally on store shelves. Informally the legal version of moonshine has been referred to as “Legal moonshine” even though the manufacturers just call it moonshine. So currently, the term moonshine by itself typically refers to the illegal stuff in common speak and to the legal version in liquor industry terminology. So I propose we reword the lead and other relevent section to be clearer how these terms where and are used by the industry and everyday people, particularly how the term moonshine can refer both to “legal moonshine” and illegal liquer (Aka mountain dew, hooch, etc.).  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.239.8.149 (talk) 22:35, 20 October 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Legal moonshine revisited 

message: How can you say this guy was making moonshine in the early 20th century? According to his bio he was born in 1946 and died in the 2000's.204.48.46.11 (talk) 21:40, 19 December 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I reworded the section to remove that contradiction.  Peacock (talk) 00:51, 20 December 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Popcorn Sutton 

message: The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:
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Participate in the deletion discussion at the . —Community Tech bot (talk) 02:34, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion 

message: Added information about states where moonshine is legal to produce for personal consumption and added a table going into more detail about the legality for each states. Tyler Troutman (talk) 17:41, 30 March 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: Great addition of the table! Rhizomesandranch (talk) 15:16, 31 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Legality Section Edits 

message: Certain edits to this page have been added in contribution to the 2023 Amplifying Appalachia Edit-a-thon. These edits consist of copyedits and source contribution edits. RoxJox (talk) 19:41, 30 March 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: Great work on the source contributions! Rhizomesandranch (talk) 15:17, 31 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Amplifying Appalachia Edit-a-thon 2023 

message: Edits were made to the history section, as it looked like it could use some fleshing out, and gave some minor insight into illegal distilling prior to the prohibition era, including the Whiskey Excise Tax of 1791 and the Revenue Acts of 1861 and 1862 respectively which lead to an increase in the production of untaxed liquor which would be considered moonshine and add respective sources to the section VoidedEyes (talk) 22:53, 31 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Amplifiying Appalachia Edit-a-thon 2023 - Extension to History Section 

message: Would more myths added to the Myth section require a proper source as long as it is a widely accepted myth? Could less reputable sources be used in this case? VoidedEyes (talk) 22:57, 31 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Amplifiying Appalachia Edit-a-thon 2023 - Question about the Myth Section 

message: I am going to start a section under history allowing a more detailed history of moonshine in each state. Feel free to add any other states, or let me know if this isn't what we are going for on here. Thanks. Charon's Oar (talk) 02:27, 5 April 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Any opposition to a states section?