What Was a Jar of Moonshine Actually Worth?

We tend to think about old moonshine in mason jars and jugs.

Maybe we should think about it in dollar signs.

During Prohibition, there was no standard price for moonshine. It depended on where you were, what you were buying, who you knew, and probably how badly you wanted a drink.

Historical accounts put moonshine at $8 to $10 a gallon in one Tennessee community. In Oregon in 1926, accounts ranged from $15 to $25 a gallon. In Minnesota, good homemade moonshine reportedly brought $40 to $50 a gallon in the early 1920s.

That’s quite a spread.

There Was Money In It

In 1926, the average farm worker earned about $35 a month with room and board, or about $49 without it.

A gallon of moonshine could represent a significant portion of a month’s wages. Suddenly, it’s easier to understand why people were willing to make it, haul it, hide it, and risk getting caught selling it.

There was money in them thar jugs.

The federal government knew it, too. It’s estimated that Prohibition cost the federal government about $11 billion in lost tax revenue while it spent more than $300 million trying to enforce it.

Risk Had a Price

The wide range in prices tells another part of the story.

Where liquor was plentiful, prices could be lower. Move it somewhere supply was limited, demand was high, or getting caught was more likely, and the economics changed.

That’s supply and demand with a little jail time thrown into the calculation.

Somebody had to make the liquor, move it, find customers, collect the money, and avoid getting caught along the way. Every step added risk.

And risk had a price.

Why Do Shiners Shine On?

A hundred years later, the moonshine tradition is still very much alive.

Spend any time around today’s moonshine community, and it quickly becomes apparent that money has very little to do with the attraction for many hobbyists.

It’s the craft. The challenge of getting a little better. Experimenting with different grains, fruit, recipes, and techniques. Building and tinkering with equipment. Preserving some history. And being part of a community of people who enjoy many of the same things.

A hundred years ago, much of the value may have been in selling what was in the jar.

Today, for many hobbyists, the value is in the craft itself.

That’s a pretty good return, too

‍Call to Action

For those drawn to the moonshine tradition today, what keeps you interested: the craft, the history, the community, or something else?

Enjoy business lessons from the history and craft of moonshining? Explore more posts in The Stillhouse Blog, listen to the Against the Grain Podcast, or learn more about my upcoming book, Against the Grain: Business Lessons from the Still.