Interesting Prohibition era story

[Jono]

I grew up in the "Quad Cities" area (Moline/Rock Island/East Moline/Silvis IL and Davenport/Bettendorf IA) and found this story of whiskey making interesting. I personally was not aware of this chapter...I am sure it was common throughout the country at one time.

See this link: http://qconline.com/progress99/2bootleg.shtml

[ratcheer]

Thanks. Good story.

Tim

[cowdery]

Although they talk about "making whiskey," it sounds like what really was being practiced was classic moonshining, with table sugar being the primary ingredient and subsequent flavoring of the spirit to make it resemble whiskey. This was common throughout the country, even in big cities like Chicago.

In other words, home brewers made real beer, home vitners made real wine, but home distillers did not make real whiskey.

[Jono]

I would imagine the moonshining was the easiest and cheapest way to provide a product for market...when beggars could not be choosy. Also, obtaining the great quantities of grain required for a real whiskey operation would have been a little too much of an operational risk. Though I imagine they used feed corn, sorghum, apples and anything else that could create a mash of sorts. If this was going on in the Quad Cities it was going on all over. I know my Italian grandfather made wine so I imagine he did so during prohibition as well...probably for his own consumption or with a small circle of friends. I will have to research that with my aunts & uncles.