“But is it really good ol’ ’shine?”
Josh Sanburn on the resurgence of moonshine — yes, moonshine:
As moonshine creeps into the mainstream, however, there are some in Appalachia who question whether a spirit that’s aboveboard — and regulated and taxed by the government – can truly be considered moonshine. It may be unaged whiskey. But is it really good ol’ ’shine?
“I think there are people out there who feel that if you’re paying taxes on it, it’s not moonshine,” says Ole Smoky’s Baker. “And sure, if you pay taxes, you lose a little bit of credibility. But I think most folks — certainly people who are familiar with how we make our products and people who have been to our distillery — they see that we do it the same way that it’s been done around here forever.”