5 Moonshine Myths We Hear Everyday
Our family has been in the moonshine business (both legally and illegally...) for a long time, and our passion is making authentic moonshine approachable.
Let’s debunk the most common moonshine myths and prove to you that anyone can enjoy sippin’ on good shine. If you've lived in the South for any amount of time, you've likely heard some crazy story about an old roommate who used to make shine and the stories went downhill from there…
We do moonshine the right way and it makes all the difference.
Myth: Moonshine burns like hell.
FACT: It’s all in the proof.
When most people hear the word "moonshine", they think of a clear liquor that is 180 proof, which isn't the case at all. Grandaddy Mimm’s makes moonshine from 40 proof all the way to 140 proof to appeal to all drinkers.
Sure, there's a bit of a burn on the heavy stuff, but it's nothing too different from the warm tingle you get from a nice bourbon.
If you need a chaser, our bartenders got you covered.
Myth: Moonshine ain’t a ladies’ drink.
FACT: That’s bullshit.
The truth is, most women on our team can outdrink the men on staff and will show you if you ask. Our girls can throw down and our customers range in age, gender, sports fandom (GO DAWGS), and preference of drinking shine straight up, making a mixed drink, or taking a favorite shot. Shine is meant to bring people together and most of the time it does.
The goal isn’t to prove something, it’s to sit back and drink something you enjoy.
Did you know that most any drink that you mix with rum, vodka, or whiskey, you can sub with shine!?!
Myth: Moonshine will make you go blind.
FACT: We’ve never seen it… but, we haven’t seen anything for a while. JK.
Moonshine is called moonshine because, during Prohibition, it used to be made secretly at night only by the light of the moon. When it was made illegally, there were no government regulations, and the same guy who married his sister could be in charge of cooking up your cocktail. This meant that people were drinking 180+ proof stuff and… let’s just say there were definite health risks.
Today, making moonshine is a perfected craft rather than an illegal crime. We make ours in our enclosed facility and pay a few extra taxes to keep our doors open and pours flowing.
Myth: Moonshine is just corn whiskey + sugar.
FACT: The difference is the aging & barreling process.
The reality is, moonshine is just as enjoyable as most whiskeys, bourbons, runs, and other spirits, but it’s the cheapest to make and make well.
Corn whiskey is defined by law as having a mash bill of 80% corn or greater, and may or may not be aged in barrels. By contrast, the common definition of moonshine calls for no barrel aging whatsoever.
Moonshine contains corn, sugar, water, and yeast.
Myth: Moonshine can be used as car gasoline.
FACT: Just know that we won’t drive you home…
Driving your car on a tank full of alcohol requires that alcohol be a minimum of 150 proof (75% abv), and that is if you don’t mind a good bit of sputtering. To be an effective substitute for gasoline, the alcohol needs to be the 170 proof E85 stuff sometimes sold at the pump (85% abv).
Gasoline for the car. Shine for the bar.
Moonshine is in a league of its own - we’re pouring the truth.
Its distinct flavor and distillation process is what makes it unlike every other alcohol.
For us, our ingredients and process are what set us apart. We use natural mountain spring water from our family's farm, and all of our other ingredients are local, too.
We make everything small batch, in all of those blue fermenting barrels that you see on the tour, instead of in giant fermenting tanks. Our Master Distiller (who has made moonshine for 45 years - five years with us and forty years, um... nevermind...) handmade our 100% copper stills, which gives our moonshine a distinct taste.
If you’re a whiskey guy, a bourbon gal, or just a seltzer water addict - there’s always something new to try that we’re really proud of. Come on in.