Whiskey from a Truck Radiator

Moonshining in Kentucky (From: Wikimedia Commons)

"In the 1920s Prohibition brought boom times to moonshiners, and in some mountain areas almost every family was involved in one way or another with production or sale of whiskey. Many neglected farming altogether to concentrate on this profitable sideline. But repeal of Prohibition in 1933 again made liquor legally available, and to stay in business moonshiners not only had to lower their prices but also to lengthen their lines of distribution. As the price went down, so did quality. More important, moonshiners increasingly used old auto and truck radiators as their condensing equipment. The soldered joints of the radiators contaminate the whiskey with poisonous--even lethal--lead salts." (34) --Ronald M. Fisher, The Appalachian Trail