moonshine

Illegally produced liquor goes by many names: white lightning, firewater and rotgut among many more. The most popular perhaps is “moonshine.” This term came about since often times the strong alcoholic drink was distilled by the light of the moon in order to draw as little attention as possible. Distilling moonshine is truly an American tradition. The first taxation on alcohol distillation was introduced to pay for the costs of the Revolutionary War. Those that continued to make alcohol without paying the new tax became the first moonshiners. It has been legal to make beer and wine since 1978. These drinks are of less financial concern to the government as they provide much less in tax revenue than the hard alcohol market. From legally distilled alcohol the US government collects roughly $5 billion in taxes annually.