Whiskey and Moonshine

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KateH21

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Wasn't sure where to post this.

I've had whiskey shots before and I've never seen the big deal. It burns a little, tastes kind of nasty, but nothing really happens. No different than shots of vodka or tequila (nothing really happens).

Am I missing something?

I ask because a relative was talking about this "moonshine" and acting like it was so strong that it needed to be sipped slowly as opposed to drinking it like a shot. Then they went on to say something about how whiskey was strong also, as if should be sipped as well. I'd rather not sip it because I find most alcohol tastes nasty.

I've had that "moonshine" before and it's weaker than whiskey and vodka (I suspect it's really just flavored whiskey). It's not real moonshine. I'm just confused about her behavior. She was having a cow over the way I was drinking it (she was sharing some with me). In fact, she was hooting and hollering like she was drunk after just a few sips. I'm not sure if that was some sort of put on or not.

I suspect I'm odd because I can't get noticeably drunk. I just get super sleepy if I have too much, no change of behavior or anything. I've never had a hangover, even after mixing all sorts of alcohol and drinking cheap tequila.
 
I live here in the heart of Appalachia and am no stranger to moonshine whiskey.

What I can tell you about it is that it is basically the same idea as Vodka.
Water and Ethanol Alcohol. The quality of the water will have much to
do with imparting the flavor. Next to that if it is stored in a charred oak wood barrel. But usually it isn't kept that way.

When it is made the head (or first alcohol from the still) is usually of a much higher proof. Two proof equals one per cent. Moonshiners generally blend it to get a product that is comparable to Vodka. But sometimes they will sell the strong stuff which may be way in excess of 100 proof. The movie below explains some of this.

If moonshine is of interest to you, here is a movie featuring Popcorn Sutton showing and discussing the lore and craft. Caution....his language
is colorful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glQjCKAI4gA
 
I've had whiskey shots before and I've never seen the big deal. It burns a little, tastes kind of nasty, but nothing really happens. No different than shots of vodka or tequila (nothing really happens).

Tell the cop nothing happens. See, you are the last person to see a change in your behavior.

Am I missing something?

Absolutely.

I ask because a relative was talking about this "moonshine" and acting like it was so strong that it needed to be sipped slowly as opposed to drinking it like a shot. Then they went on to say something about how whiskey was strong also, as if should be sipped as well. I'd rather not sip it because I find most alcohol tastes nasty.

Why drink something you do not like? I like the taste of many liquors with the exception of scotch. I hate scotch.

I've had that "moonshine" before and it's weaker than whiskey and vodka (I suspect it's really just flavored whiskey). It's not real moonshine. I'm just confused about her behavior. She was having a cow over the way I was drinking it (she was sharing some with me). In fact, she was hooting and hollering like she was drunk after just a few sips. I'm not sure if that was some sort of put on or not.

I suspect I'm odd because I can't get noticeably drunk. I just get super sleepy if I have too much, no change of behavior or anything. I've never had a hangover, even after mixing all sorts of alcohol and drinking cheap tequila.

You are not getting moonshine from a moonshiner as the alcohol content in real moonshine is higher than most other liquor. If it did not come in a mason jar with no labeling you were drinking wanna be moonshine. And was distilled under the inspection of the AHJ.
People that make moonshine off the commercial grid have no rule about alcohol content. They can sell it without watering it down.
They do water it down some. Even the very best usually has some water in it.
Commercial moonshine is widely available due to the exposure moonshine is getting on TV. Moonshine is one of the latest fads.

I am a professional drinker and I can get drunk if I wanted to.
If you have never had a hangover, you did not drink enough. You don't say how much you are drinking.

Try this test. Eat no food all day and at 4:00 pm start drinking beer. Continue until you feel it. Then switch to vodka and drink that until you get sick. Then if you still are not convinced, go back to beer.....lol
You will get sick and you will feel bad for days.
You are a lightweight. I just know that. I can tell.
 
There can be big differences in alcohol content of spirits. Most bottom shelf whiskey blends are 80 proof (as they are required to be at least that here in the U.S.). Most upper shelf bourbons and ryes range from 90-120 proof. Do four shooters of Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve and I guarantee you'll feel it.

As for vodka and MS, I stay away as I find it tasteless. Any cocktail that calls for either will be better with rum or tequila, or even gin in some circumstances
 
This hasn't been addressed yet so I'll mention it. Hangovers, what are they and why?

You'll often hear people who drink saying that if you drink the good stuff you won't get a hangover. But it's more expensive. And that doesn't owe to the brand name & advertising behind the product. It is to do with the distillation process using more expensive equipment.

Crude whiskey like moonshine made by those like Popcorn Sutton comes from a primitive still. It can make alcohol but it cannot filter out something called "fusel oils". These oils are what causes the hangovers and headaches. Even what is known by bartenders as "Well Liquors" which are the cheaper stuff used in making cocktails, generally contains these oils.

