"I’d say the moonshiners are alive and well even today. Nobody bothers them anymore."
In 2010 during the big flood a local ham radio operator was taking food and water to a trapped older couple. He got to a place he couldn't pass and some guy in a truck asked him what he was up to. He explained, and the trucker said "I'll get you there". They took off down back roads and across bean fields and eventually got to where they needed to be. Our friend asked the guy how he knew the area so well and the trucker said "I'm and ILD". Independent Liquor Distributor. (Moonshiner)
LOL, I’m sure they are still around, especially in the mountains of TN. Dad never would tell me where the still was that he found but it couldn’t have been too far behind my house at the time. My cabin was surrounded by National Forest. Dad wasn’t that much into hiking. I think he smelled it in the stream and traced it back. He said they were really nice and told him to pull up a log. LOL They told him to visit anytime. If you are a local the old moonshiners were some of the nicest people you’d ever meet. Just plain mountain folk.
That can’t be said about the current day meth cookers and others.