As Americans expanded to the west, taking land far from civilization and far from taxes, apple trees were planted to assure settlers stayed there for years. The use of hard cider made from those apples whetted an appetite for relief from the drudgery of hard farming work. Next came hard liquors made from corn, wheat, and rye.
Our new republic needed revenue, and alcohol provided that money. Avoiding paying the tax on alcohol became a way of life in rural America. If I could just have my drink and not pay the tax, I'd be in heaven. There's an old song by a mid twentieth century philosopher and songwriter:
"My daddy he made whiskey, my granddaddy he did too
We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a-filling in the pale moonlight."
My great-granddaddy, Papa Jack was a sheriff in a small town in southern Georgia and because he had to enforce the law and keep from getting plugged by his neighbors, he dabbled in the smuggling and producing of moonshine whiskey. He couldn't exactly arrest some of his friends, could he?
When the moonshiners did avoid the law, it was in fast cars that could outrun poor Papa Jack. You couldn't catch a V-8 with a four cylinder coupe, could you? Papa Jack was low and slow, under the radar; and he smuggled with the best of them.
Now, Papa Jack's moonshine lives in the new recipe of Squad Car Peach flavored whiskey. It is smooth. It is flavorful. It is just right for drinking straight up, on the rocks, or in a mixed drink. Yours for the asking! 