How Much Does Moonshine Cost?

Updated on October 3, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 12 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Legal commercially sold moonshine typically costs about $20 to $35 for a 750 mL bottle in 2026. Lower-proof flavored products commonly sell for around $20 to $30, while higher-proof unaged corn whiskey and premium white whiskey can cost the equivalent of $30 to $45+ per 750 mL.

The word “moonshine” can make price comparisons confusing because it is used commercially for several very different spirits. One bottle may contain 17.5% alcohol by volume, while another contains 50%. Traditional illicit moonshine is something different again: federal regulators use the term for untaxed distilled spirits produced outside the legal distilled-spirits system.

Article Highlights

• Most commercial 750 mL moonshine bottles cost about $20–$35 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 0.7 to 1.2 hours of work, before taxes).
• Flavored moonshine commonly costs $20–$30 per 750 mL.
• 100-proof commercial moonshine generally costs around $22–$30.
• Buffalo Trace White Dog costs about $18.99 for 375 mL, or roughly $38 per 750 mL equivalent.
• Commercial products labeled moonshine range dramatically in strength, from under 20% ABV to around 50% ABV.
• Federal law does not provide a personal-use exemption for home distillation of beverage spirits.
• Most high-proof distilled spirits can be stored unopened for years if kept sealed, upright, cool, and away from direct sunlight.

How Much Does Moonshine Cost?

Current retail listings put mainstream legal moonshine firmly in the $20 (about 40 minutes at $30 per hour)-to-$30 range for many 750 mL bottles.

Total Wine’s current white whiskey and moonshine selection shows several Ole Smoky products around $20.99 to $22.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Caskers currently lists Ole Smoky Original Moonshine at $29.99 for 750 mL. The unflavored version is 100 proof, or 50% ABV.

Total Wine currently lists Midnight Moon 100 Proof at $21.99 for 750 mL.

Current Example	Size	Typical Price	Strength
Ole Smoky Original	750 mL	$29.99	100 proof / 50% ABV
Midnight Moon 100 Proof	750 mL	$21.99	100 proof / 50% ABV
Ole Smoky flavored varieties	750 mL	$20.99–$22.99+	Varies
Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1	375 mL	$18.99	125 proof / 62.5% ABV

Retail prices vary by state because spirits taxes, distribution systems, store pricing, and alcohol regulations differ significantly across the country.

Price by Type

A more useful 2026 price guide separates unflavored high-proof products from sweeter flavored versions.

Type	Typical Price
Flavored commercial moonshine, 750 mL	$20–$30 (about 0.7 to 1 hours of work at $30 per hour)
100-proof unflavored moonshine, 750 mL	$22–$35
Premium white / unaged whiskey	$30–$45+ equivalent
Small 375 mL white whiskey	$15–$25

Limited releases, gift packaging, fruit packed inside the jar, and specialty flavors can move above these ranges.

Ole Smoky Prices

Ole Smoky is one of the most visible brands using the moonshine name commercially.

The company’s current Original Moonshine is an unaged corn whiskey at 100 proof, or 50% ABV.

The brand also sells substantially lower-proof flavored products.

Current Total Wine examples include Banana Pudding at about $20.99, Blackberry around $21.99, Apple Pie around $21.99, and Sour Watermelon around $22.99.

Caskers currently lists Butter Pecan at $26.99, but that bottle is only 35 proof, or 17.5% ABV.

So two bottles with nearly identical prices can contain dramatically different amounts of alcohol.

Price per Proof

Consider two current Ole Smoky products:

Original: $29.99 at 50% ABV

Butter Pecan: $26.99 at 17.5% ABV

Both contain 750 mL, but the Original contains:

750 × 50% = 375 mL of pure alcohol

The Butter Pecan contains:

750 × 17.5% = 131.25 mL of pure alcohol

The Original therefore contains about:

375 ÷ 131.25 = 2.86 times as much alcohol

That does not make one product “better,” but it demonstrates why bottle price alone is a poor comparison for products marketed under the same moonshine label.

Midnight Moon Price

Midnight Moon’s current 100-proof version provides one of the least expensive high-proof examples.

Total Wine currently lists the 750 mL bottle for approximately $21.99.

That works out to:

$21.99 ÷ 750 = about 2.9 cents per mL of spirit

At 50% ABV, the bottle contains 375 mL of pure alcohol.

The brand’s flavored versions can have different proof levels, so customers comparing two Midnight Moon products should check both the bottle size and ABV.

White Dog Cost

Buffalo Trace White Dog is often grouped with moonshine by retailers, but technically it is better described as unaged whiskey or raw distillate.

Buffalo Trace’s official White Dog Mash #1 is bottled at 125 proof, or 62.5% ABV, using the mash bill that later becomes Buffalo Trace bourbon.

Total Wine currently lists 375 mL of White Dog Mash #1 for about $18.99.

On a simple 750 mL equivalent:

$18.99 × 2 = $37.98

So it costs considerably more by volume than the $21.99 Midnight Moon bottle, but it is also considerably stronger.

What Is Moonshine?

Historically, moonshine means illegally produced distilled spirits, particularly liquor produced to avoid government regulation and excise taxes.

The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau currently defines moonshine as non-taxpaid illicit distilled spirits manufactured outside the lawful tax and permitting system.

Commercial producers use “moonshine” differently. It has become a marketing term frequently applied to legal unaged corn whiskey, flavored spirits, fruit-infused products, cream-style spirits, and other clear or lightly colored liquors inspired by Appalachian distilling traditions.

As a result, “legal moonshine” is not necessarily the same spirit as traditional illicit moonshine.

Moonshine vs White Whiskey

White whiskey is whiskey that has not developed the color associated with extended barrel aging.

Some commercial moonshines are legally categorized as whiskey, while others fall into flavored-spirit or specialty classifications.

This distinction helps explain why two bottles labeled with moonshine branding can differ dramatically in ingredients and strength.

Buffalo Trace describes White Dog as the raw distillate that ultimately becomes bourbon. Ole Smoky calls its Original product an unaged corn whiskey.

Sweetened or flavored moonshine products can be much further removed from this basic unaged-whiskey concept.

Everclear Is Different

Everclear is often mentioned in discussions of homemade moonshine-style infusions, but it is not the same product as moonshine.

It is a highly concentrated neutral grain spirit rather than an unaged corn whiskey.

This distinction matters when comparing price, proof, taste, and use. A neutral grain spirit is intentionally produced with far less of the grain character retained in whiskey.

Why Proof Changes the Price

Proof is twice the alcohol percentage by volume in the United States.

That means:

• 40 proof = 20% ABV
• 50 proof = 25% ABV
• 70 proof = 35% ABV
• 100 proof = 50% ABV
• 125 proof = 62.5% ABV

Sugarlands’ current moonshine lineup, for example, ranges from 40-proof Blackberry to 50-proof Apple Pie and 70-proof Blueberry Muffin.

So a “$25 jar of moonshine” does not tell you very much about what is actually in the bottle.

Worked Price Example

Suppose a shopper is comparing three current bottles:

Midnight Moon 100 Proof	$21.99
Ole Smoky Original 100 Proof	$29.99
Buffalo Trace White Dog, 750 mL equivalent	$37.98

The spread from lowest to highest is:

$37.98 – $21.99 = $15.99

The White Dog equivalent is therefore about:

$15.99 ÷ $21.99 = 72.7% more expensive

But White Dog is 125 proof rather than 100 proof, so part of the premium is associated with its higher concentration and its positioning as Buffalo Trace’s raw bourbon distillate.

Hidden Price

The biggest hidden cost when buying legal moonshine is often location.

Alcohol excise taxes and retail systems differ substantially among states. Some states operate government-controlled spirits stores, while others allow private retailers to set prices more freely.

Online orders can add shipping fees and may not be available in every state.

A $25 bottle can therefore end up noticeably more expensive once shipping and applicable taxes are added.

Another hidden cost comes from package size. A $19 bottle of White Dog looks cheaper than a $22 bottle of Midnight Moon until you notice that the White Dog contains 375 mL rather than 750 mL.

