American Born Dixie Moonshine

While Patrick Dillingham and Sean Koffel may not be your average “moonshiners” — both hold MBAs from Stanford, and Dillingham was a quarterback at Notre Dame while Koffel was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps — the duo is passionate about making authentic, Tennessee mountain moonshine. “Corn whiskey has been a part of American culture since Jamestown,” says Koffel. “We wanted to make sure that we produce a moonshine that authentically represents the history of the product. It's been around for generations; it's just that now we're paying taxes on it.” Launched in 2012 by Dillingham and Koffel and made in Nashville (a fitting place given Appalachia’s relationship to moonshine), American Born Original White Lightning Moonshine is crafted from a 200-year-old, 100% corn recipe. Gently sweetened with sugar, the moonshine has an aroma of popcorn and raisins, which leads to a palate filled with notes of s’mores, melted butter and candy bar. The finish is smooth and not overly sweet, with a hint of cracked corn. American Born Dixie Moonshine brings together two distinct Southern traditions — moonshine and sweet tea. The nose is sweet, with notes of mint and candied sugar, and leads to a palate filled with Bigelow tea. The finish, which is incredibly smooth, has a hint of lemon zest and corn. “Our goal is to eventually become a national brand, but we always want to be Middle Tennessee's Moonshine,” says Koffel. Each bottle of American Born Moonshine comes in a mason jar with a custom-designed lid to allow for easy pouring. Pick up a bottle today!