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Tag: moonshine

  • Rumored ‘moonshine cave’ found in racetrack grandstands

    Rumored ‘moonshine cave’ found in racetrack grandstands

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    A SINKHOLE DISCOVERED AT THE NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY IS RAISING QUESTIONS AMONG RACING FANS ABOUT ITS ORIGINS AND PURPOSE. JOSHUA DAVIS JOINS US FROM THE TRACK TONIGHT, WHERE CREWS ARE WORKING TO FILL UP THAT SINKHOLE. WITH JUST A MONTH TO GO, THAT IS UNTIL NASCAR RETURNS. I’M STANDING ABOVE THE RUMORED MOONSHINE CAVE NOW. ITS DISCOVERY WAS A HUGE SURPRISE TO CREWS HERE AT THE SPEEDWAY, BUT THE CAVE ITSELF MIGHT BE AN HOMAGE TO THE HISTORY OF NASCAR. CREWS SPENT PART OF TUESDAY AFTERNOON FILLING IN A SINKHOLE STAFF DISCOVERED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO DURING A ROUTINE INSPECTION IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2024 NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE. NEXT THING WE KNOW, WE GET A CALL. YOU NEED TO COME LOOK AT SOMETHING. WE FOUND A HOLE IN THE GRANDSTANDS. IT WASN’T LONG UNTIL FOLKS STARTED SPECULATING. THE 700 SQUARE FOOT SPACE WAS A STORAGE AREA FOR ILLEGAL MOONSHINE, STEVE SWIFT, VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT FOR SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS, SAYS MOONSHINE IS WOVEN DEEP INTO THE HISTORY OF WILKES COUNTY AND THE SPORT. WE KNOW THE HERITAGE OF NASCAR, THAT IT WAS MOONSHINE RUNNERS, RIGHT? THEY THEY ACTUALLY SOUPED UP THEIR CARS AND RACED AND THAT’S THEY WERE TRYING TO GET ACROSS OR GET AWAY FROM THE LAW OR HOWEVER IT MAY BE. IT’S, YOU KNOW, WILKESBORO ITSELF. THERE’S A LARGE HERITAGE HERE. UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS WOULD LOVE TO DELVE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THEIR DISCOVERY TO CONFIRM IF THEIR SUSPICIONS ARE TRUE. HOWEVER, SWIFT SAYS THEY JUST DON’T HAVE THE TIME. I WISH THAT WE COULD FOUND, YOU KNOW, A CASE OF MOONSHINE, OR WE’D HAVE FOUND SOMETHING THAT REALLY WOULD HAVE PUT THE STAPLE IN IT. BUT SOMETIMES THE MISTAKES A LITTLE BIT MORE INTERESTING THAN JUST FINDING THE HARD EVIDENCE WITH THE ALL STAR RACE JUST A MONTH AWAY, CREWS ARE WORKING QUICKLY TO FILL UP THIS HOLE AND MAKE SURE NOTHING GETS IN THE WAY OF THE.

    Rumored ‘moonshine cave’ found in grandstands of stock car speedway

    The discovery of a sinkhole in the grandstands of the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina was a big surprise to crews going through their routine inspection of the seats, and the cave itself might be an homage to the history of NASCAR.Crews spent part of Tuesday afternoon filling in the sinkhole that was discovered about two weeks ago, as they were preparing for the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race. It wasn’t long until folks started speculating the 700-square-foot space was a storage area for illegal moonshine.”Next thing we know, we get a call. ‘You need to come look at something. We found a hole in the grandstands,’” said Steve Swift.Swift, who serves as the vice president of operations and development for Speedway Motorsports, says moonshine is woven deep into the history of Wilkes County and the sport itself.”We know in the heritage of NASCAR that it was moonshine runners,” he said. “They actually souped up their cars and raced. they were trying to get away from the law or whoever it might be. In Wilkesboro, there’s a large heritage here.”Under different circumstances, Speedway Motorsports would love to delve a little bit deeper into this discovery to confirm if their suspicions are true. However, Swift says they just don’t have the time.”I wish that we could have found, you know, a case of moonshine, or we’d have found something that really would have put the staple in it, but sometimes the mystique is a little bit more interesting than just finding the hard evidence. We have to go by stories that we’ve heard, just some common sense things that we’ve seen, and really, you know, it’s the myth lives on and the history lives on is kind of what we’re looking at,” Swift said. With the All-Star Race just a month away, crews are working quickly to make sure nothing gets in the way of the best show in town.

