A Cautious Defense of Moonshine

If you’re like me at all, the question, “Is making your own moonshine really that bad?” has crossed your mind at least a few times. Can you blame me? The thought of unlimited, practically free alcohol was tempting, and I imagined that it would have the added bonus of being as strong as a horse tranquilizer. While contemplating if I really wanted to freak out my housemates by making them accomplices to an illegal moonshine distillery, I started to wonder why moonshine is even against the law in the first place. Like almost everything, the answer is … complicated. 

For legal reasons, I disappointedly must report that I don’t have the balls to distill moonshine in my collegetown house. 

Moonshine in the United States has a long history, especially in the South.