Moonshine

While an old American tradition can help home distillers understand the processes involved in distilling, there’s no approximating the bureaucracy and red tape of going pro. A recent court ruling may lead to a clearer pathway.

Craft distillers are elevating unaged whiskey as a pure, transparent expression of the distiller’s craft and the farmer’s grain.

Distilling in Florida’s hot and humid environment, and producing spirits specifically tuned for cocktails in a tourism-driven locale—those are the major guideposts for the creative direction of these sibling distilleries, as well as for their methods of barrel aging and adding flavor.

Industry members weigh in on the word “moonshine,” its evolving meaning in the American distilling world, and the propriety of using it on legally produced spirits.