I don't have any evidence of the waste part, but I can vouch for the best whiskey in the county part. I also know that when it comes off the tap, it's coming out of really old oak barrels that have had the linings burned into a charcoal state. How old is something I never really asked, these guys don't like giving away secrets. It's not the stuff people generally think of when they speak of "moonshine" and it beats just about anything I've ever bought off the shelf... and that includes the high-end stuff. I only manage to go to that part of the country to visit about once a year, but this is one of my first stops when I arrive. Nothing goes down with a good cigar like this stuff.
One thing I always thought kind of funny is he provides his own glass jugs and he flat refuses to pour off any into mason jars, says it degrades his work to the level of the novice. I'll miss the old fart when he's gone for sure.
White lightning is just that “white” (actually clear)is actual moonshine. After it is aged in oak casks it gets its color.
I wish I had a still, as it is I have to stick to homebrew. Mainly wine that we scrounge for free fruit, free like God intended. :)
Methanol has a lower boiling point than ethanol. Therefore it is the first product out of the still and is discarded. Once the temperature reaches 178 degrees ethanol begins to boil out. Conscientious distillers know this and make their product safely.