Modern Moonshine
The Revival of White Whiskey in the Twenty-First Century
Published on 1. April 2019
Book
Hardback
252 pages
978-1-946684-81-3 (ISBN)
Description
The craft of making moonshine-an unaged white whiskey, often made and consumed outside legal parameters-nearly went extinct in the late twentieth century as law enforcement cracked down on illicit producers, and cheaper, lawful alcohol became readily available. Yet the twenty-first century has witnessed a resurgence of artisanal distilling, as both connoisseurs and those reconnecting with their heritage have created a vibrant new culture of moonshine. While not limited to Appalachia, moonshine is often entwined with the region in popular understandings.
The first interdisciplinary examination of the legal moonshine industry, Modern Moonshine probes the causes and impact of the so-called moonshine revival. What does the moonshine revival tell us about our national culture? How does it shape the image of Appalachia and rural America? Focusing mostly on southern Appalachia, the book's eleven essays chronicle such popular figures as Popcorn Sutton and explore how and why distillers promote their product as "traditional" and "authentic." This edited collection draws from scholars across the disciplines of anthropology, history, geography, and sociology to make sense of the legal, social, and historical shifts behind contemporary production and consumption of moonshine, and offers a fresh perspective on an enduring topic of Appalachian myth and reality.
The first interdisciplinary examination of the legal moonshine industry, Modern Moonshine probes the causes and impact of the so-called moonshine revival. What does the moonshine revival tell us about our national culture? How does it shape the image of Appalachia and rural America? Focusing mostly on southern Appalachia, the book's eleven essays chronicle such popular figures as Popcorn Sutton and explore how and why distillers promote their product as "traditional" and "authentic." This edited collection draws from scholars across the disciplines of anthropology, history, geography, and sociology to make sense of the legal, social, and historical shifts behind contemporary production and consumption of moonshine, and offers a fresh perspective on an enduring topic of Appalachian myth and reality.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Morganstown
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
15 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
588 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-946684-81-3 (9781946684813)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Bruce E. Stewart is an associate professor of history at Appalachian State University. He is the author or editor of several books, including Moonshiners and Prohibitionists: The Battle over Alcohol in Southern Appalachia.
Cameron D. Lippard is a professor of sociology at Appalachian State University. He is the author or editor of several books, including Building Inequality: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in the Atlanta Construction Industry and Untapped: Exploring the Cultural Dimensions of Craft Beer (West Virginia University Press).
Cameron D. Lippard is a professor of sociology at Appalachian State University. He is the author or editor of several books, including Building Inequality: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in the Atlanta Construction Industry and Untapped: Exploring the Cultural Dimensions of Craft Beer (West Virginia University Press).
Content
List of Illustrations
Introduction: The Revival of Moonshine in Southern Appalachia and the United States, Bruce E. Stewart and Cameron D. Lippard
Part I: Socially Constructing the Origins of the Modern Moonshine Revival
1. Fire Up the Stills: A Brief History of Moonshining in Southern Appalachia before the Twenty-First Century, Bruce E. Stewart
2. Jim Tom Hedrick, Popcorn Sutton, and the Rise of the Postmodern Moonshiner, Daniel S. Pierce
3. Moonshiners and the Media: The Twenty-First-Century Trickster, Emily D. Edwards
4. Making Criminals, Making Ends Meet: Constructing Criminality in Franklin County, Virginia, Robert T. Perdue
Part II: The Legalization and Marketing of Modern Moonshine
5. The Rise of "Legal" Moonshine: Breaking Down the Legal Barriers to Craft Distilling in the United States, Kenneth J. Sanchagrin
6. From the Appalachian Mountains to the Puget Sound and Beyond: Distilling Authenticity in Modern Moonshine, Kaitland M. Byrd, J. Slade Lellock, and Nathaniel G. Chapman
7. Entrepreneurial Family Values and the Modern Moonshiner: Appalachian Craft Distilling beyond Its Neoliberal Frame, Jason Ezell
8. The "Uncatchables": A Case Study of Call Family Distillers in Wilkes County, North Carolina, Cameron D. Lippard
Part III: Historic Preservation and Tourism in the Name of Moonshine
9. Distilling Commercial Moonshine in East Tennessee: Mashing a New Type of Tourism, Helen M. Rosko
10. Heritage Spirits in Heritage Spaces, Kristen Baldwin Deathridge
11. Automotive Heritage and the Legacy of High-Octane Moonshiners: A Unique Cultural Intersection of Alcohol and Motor Vehicles, Barry L. Stiefel
Contributor Biographies
Introduction: The Revival of Moonshine in Southern Appalachia and the United States, Bruce E. Stewart and Cameron D. Lippard
Part I: Socially Constructing the Origins of the Modern Moonshine Revival
1. Fire Up the Stills: A Brief History of Moonshining in Southern Appalachia before the Twenty-First Century, Bruce E. Stewart
2. Jim Tom Hedrick, Popcorn Sutton, and the Rise of the Postmodern Moonshiner, Daniel S. Pierce
3. Moonshiners and the Media: The Twenty-First-Century Trickster, Emily D. Edwards
4. Making Criminals, Making Ends Meet: Constructing Criminality in Franklin County, Virginia, Robert T. Perdue
Part II: The Legalization and Marketing of Modern Moonshine
5. The Rise of "Legal" Moonshine: Breaking Down the Legal Barriers to Craft Distilling in the United States, Kenneth J. Sanchagrin
6. From the Appalachian Mountains to the Puget Sound and Beyond: Distilling Authenticity in Modern Moonshine, Kaitland M. Byrd, J. Slade Lellock, and Nathaniel G. Chapman
7. Entrepreneurial Family Values and the Modern Moonshiner: Appalachian Craft Distilling beyond Its Neoliberal Frame, Jason Ezell
8. The "Uncatchables": A Case Study of Call Family Distillers in Wilkes County, North Carolina, Cameron D. Lippard
Part III: Historic Preservation and Tourism in the Name of Moonshine
9. Distilling Commercial Moonshine in East Tennessee: Mashing a New Type of Tourism, Helen M. Rosko
10. Heritage Spirits in Heritage Spaces, Kristen Baldwin Deathridge
11. Automotive Heritage and the Legacy of High-Octane Moonshiners: A Unique Cultural Intersection of Alcohol and Motor Vehicles, Barry L. Stiefel
Contributor Biographies