#Bootlegging July 17

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BOOTLEGGING has some history in North Carolina.

First let’s get to the term “Moonshine” that BOOTLEGGERS are synonymous for. That moniker “moonshine” gets its name from being distilled at night. The reason was to make detecting smoke rising from the stills at night difficult.

Illegal alcohol was called rot gut, likker, shine, white lightening, and ruckus juice. The people who delivered or sold it were called “BOOTLEGGERS.

One famous man came from Rutherford County (NC). Amos Owens gained notoriety for his moonshine called Cherry Bounce. Amos had a recipe for shine that included honey from his own bees, whiskey from his own stills, and the abundance of wild cherries that covered his mountain. This recipe earned him the nickname “Cherry Bounce King”.

For those people that enjoy diving into history there is something called the “Cherry Bounce Trail”

If you want to read a fascinating blog post on Amos Owens and Cherry Bounce go to this link.

BOOTLEGGING of moonshine had a major impact on the sport of NASCAR. If you want to learn that history go here.