A still equipped with a "Reflux Column" or a reflux still as they are known can produce a higher proof whiskey with milder taste and also eliminate a lot of the fusel oils that lead to horrible hangovers. Powerful crude moonshine often carries the nickname of "Bust Head".

The reflux column is like a muffler on a car and loaded with items such as marbles with a lot of surface area that the fusel oils will settle and condense on thus filtering them out of the alcohol that comes out at the end.

As has been pointed out, the more expensive "Call" liquors are generally set up on the wall behind the bar. They get their name from customers requesting the bartender to make them a cocktail using one of those brands of liquor by name. Thus calling for it. More expensive but less likely to cause a hangover.
 
That's funny Larry - love it when people make discoveries like that - true treasures from the past. Thanks for posting!
 
I have to echo the question - if you don't enjoy the flavor, then why consume alcoholic beverages? I tried drinking alcohol as an 18 year old. aI drank infrequently as the flavor of alcohol, no matter whether it was a high quality whiskey, or gin, brandy, vodka, tequila, wine, etc. just tasted terrible to me. Friends would say; "It's an acquired taste. You'll get used to it. I had my first hangover at age 21. Tat was also my last hangover. I was only drinking because of peer pressure. I decided right then that I wasn't going to let peer pressure make me do something that I didn't like doing. Even drinking a beer with my parents was out of the question. Why was it so important foreveyone to see me drink something that contained alcohol, especially when they knew I detested the flavor, it never loosened me up, and generally made me physically nauseated, I even had a guy try to pick a fight with me because I wouldn't drink something alcoholic at a wedding reception. What was wrong with me toasting the bride and groom with a soft drink? He was asked to leave the reception due to his behavior.


The point I am trying to make is; if you like a little wine now and then, or even some kind of mixed drink, then drink it, but not to excess, If you don't enjoy either the flavor, or how it affects you, don't let peer pressure force you into it.

Not trying to be a total wet blanket here. If you want to see all of the negative affects of alcohol, a quick google search will bring up a plethora of scientific articles. If you choose to i,bibe, do it for the right reasons, not because it's expected by others.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Agree Chief.
As a child growing up in an Italian and Latino home, wine and liquor was always available. Drinking was not hidden from children and teenagers. I hated all of it. Tried beer and hated it as well.
At about 16, I got a taste for beer and have been drinking it since. My reason for saying "I was an expert".
I still don't drink much of any liquor. Once in a great while my wife and I will have some Patron. On date night.......;)

The moonshine in our area is very good and its very safe. Many of the outdoor stills in the woods are few. Frankly it silly to drag equipment back into the woods to hide.
It sticks out like a sore thumb. Of course TV shows still show these people in the woods. I say silly people.
We have people making moonshine inside where many things can be controlled.
 
If moonshine is of interest to you, here is a movie featuring Popcorn Sutton showing and discussing the lore and craft.

I have about half of a half gallon jar of his juice still in my bar. It's only doled out on special occasions because it's the good stuff. A friend of mine gave it to me from her parents' estate.
 
When I used to travel to the Boston area to visit relatives one of the things I was always asked to bring was a jug of shine.

I'd drive out 30 miles to a place I knew about where this little deaf muted man sit beside the road signaling whether there was any available or not. If he had one leg crossed over the other.....you drive on out the back road and buy. (provided they knew ya) If the man was sitting with both feet on the ground it was the signal to keep on going.

The old fellow was just a simple country fellow and rather child like but he made a living sitting and watching traffic all day. (and communicating the availability of supply) But his folks made some of the best/safest.

Some of the fly by night's would use truck radiators in place of copper coil condensers which could cause lead poisoning, or a poorly crafted still where lead solder was exposed to the contents of the still. Just anything to make a few quick bucks off the heavy drinkers. I learned early that those who master this craft treat it as seriously as Chef's in a kitchen. They want to build following and not in any way harm their customers who would be repeat business. But like so many "hash-slingers", there are always going to be those slobs who are just in it for the fast buck.

Many of the old country boys who drive 18 wheel rigs often drive up into the New England states and haul large quantities up there. It helps pay for tires, repairs to the rig when they break down etc. Bar owners often buy from them
and top off the bottles in their well at the bar and after the happy hour start mixing from those bottles. Always a good market for good shine. ;)
 
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I’ve been in a million bars in Boston and surrounding. Never seen moonshine here.

I’m not sure anyone here cares about it.
 
That's because it's illegal. The moonshine made in southern states is cheap and can be transported by trucks to big northern cities and sold at a price that makes money for the driver and the bar owners can buy it for cheap in relationship to their areas. So they buy it covertly and sneak it into their bars and add small amounts to partly empty bottles in the well to extend the profitability. Few customers ever realize it as the mixed drinks are often laced with mixers & syrups to cover flavor but they will still have the kick.

Call drinks are mixed with the whiskey the customer orders his/her drink mixed from. Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Beefeaters, Bacardi, or other name brands. In the well the bottles of liquor may be cheap stuff like any of McCormick's line of liquors. But the moonshine added to them is still cheaper.

I'm sure not all places do this but still it would be hard to know who does and who doesn't.
 

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