Storage

Unopened high-proof distilled spirits can remain usable for many years when stored correctly.

Moonshine University recommends keeping distilled spirits upright, away from direct sunlight, and at a stable room temperature.

After opening, oxygen gradually changes aroma and flavor, particularly once much of the bottle has been consumed and the amount of air inside increases.

Higher-proof unflavored moonshine generally does not require refrigeration. Cream-based, dairy-containing, or other specialty products can have different storage directions, so their labels should be followed.

Home Distilling Law

Federal law makes an important distinction between home brewing and home distilling.

Adults can produce limited quantities of beer and wine at home under federal exemptions, but there is no equivalent federal personal-use exemption for distilled spirits.

The TTB’s current home distilling guidance says producing beverage spirits at home without the required federal authorization is prohibited.

The agency’s distilled spirits FAQ also explains that a legal distilled spirits plant requires prior approval and must comply with extensive federal requirements.

State and local laws can impose additional restrictions.

This means the appropriate comparison for a consumer is between legally produced commercial spirits, not between a store bottle and an assumed cost of unlicensed home-distilled liquor.

Illegal Moonshine Risks

The price of illicit moonshine is not reliably measurable because transactions occur outside the regulated market.

There is also a meaningful quality-control difference.

The TTB warns that illicit spirits can be produced using substandard equipment capable of introducing contaminants such as lead or copper.

Legally produced bottled spirits operate within federal production, labeling, tax, and regulatory requirements.

Moonshiners and Popularity

Discovery’s Moonshiners helped bring the culture of Appalachian illicit distilling to a national television audience.

The series continues to appear on Discovery’s current schedule, demonstrating the longevity of the concept well beyond its early seasons.

Commercial distilleries have also embraced the heritage angle. Sugarlands says some of its products feature partnerships with cast members from the television series.

That cultural connection helped transform “moonshine” from primarily a term for illicit liquor into a major commercial spirits label.

What We Verified

We checked current 2026 retail listings across several legal moonshine and white-whiskey products. Mainstream 750 mL commercial moonshine commonly falls around $20 to $35, with current examples including $21.99 Midnight Moon 100 Proof and $29.99 Ole Smoky Original.

We also verified the alcohol concentration directly with producers. Ole Smoky Original is currently 100 proof / 50% ABV, while Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 is 125 proof / 62.5% ABV.

Current TTB guidance confirms that federal law provides no personal-use exemption for producing beverage distilled spirits at home and distinguishes illicit non-taxpaid moonshine from legally regulated spirits.

We also checked storage guidance and current flavored-product ranges, confirming that products sold under the moonshine name can differ dramatically in alcohol content and composition.

 

You might also like our guides to the cost of Cristal Champagne, an open bar, and developing a new commercial drink.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does a bottle of moonshine cost?

Most legal commercial moonshine costs about $20 to $35 for a 750 mL bottle.

How much is Ole Smoky Moonshine?

Current 750 mL Ole Smoky products are commonly around $21 to $30, depending on flavor, proof, and retailer.

How much is Midnight Moon?

Midnight Moon 100 Proof currently sells for about $21.99 per 750 mL at one major retailer, with prices varying by location.

How strong is moonshine?

There is no single strength. Current commercial products range from about 17.5% ABV to 50% ABV or more, depending on the product.

Is white whiskey the same as moonshine?

Not exactly. Some commercial moonshine is unaged corn whiskey, but “moonshine” is also used for flavored and specialty spirits. White whiskey is a more specific spirits category.

Is Everclear moonshine?

No. Everclear is neutral grain spirit. It is chemically and legally a different style from an unaged corn whiskey marketed as moonshine.

Is homemade moonshine legal?

Federal law does not allow individuals to distill beverage spirits at home for personal use without the required authorization. State and local requirements may add further restrictions.

Does moonshine need refrigeration?

Most unflavored high-proof distilled spirits do not need refrigeration. Flavored, cream-based, or specialty moonshine can have different storage instructions and should be handled according to the producer’s label.