More than 100 years after moonshine surged in popularity during Prohibition, distilleries across the state are reviving the once illegal spirit. Congress established the 18th Amendment in 1919, which made the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol illegal—but not its consumption. Bootleggers had to improvise to make contraband whiskey, using anything that fermented, including corn, rye, wheat, barley, vegetables, fruits, or even sugar.
While some die-hard moonshine fans say anything made with a license doesn’t qualify as the real deal, craft moonshine distillers pride themselves on using original recipes from the bootlegger days.
