Before Hollywood turned moonshiners into stereotypes, mountain whiskey was often about survival. Scots-Irish, English, and German settlers brought old-world distilling traditions into Appalachia generations ago. Corn grew well in the mountains, but transporting crops across rough terrain was difficult. Turning corn into whiskey made it easier to carry, trade, barter, and sell. Over time, secret nighttime distilling deep in the mountains gave rise to the name “moonshine.” For many Appalachian fam