Drinkin’ Moonshine, There’s a right way and a wrong way

Josh Owens is one the Discovery Channel’s Moonshiners and he’s garnered quite a following in the biker world. Bikers and moonshine? Yeah, you could say there’s a connection.

But Josh says his dog, Cutie Pie, is the real star of the show—and the real brains of the operation. But Cutie Pie wasn’t with Josh when we caught up with him at the Buffalo Chip during the Sturgis 75th. So without the distraction of the star, we had time to quiz Josh about the other important thing in his life: moonshine. Want to know the secret of enjoying ‘shine? Follow Josh’s advice.

SRD: What’s so good about moonshine?
JO: Well, it’s our heritage for one thing. But really, what’s bad about moonshine? You know what’s bad about moonshine? BAD moonshine!

SRD: How do you tell good moonshine from bad moonshine?
JO: All you gotta do is taste it.

SRD: Is there a right way to drink moonshine?
JO: The thing about drinking liquor that most people don’t get is that good whiskey is not about doin’ shots. It’s not about getting filled up on it. It’s about just wettin’ your pallet. I don’t care if it’s 120 or 130 proof, the stronger it is, the more I like it. When it just comes off the worm (the condenser) it’s got a lot of flavor in it.

SRD: So you shouldn’t drink a big swig of moonshine?
JO: When it’s really hot in your mouth it’s cause you’re takin’ a big drink. If you were just wettin your pallet and letting it warm up in your mouth, you’d start realizing there’s all these flavors in it you never tasted before.
You can hang with people who are drinkin’ beer all day long if you just wet your pallet. That’s how you maintain. Just nip it, nip it, nip it. If you take a big ol’ snort it’s gonna knock you right down on the ground.

There you have it folks; more of the news you need to know, compliments of the Sturgis Rider Daily!