Moonshine Nation: The Art of Creating Cornbread in a Bottle

by Mark Spivak

Moonshine is corn whiskey, traditionally made in improvised stills throughout the Appalachian South. While quality varied from one producer to another, the whiskey had one thing in It was illegal because the distiller refused to pay taxes to the US government. Many moonshiners were descendants of Scots-Irish immigrants who had fought in the original Whiskey Rebellion in the early 1790s. They brought their knowledge of distilling with them to America along with a profound sense of independence and a refusal to submit to government authority. Today many Southern states have relaxed their laws and now allow the legal production of moonshine—provided that taxes are paid. Yet many modern moonshiners retain deep links to their bootlegging heritage. Moonshine Nation is the story of moonshine’s history and origins alongside profiles of modern moonshiners—and a collection of drink recipes from each.

Genres: History, Food, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2014

About the author

Mark Spivak is an award-winning writer specializing in wine, spirits, food, restaurants and culinary travel. He is the former wine columnist for The Palm Beach Post, and since 2001 has been the Wine & Spirits Editor for the Palm Beach Media Group. He is the author of two non-fiction books: Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History (Lyons Press, 2012) and Moonshine Nation (Lyons Press, 2014), and two novels. His political thriller, The American Crusade, was released by TCK Publishing in April, 2019.

Reviews

[D Franklin Pack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part One of this book deals with the history of moonshining especially during the days when it was illegal, and Part Two discusses the legal moonshining of today. While I would have preferred an entire book on just the historical aspects, I am sure there are many other readers who would be enthralled with an entire book on the modern distillers. Either way, I think the author devoted enough pages on both to make it worthwhile for any interested reader to enjoy.

In Part Two the interviews with a few of the modern-day distillers were interesting, especially on how they got started in the business, whether as a continuation or renewal of their family heritage or as new entrepreneurs who had to learn the trade from scratch. However, I had no interest in the recipes for enjoying their products although, there again, I am sure this would be a highlight for some readers.

I do wish there had been more pages devoted to Tennessee history of moonshining and, at one point, I came out of my chair when there was mention of my own moonshining family roots, Franklin County, Tennessee, only to immediately realize that this should have been Franklin County, Virginia, one of many places claiming to be the “moonshining capital of the world”. This error was such a letdown for me that I knocked off two extra stars.

In summary, I am glad I purchased and read the book and while I will keep it away from the recipe drawer in my kitchen, I am happy to add it to my Prohibition reference stack at my desk.

[Robert Mckay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book isn't quite accurate - it doesn't talk about cornbread in a bottle at all. That makes you think the book is going to be entirely about unaged, probably illegal, corn whisky, and while that does enter into the book to a great extent, there are other things too. Nevertheless, this is a good book overall. Just as you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, so you shouldn't necessarily judge a book by its title (though one would hope that a title such as this, with the de rigeur subtitle to indicate scholarship or at least pretensions to being a "serious" work, would accurately inform one as to the actual contents).

There is indeed a lot here about moonshine. I have come to the clear realization, through this book and others, that the standard view of moonshine - foul stuff whose only virtue is the high proof - is at best only partially true. Here there's a little more depth in the demolishing of the myth. We learn something about the history of moonshine, including why it got the bad reputation (unscrupulous, greedy distillers and distributors during Prohibition, mostly). If the descriptions of the actual taste of good moonshine (or unaged corn whisky - technically moonshine is the illegal stuff, but you can make the exact same recipe legally if you're willing to submit to Uncle Sam's regulations, fees, and micromanagement) are at all accurate, then it must taste better than even big-name aged whiskeys such as Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Glenlivet, or Hiram Walker. I can't tell you from my own experience - I have tasted aged whisky, but never a putatively great brand, and I've never so much as seen unaged corn whisky.

One word on those descriptions of taste. It has always struck me as unutterably pretentious when I read or hear wine experts talking about the "nose" and the "notes" of wine, and it seems to me even more so when it comes to corn whisky. My perception is, of course, merely my perception, and were I to become a connoisseur I would no doubt adopt the requisite vocabulary. But I'm not sure I could ever do it with blushing a little - the language itself just doesn't sound very straightforward or normal. If you have the same reaction to reading about the "nose," "notes," and "finish" of a glass of corn likker, then those brief portions will make you squirm. If you don't, then they won't.

And otherwise it's a pretty good book.

[Wanda Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept my interest from the beginning to the end. I won this book through Goodreads. I had hoped to read it because I have heard stories in my own family about family members making and running moonshine, and how they would buy off the local officials and would be informed when the revenuers were coming. The only drawback to this history is it was mostly written about North Carolina, and Tennessee wasn't the sitting. That being said, I still found this book very informative and probably know more than I ever really wanted to about moonshine and the Dixie Mafia.

[Mary Keroson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history lesson.