9.4.8: White Lightning

White Lightning

During Prohibition, the illegal production of a potent corn liquor, known as moonshine flourished, especially in Appalachia. This powerful clear alcohol gets its interesting name from the tendency of those who produce and transport this liquor to work at night to avoid detection. To aid in their clandestine operations, moonshiners tended to distill their liquor in geographically remote locations, far from the prying eyes of law enforcement. Decades ago, cars used to transport moonshine were reputedly modified, or to help bootleggers evade law enforcement officials. Cars were “souped-up” to make them go faster and equipped with heavy-duty springs to better hold heavier cargo. Legend holds that this led to the evolution of stock car racing in the Upland South. The legend is probably embellished.

Figure Map Kentucky counties by legality of alcohol. Date Sources Kentucky Alcohol Beverage Control

Although it has been nearly a century since national prohibition elapsed, moonshining continues apace in parts of Appalachia. Several reasons, rooted in the geography of the Upland South, can be identified. First, there is a long history of corn liquor production in Appalachia. The Scottish and Irish that constitute a significant part of the ethnic heritage of Appalachia, brought the practice to the region hundreds of years ago. Perhaps more importantly, local versions of Prohibition continue in many parts of the South to this day. Many people in the South and Appalachia live within dry counties, meaning the sale of alcohol, or at least some types of alcohol, is illegal in those counties. Oftentimes, only portions of a county are dry, or there are exceptions for specific locations or events. In any case, banning the sale of booze in these regions encourages the production of moonshine. Where alcohol is permitted, often taxes on it are very high to discourage its consumption. These laws and the associated sin taxes remain in place in the South largely because conservative, anti-liquor Baptists, Pentecostals, and Methodists are politically dominant. Ironically, because the production of moonshine can be very profitable for its producers, both the bootleggers and Baptists favor the maintenance of laws that have evaporated elsewhere in the country. It is a longstanding and ironic political, and economic relationship that favors the status quo.

Geography presents another set of factors favoring the production of moonshine in the Upland South. The mountainous terrain and geographic isolation of the region prevent Appalachian farmers from cheaply producing and transporting grain crops to populous urban markets. Transportation costs encourage farmers in remote locations to turn to the production of alternative “agricultural goods” capable of turning a profit despite the added transportation costs (see Von Thunen Model – Agriculture Chapter). Because transportation costs associated with corn liquor are far lower per unit of product than corn itself, especially in Appalachia, there is a strong economic logic incentivizing alcohol production there. In recent years, larger operations have been known to yield thousands of gallons, allowing moonshiners to make thousands of dollars per week at locations with few well-paying, legal, employment options. Marijuana production occurs under similar conditions.

In a few locations within Appalachia, especially the karst regions of Kentucky and Tennessee, groundwater sources are often naturally filtered through layers of limestone bedrock, changing the chemistry of the spring water in a way that is ideal for the production of high-quality whiskey and bourbon production. As a result, several best-selling brands of whiskey in the United States are distilled there. Not surprisingly, some of these distilleries are in dry counties. Take, for example, Lynchburg, Tennessee, where the world-famous Jack Daniels whiskey is distilled. It’s in a dry county. Over 10 million cases of Jack Daniels are bottled in Lynchburg every year, but you can’t buy a shot of it there.