Moonshine is one of America's oldest traditions. From George Washington, to the Prohibition years and beyond, the one thing that's remained true is that moonshine was made without the blessing or involvement of the U.S. government. But moonshine has seen a rise in popularity in recent years outside the places where it's traditionally been made and enjoyed. From the mountains of Appalachia to the concrete jungle of New York City, the people want their moonshine.
This has given rise to a whole new school of legal moonshine distilleries, churning out the clear liquor for a whole new audience of consumers. Moonshine even has its own reality show now. You might be thinking, "Isn't legal moonshine an oxymoron?" Although for most of our lives moonshine has been considered contraband, it wasn't always illegal. Moonshine simply refers to unaged whiskey that's bottled straight off the still. Since we at HuffPost Taste love booze, the tradition behind moonshine and the taste buds of our readers, we threw ourselves a little moonshine taste test.
We pulled together a few of the most recognizable brands that have hit the market in recent years, as well as a few wild cards. The great thing about moonshine is that it varies greatly from region to region, and it seems like every whiskey distillery has its own version. Moonshine is usually distilled from corn, malted barley, rye or some combination thereof. We tasted only original recipes, although many distilleries infuse their moonshine with fruit and other flavoring agents -- the only thing that's not allowed is aging time in a barrel. Check out what our tasters thought in the list below. If we missed your favorite local moonshine, tell us about in the comments!
"Spicy flavor, surprisingly gentle ending, though." "Insanely sweet for moonshine, almost vanilla-y. Smooth, not too hot." "Mild nose, pleasant." "Sweet and corny. Gross." "Equal parts smooth and strong."
"If I had to drink moonshine, this is the winner." "Smells like bread. Tastes like soggy bread on fire." "Strong, ethanol nose, chemical taste." "Peppery, super burny on the back of my throat." "Sweet, then bitter. Bittersweet?" "Tastes like month-old Chinese white rice."
"Complex flavor." "Hot as hell, but it really packs in a lot of flavor." "Unpleasant burn." "Has a sweeter taste." "That's one mean dog."
"Pretty drinkable. Slightly funky aftertaste." "Ooh la la, that is made out of fire." "Plenty of corn flavor. CORN." "BURN, BABY, BURN."
"Very vodka-like." "Wait, is this vodka? Not picking up much corn at all." "The O.G. of moonshine. Has a rubbing alcohol taste." "Tastes oddly like vodka and not very strong."
"A very savory flavor, like actual corn." "Pretty smooth, very corny, a little too hot." "Tequila-like." "Harsh." "Smells like pee."
This story appears in Issue 84 of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, available Friday, Jan. 17 in the iTunes App store.
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