Submitted by N4rCyx t3_113lv1j in explainlikeimfive
MaleficentPi t1_j8r2f7u wrote
Reply to comment by governmentcaviar in ELI5 Can we distill anything ? by N4rCyx
Distilled spirits from corn is usually called moonshine.
Distilled spirits from sugarcane? Rum.
I get where you're coming from, though the flavor profiles are substantially different from a 100% rye grain mash vodka or a hard northern wheat vodka, and most people can tell a sugarcane vodka from a rye vodka.
dirschau t1_j8r4rts wrote
Moonshine is literally just illegally distilled alcohol, not a flavour. It's called that because it was done secretly, often out in the middle of the woods or somewhere... In the light of the moon, if you will.
I mean, it can have SOME flavour, I suppose, if it wasn't properly distilled. Which isn't unreasonable if it was done in a slap dash setup in the woods.
MaleficentPi t1_j8r5of6 wrote
... have you had moonshine?
It ain't vodka.
You're using "flavour" not "flavor", so I am going to say you have no idea what moonshine actually tastes like, regardless of whether it was a commercial version of Johnny Red Corn or a snort from an actual still back in the holler.
I mean I suppose you could be Canadian, but you'd be calling it white rye if you were East Coast Canuckistani.
I don't assume I know anything about Scotch, but I do know American moonshine, and when the word is used to describe liquor, they are not talking about potsheen or garage brandy.
So no. Moonshine is not vodka any more than ararak is vodka or raki is vodka or cachaca is vodka.
The flavor is different, the mash ingredients are different, and the cultural taste is very different.
And you'd know that if you'd had any of those and were in a position to taste, had any idea what the distillates tasted like, or had any clue what the actual flavor of those specific distilled spirits are in commerical brands or not.
The only other way you could not discern the difference between moonshine, vodka, cachaca or other distillates like unaged sugar cane rum is if you have no sense of smell or an incredibly weak palate.
dirschau t1_j8r94ld wrote
I wasn't aware that Moonshine has become a "brand", made to a particular recipe, like raki or rum.
Because I did have alcohol from an amateur still, fermented from whatever was available (mushy fruit and potato peels, probably). You know, like something a moonshiner would have made back in the day. It just tasted like shit vodka.
MaleficentPi t1_j8r9n54 wrote
Search for Midnight Moon and Old Smoky to get a basic handle on it. Those are the most common commercial brands.
And read this.
It's been a thing for distillers and liquor industries for well over ten years in America, and while it's not exactly well-known outside of Americana liquor historians and modern distilling, it's a significant share of the market.
And whatever you had was probably not made by a commercial distiller or even someone who knew how to toss the heads and tails correctly, which is why you had that taste. Well-made moonshine is delicious and has tasting notes as specific as any top shelf liquor.
Not knowing about a thing doesn't mean it's not a thing.
Honestly, you saying "I had illegally distilled liquor once and it was Terribad" leads me to the conclusion that you just make poor life decisions. Not that you know anything about alcohol.
dirschau t1_j8rbu8x wrote
>Not knowing about a thing doesn't mean it's not a thing.
I believe you that it's a thing now, but it's just funny how offended you are when you just said it's literally only a ten year old thing, considering "moonshine" has been a thing for well over a 150.
So yes, I didn't know a bunch of corporations appropriated a pre-existing term about the same time the first Avatar came out. My bad, lol.
>And whatever you had was probably not made by a commercial distiller
Wow, how did you know!?
>Because I did have alcohol from an amateur still, fermented from whatever was available
Oh, right
MaleficentPi t1_j8s10cs wrote
Prison whiskey is not whiskey, friend.
It's sad to see someone work so hard to still show so little knowledge.
dirschau t1_j8sdeyy wrote
...yeah, I know, that's literally what I've been saying. It's actual bootlegged alcohol. Like, you know, traditional moonshine, not Moonshine™
Because that was the original point. That moonshine, until circa 2010 apparently, was the colloquial term (slong with hooch) for bootlegged alcohol.
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