Ozark Highlands Spirits refers to a category of distilled liquor codified by the Missouri General Assembly of the U.S. State of Missouri in 2022. It was signed by the Missouri Governor on July 1, 2022, and became law on August 28, 2022.
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Ozark Highlands Spirits refers to a category of distilled liquor codified by the Missouri General Assembly of the U.S. State of Missouri in 2022. It was signed by the Missouri Governor on July 1, 2022, and became law on August 28, 2022.
The Ozark Highlands are known for their limestone bluffs and caves that were used by the early inhabitants as shelters. These first settlers, Paleo-Indians known as Bluff Dwellers, inhabited the region as far back as 12,000 years ago. The first documentation of white settlers in the Ozark Highlands was around 1705. In 1799, Daniel Boone left Kentucky and settled within the northern edge of the Ozark Highlands, in what is today known as Defiance, Missouri. [1]
The history of making spirits, primarily moonshine, is embedded in the history of the Ozark Highlands. In the 18th Century, Irish and Scottish immigrants settled in the region, bringing their distilling skills with them. In order to avoid taxation, distillers hid their production by creating and selling their liquor at night, giving birth to the name moonshine. During prohibition (1920-1933), this moonlight manufacturing actually increased and distilling became a part of the Ozarks culture. [2]
In 2022, a group of consumers and distillers came together to discuss how to codify Ozark Highlands spirits in Missouri law. [3] Today, more than half of the 51 distilleries in Missouri [4] are located in the Ozark Highlands. [5]
The Ozark Highlands is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in four U.S. states. Most of the region is within Missouri, with a part in Arkansas and small sections in Oklahoma and Kansas. It is the largest subdivision of the region known as the Ozark Mountains, less rugged in comparison to the Boston Mountains in Arkansas, the highest part of the Ozarks. The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in central Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri.
The Ozark Highlands ecoregion has been subdivided into eleven Level IV ecoregions, seven of which lie completely within Missouri.
The Ozarks cover nearly 47,000 square miles (120,000 km2), making it the most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and Rockies. Together with the Ouachita Mountains, the area is known as the U.S. Interior Highlands. It is one of nine true highland regions in the world which are distinct for their soils mineral composition and limestone base. [3]
The Ozark Highlands Spirits legislation was first introduced in the Missouri House as HB 2621 [6] on February 1, 2022. The House hearing took place on March 21 and was passed by the House Committee on General Laws on March 31, 2022. [6]
During the final days of session in 2022, the "Ozark Highlands Spirits" language was included as a Senate amendment to HB 1738 [7] sponsored by Representative Shamed Dogan. The legislation was passed by the Missouri Senate on May 11, 2022, and was passed by the Missouri House on May 13, 2022, the final day of the 2022 session. It was delivered to Missouri Governor Mike Parson on May 18 and was signed by the Governor on July 1. [7]
The law came into effect on August 28, 2022, and is listed as Missouri Revised Statutes 311.028. [8] The region described as the Ozark Highlands for the purposes of this legislation was drafted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, as required by the language of the legislation. [7]
Under the new Missouri law, the following requirements [7] must be followed for a distiller to label their spirit as "Ozark Highlands" and sell it in Missouri.
Under Missouri law, any distiller wishing to produce Ozark Highlands Spirits and label them as such for sale in Missouri must have each product initially certified by the Ozark Highland Distillers Guild. [7] The Guild is a non-profit, volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) organization. [7]
Scotch whisky is malt whisky or grain whisky, made in Scotland.
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Bourbon is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. The name bourbon may not have been used until the 1850s; the association with Bourbon County did not appear until the 1870s.
Moonshine is high-proof liquor, generally whiskey, traditionally made, or distributed illegally. Its clandestine distribution is known as bootlegging. 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.
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in central Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri.
Tennessee whiskey is straight whiskey produced in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Although it has been legally defined as a bourbon whiskey in some international trade agreements, most current producers of Tennessee whiskey disclaim references to their products as "bourbon" and do not label them as such on any of their bottles or advertising materials. All current Tennessee whiskey producers are required by Tennessee law to produce their whiskeys in Tennessee and – with the sole exception of Benjamin Prichard's – to use a filtering step known as the Lincoln County Process prior to aging the whiskey. Beyond the perceived marketing value of the distinction, Tennessee whiskey and bourbon have almost identical requirements, and most Tennessee whiskeys meet the criteria for bourbon.
A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol as effectively as other distillation methods. Pot stills operate on a batch distillation basis. Traditionally constructed from copper, pot stills are made in a range of shapes and sizes depending on the quantity and style of spirit desired.
Lowland single malts are single malt whiskies distilled in Scotland's lowlands. The region is home to distilleries such as: Annandale Distillery in Annan; Auchentoshan near Clydebank; Bladnoch in Galloway; Daftmill in Fife; The Girvan Distilleries near Girvan; and Glenkinchie distillery near Edinburgh.
Bottled in bond (BIB) is a label for an American-produced distilled beverage that has been aged and bottled according to a set of legal regulations contained in the United States government's Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, as originally specified in the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. As a reaction to widespread adulteration of American whiskey, the act made the federal government the guarantor of a spirit's authenticity, gave producers a tax incentive for participating and helped ensure proper accounting and the collection of tax that was due. Although the regulations apply to all spirits, most bonded spirits are whiskeys in practice.
Poitín, anglicized as poteen or potcheen, is a traditional Irish distilled beverage. Former common names for Poitín were "Irish moonshine" and "mountain dew". It was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, meaning "pot". The Irish word for a hangover is póit. In accordance with the Irish Poteen/Irish Poitín technical file, it can only be made from cereals, grain, whey, sugar beet, molasses and potatoes.
The Ozark Highlands is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in four U.S. states. Most of the region is within Missouri, with a part in Arkansas and small sections in Oklahoma and Kansas. It is the largest subdivision of the region known as the Ozark Mountains, less rugged in comparison to the Boston Mountains in Arkansas, the highest part of the Ozarks.
This is an alphabetic list of moonshine produced in various countries. The term bathtub gin refers to any style of homemade spirit made in amateur conditions of historical reason. Some distilled drinks on the list below are flavored, and some also national liquors.
The production of distilled spirits in New Jersey has not been a large industry in the state. Strict alcoholic beverage control laws in place during and after Prohibition (1919–1933) prevented the industry from growing for almost a century. In 2013, the state passed a law creating a craft distillery license. and issued the first new distillery license since Prohibition to Jersey Artisan Distilling.
There are few restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol in Nevada except for age.
Philadelphia Distilling is a microdistillery founded in March 2005 in the Byberry neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the first craft distillery to open in Pennsylvania since before Prohibition.
Fog's End Distillery is one of the first pioneers in California's craft distilling movement. The distillery is located in Gonzales, California. The distillery produces a range of Craft spirits, under the direction of Head Distiller Henry Wales, and Steven Wales. Fog's End is known for producing award-winning small batch runs of Moonshine, Rum, and Gin.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky: