Moonshine by country

Moonshine is a generic term for distilled alcoholic beverages made throughout the globe from indigenous ingredients reflecting the customs, tastes, and raw materials for fermentation available in each region. The term commonly applies to small-scale production, which is often illegal or tightly regulated in many countries.

Zarbali is a moonshine still, a type of distilled alcoholic beverage supposedly made from fermented raisins.

In Albania, moonshine (Raki) is the primary alcoholic beverage consumed on daily basis. It is made from different fruits, usually grapes, but also plums, apples, blackberries, and walnuts.

The Armenian name for moonshine is oghee. The production of oghee is widespread in Armenia. White mulberry, grape, cornelian cherry, plum, and apricot moonshine are especially popular, particularly in the countryside. The Arabic word Araq (Arak) is derived from the Sanskrit word Ark (or Urk, where the sound of U is as in BUT), which means distillate.

Distillation of alcohol requires an excise license in Australia. The sale of stills and other distilling equipment, including yeasts, flavourings, and other ingredients specific to distillation, is legal.

After World War II, there was large-scale immigration from Italy, with many of the immigrants settling in irrigation areas with orchards and grapevines. Many of the immigrants made wine for their own use, which was perfectly legal. However, some of them gathered and fermented leftover grape skins, seeds and stems to distill homemade grappa. Because of the woody seeds and stems, the raw liquor held substantial methanol; and there were occasional incidents of poisoning, sometimes at large parties, by distillers who didn't discard the head (the first portion of their condensate).

Thus, the widespread deaths meant home-distillation has greatly decreased with later generations, and farm consolidation.

In Bosnia, home distillation of plum rakia/šljivovica is common (plum = šljiva). Bosnians have a long tradition of making plum rakia and it is often made by individuals, with some brands exceeding 60% of alcohol.

Brazil has a long tradition of home distilling, especially in rural areas. Artisanal liquors (especially cachaça made on small farms) tend to be of good quality and are prized by collectors.

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Wikipedia