Every bottle has a backstory, and the history of spirits is one of the great untold stories of the modern world—full of outlaws, revolutionaries, Prohibition-era bootleggers, and the quiet craftspeople who kept traditions alive. This is our home for the culture and history behind what's in your glass: where these drinks came from, the people who made them, and the wild, often lawless story of how they reached us.
What you'll find here
From moonshiners and Prohibition to the origins of bourbon, tequila, and Scotch, our culture coverage digs into the human stories behind the spirits. It's the context that makes the next pour taste a little richer—history you can actually drink to.
How we cover it
We prize a good, true story, and we ground our history in real sources rather than bar-room legend. Browse our latest culture and history articles below.
11 articles
Junior Johnson: NASCAR Legend, Moonshine Runner, and the Fastest Man in the Hollows
How a teenage moonshine delivery driver from Wilkes County, North Carolina became a NASCAR champion, got a presidential pardon from Ronald Reagan, and launched his own legal moonshine brand. The most American career arc in history.
Bill McCoy: The Rum Runner Who Gave Us 'The Real McCoy'
The story of Captain Bill McCoy — the Florida boat builder turned Prohibition rum runner who anchored outside the 3-mile limit, never cut his booze, never bribed a cop, and probably gave us one of the most common phrases in the English language.
The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794: When America Almost Went to War Over Bourbon Tax
The true story of the Whiskey Rebellion — when Alexander Hamilton slapped an excise tax on frontier whiskey, western Pennsylvania farmers tarred and feathered tax collectors, and George Washington marched 13,000 troops into the backcountry. More soldiers than he led at Yorktown. Over whiskey.
Maggie Bailey: The Queen of Appalachian Moonshine Who Outsmarted Every Revenue Agent
The incredible story of Maggie Bailey — the teetotaling moonshine queen of Harlan County, Kentucky, who started distilling at 17, outsmarted federal agents for 78 years, taught herself law in prison, put her kids through college with moonshine money, and died at 101 without ever drinking a drop.
Popcorn Sutton: The Last Real Moonshiner (And Why the Feds Couldn't Let Him Be)
The full story of Marvin 'Popcorn' Sutton — Appalachia's most famous moonshiner, his hand-typed autobiography, the cult documentary, the ATF raid that found 850 gallons of moonshine, and why he chose death over federal prison.
George Remus: The Bootlegger King Who Inspired The Great Gatsby (Seriously)
The true story of George Remus — the Cincinnati bourbon bootlegger who controlled 35% of America's bonded whiskey, threw legendary parties with diamond party favors, inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby, and murdered his wife in Eden Park.
Moonshine Nation: A Ridiculously Fun History of America's Favorite Illegal Spirit
The real history of moonshine — from Scots-Irish settlers who brought copper stills to Appalachia, through the Whiskey Rebellion and Prohibition, to the birth of NASCAR and today's $3.2 billion legal moonshine industry. Why it's illegal, how it's made, and why it still matters.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why was alcohol banned during Prohibition?
Prohibition (1920-1933) banned the production and sale of alcohol in the US, driven by the temperance movement's belief that alcohol caused social ills. Instead it fueled organized crime, bootlegging, and speakeasies—and was ultimately repealed by the 21st Amendment.
What is moonshine?
Moonshine is a traditional term for high-proof, unaged spirit (usually corn-based) made illicitly—'by the light of the moon'—to avoid taxes and regulation. Today the name is also used for legal, commercially produced unaged corn whiskey.
Where did bourbon get its name?
The most common story traces it to Bourbon County, Kentucky, and the whiskey shipped from the region in the 1800s. The exact origin is debated, but the name has been tied to Kentucky's whiskey trade for over two centuries.
Is it legal to make moonshine today?
Producing distilled spirits at home—'moonshine' included—is illegal in the United States without the proper federal and state permits, even for personal use. Commercially made, legally distilled 'moonshine' (unaged corn whiskey) is widely and legally sold.