Milsurp After Hours

I've known various people throughout my life that have had a nodding acquaintance with moonshine. One friend of mine use to run whiskey in his youth and still has a few mason jars stashed away for sentimental reasons even though he gave up drinking some relatively long time ago. He lives in South Carolina.

Recently a friend in Kentucky sent me a sample he got from a mom and pop business that sells it from under the counter at some kind of store in a small town in Kentucky. Now.. you can go to a liquor dealer in various locations all over the US and buy "moonshine" that is produced as a commercial product... fully licensed.. inspected... and royally taxed.

My friend from South Carolina.. that has experience in his youth... says the way the old timers determined proof was to shake the jar and look at the bubbles. The size and profusion of the bubbles was how they judged the alcohol content.

Well. Just before I started this post I made me a highball. I used Coca Cola to cut it with. And... it tastes like bourbon whiskey even though it is clear like vodka or gin.

It's smooth and doesn't taste all that strong a proof.... But... let you know about that tomorrow... if I remember....or don't go blind.

I had a couple of jars of real moonshine that my wife brought back from Tennessee about
4 years ago. She was visiting relatives of her best friend, he knew the local "shiners" and gave
her some. I still have one jar left, the other went down smooth a while back........
You're right, doesn't taste bad at all and is quite smooth and no bite. Not sure about if you
drank a lot at once.... ........ I just had one mixed drink at a time.
I think the "moonshine" they sell in liquor store is about the same as Everclear......
Your jar looks like a quart, mine were only pints.


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I had two drinks. Got a little buzz out of it and no bad after effects. Have no idea the proof. My wife says she won't drink any of it. So... guess I'll have to work on it now and again.

You are a martyr to it Robert

Here we have some of the local chateaux making 'under the counter 'Pineau des Charentes' which is a side product of Cognac.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineau_des_Charentes

One of my favourite aperitif's served neat over lots of ice. Floc de Gascogne is in a similar style but based on Armagnac. I can drink that for France too

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floc_de_Gascogne