    The discovery of a sinkhole in the grandstands of the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina was a big surprise to crews going through their routine inspection of the seats, and the cave itself might be an homage to the history of NASCAR.

    Crews spent part of Tuesday afternoon filling in the sinkhole that was discovered about two weeks ago, as they were preparing for the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race. It wasn’t long until folks started speculating the 700-square-foot space was a storage area for illegal moonshine.

    “Next thing we know, we get a call. ‘You need to come look at something. We found a hole in the grandstands,’” said Steve Swift.

    Swift, who serves as the vice president of operations and development for Speedway Motorsports, says moonshine is woven deep into the history of Wilkes County and the sport itself.

    “We know in the heritage of NASCAR that it was moonshine runners,” he said. “They actually souped up their cars and raced. [Originally] they were trying to get away from the law or whoever it might be. In Wilkesboro, there’s a large heritage here.”

    Under different circumstances, Speedway Motorsports would love to delve a little bit deeper into this discovery to confirm if their suspicions are true. However, Swift says they just don’t have the time.

    “I wish that we could have found, you know, a case of moonshine, or we’d have found something that really would have put the staple in it, but sometimes the mystique is a little bit more interesting than just finding the hard evidence. We have to go by stories that we’ve heard, just some common sense things that we’ve seen, and really, you know, it’s the myth lives on and the history lives on is kind of what we’re looking at,” Swift said.

    With the All-Star Race just a month away, crews are working quickly to make sure nothing gets in the way of the best show in town.

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  • Is Commercial Moonshine Really Moonshine

    Is Commercial Moonshine Really Moonshine

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    With the boom in craft spirits of the last 15 years has come an avalanche of new-make spirits labeled “moonshine,” “white dog,” or “white lightning,” often flavored with everything from apple pie to jalapeño to pumpkin spice. But what exactly is the stuff? Is it just a gimmick?

    Moonshine is high-proof liquor, traditionally made, or at least distributed, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial distilleries have adopted the term for its outlaw cachet and begun producing their own legally sanctioned, novelty “moonshine,” including many flavored varieties, that in some sense continue its tradition, generally having a similar method and/or location of production.

    Especially in the South, traditional moonshine still “homemade” and distributed to friends and family. Is can be made from any fermentable substrate, from sugar to grain to stone fruit. Whatever distillers can get their hands on and want to work with is fair game.

    Commercial liquor labeled as moonshine is typically one of two things: neutral grain spirits or unaged whiskey. But what’s the difference there?

    Related: Flavored Whiskey: More Common And Delicious Than You Think 

    In short, it’s a difference in proof at distillation. Neutral spirits—of which vodka is a subcategory—must be at least 95% alcohol coming off the still, whereas whiskey must be distilled to less than 95% ABV. American whiskeys like bourbon, rye, and corn whiskey can’t be distilled above 80% ABV. Those differences are important, because the lower the proof at distillation, the more flavorful congeners carry over from the grain to the final spirit. White whiskey, in other words, is different from vodka, but some of what gets sold as “moonshine” is legally vodka. Check the fine print—if the label says “neutral spirits,” it’s not whiskey.

    So why are these spirits so trendy these days? You see brands like Ole Smoky on shelves in mason jars and people are buying them right and left.

    RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

    In large part, it’s because whiskey, like other aged spirits, is expensive and time-consuming to produce. It can be years before newly-distilled bourbon or rye is ready to hit the shelves, and small start-ups usually can’t afford to sit around twiddling their thumbs while whiskey is maturing. That leaves them with two options: buy and bottle sourced whiskey, or make clear spirits that can be sold right away. Gin, vodka, and white rum are all options, but so-called moonshine has an outlaw mystique that fits well with the branding of a lot of small distilleries. Some large distilleries, like Buffalo Trace, have since jumped on the bandwagon with their own new-make bottlings.

    RELATED: Building A Boilermaker: The Art Of Pairing Whiskey And Beer 

    The fact that white dog is usually either a marketing ploy or a financial stopgap doesn’t necessarily mean it’s to be avoided. For one thing, it can be a great mixer, serving as a more-flavorful substitute for vodka. It can also be interesting to taste various styles of whiskey in their new-make form, and even, if you have the space and patience, try aging it at home.

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    Anthony Washington

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