Top 10 Best Moonshine Brands From The USA To Buy Online

1. Sugarlands Jim Tom Hedrick’s Unaged Rye

Sugarlands is an award-winning distillery that was founded in 2014. It operates from its downtown Gatlinburg distillery in East Tennesse and immerses itself in moonshine’s rich heritage. Today, Sugarlands continues to embrace its legacy as the official NASCAR moonshine.

Jim Tom Hedrick is something of a legend among moonshiners. Born in 1940n he was a well-known manufacturer of copper stills and was even incarcerated for his activities. Hedrick became known by the public when he joined the cast of the Discovery documentary series Moonshiners in its second season.

Shortly after Sugarlands was founded, Hedrick partnered with the distillery to produce an authentic (and legal) moonshine to launch its Legends collection. This 100-proof spirit packs a spicy rye punch with hints of black pepper. If you’re looking for a truly genuine moonshine experience, it would be our first recommendation.

2. Ole Smoky Blue Flame Moonshine

Ole Smoky launched just after Tennesse changed its state law and allowed the distillation of spirits in 2010. When it opened, it was only one of four distilleries in the state, which included Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel, and Benjamin Prichard.

Its moonshine follows a genuine, 100-year old East Tennessee family recipe using locally-sourced ingredients. Furthermore, it was perfected by Dave Pickerell, the Maker’s Mark master blender for over 15 years.

Playing on the myth that pure moonshine would burn with a blue flame, its flagship product is a 128-proof monster. With its crystal clear robe, it delivers clean and crisp flavours on the palate.

3. Ole Smoky White Lightnin’ Moonshine

Although a little more subdued than Ole Smoky’s Blue Flame moonshine, its White Lightnin’ still packs a punch! It’s crafted from 100% neutral grains and has been conceived to be easy to mix into your favourite cocktails.

Indeed, it’s an excellent alternative to other clear spirits like gin or vodka. It has a unique flavour, which offers an altogether different experience when used in a harmonious cocktail.

4. Copperfish Cornish Moonshine

Although the USA is probably best known for moonshine today, the term is actually British in origin and was a product of its excise laws. An excellent specimen that displays the British craft is Copperfish Distillery’s moonshine.

Copperish is a surprisingly young company despite its appreciation for the craft’s heritage. Founded only in 2018, it is equipped with a custom-designed 500-litre still and produces a selection of gin, rum, and whiskey.

Today, moonshine plays a large role in Copperfish’s DNA and there is a wide selection of flavoured options. However, the original is easily our favourite!

Made from a mash of locally-sourced Cornish corn, malted barley, and wheat, the original moonshine has a playful and rich flavour. It’s surprisingly reminiscent of Italian grappa and can be easily enjoyed straight or even in your afternoon coffee!

5. Sugarlands Appalachian Apple Pie Moonshine

While the FX network series, Justified, probably brought apple pie moonshine into the public spotlight, it has been around for a long time! Therefore, there are plenty of brands that true to reproduce the experience.

Sugarlands’ apple pie moonshine is an excellent example. It’s yeasty with notes of baking spices and zest that are dominated by crisp green apples. If you have a particularly sweet tooth, it’s an excellent choice.

6. Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine

Ole Smoky offers its apple pie moonshine in two concentrations of alcohol depending on your preference. You can either opt for the headier 35% ABV or instead settle for a lighter 20% ABV. Both are equally pleasant and very easy to drink.

If you find Sugarlands too sweet, Ole Smoky’s apple pie moonshine is drier with a greater focus on cinnamon spice. Indeed, the apple cider helps deliver a more bitter and tart palate, which some people may prefer.

7. Saint Luna Charcoal Filtered Moonshine

The Southern Distilling Company has chosen a different approach to the production of its moonshine. Rather than follow the trend for rustic mason jars that emulate a homemade product, it has opted to create a premium product.

Produced from locally-sourced molasses and rye, the distillate is charcoal filtered in order to produce a pure spirit. By following scientific methodology, its moonshine offers a complex character with an elegant finish.

8. Sugarlands Silver Cloud Tennessee Sour Mash Moonshine

An award-winning alternative to Jim Tom Hedrick’s concoction, the Silver Cloud moonshine is made from a mash of corn and cane sugar. Aiming to produce a Prohibition-style experience, its flavour profile is bracing with a refined character.

9. Ole Smoky Peach Moonshine

Aside from the apple pie options above, we have intentionally refrained from featuring flavoured moonshine throughout the majority of this list. Genuine moonshine is normally a strong and high-proof liquor, which people would then flavour or blend at home after buying it.

However, it’s hard to ignore the prevalence of flavoured moonshine on the market. Unlike their clear counterparts, flavoured moonshine is normally cut down to about 20% ABV so it’s easier to drink neat. Nevertheless, it usually acts as an excellent taste modifier for cocktails.

Here, Ole Smoky combines its White Lightnin’ moonshine with natural peach juice. Therefore, it’s a succulent and richly-flavoured moonshine, which showcases its potential when married with fruit.

10. Sugarlands Root Beer Moonshine

Sugarlands experiments with unique flavours and ingredients to concoct some intriguing beverages. One of our favourites that surprised us the most was Sugarlands’ Root Beer moonshine. It’s an original beverage, which combines sassafras root, vanilla, and wintergreen with a crisp alcoholic spirit.

Although still sweet, it has a more herbal and complex bouquet than most flavoured moonshine. Therefore, if you’re after something that breaks from the norm, this would be an excellent choice!