Updated July 2026.
Moonshine is not a TTB class. The word is folk English. A legal US bottle is labeled as whiskey, rum, cane spirit, or a distilled-spirits specialty — read that class, not the jar art. Unaged corn whiskey is a whiskey type when the mash and label fit Flavored “shine” is usually a specialty, not straight whiskey. Typical legal jars print 40% or more A 1.5-ounce pour at 40% is one drink.
Related: whiskey taste, straight bourbon, rum taste.
Label vs pour
| Language | 1.5 oz drinks |
|---|---|
| “Moonshine” | Scale the labeled ABV |
| Unaged corn whiskey | 1.00 at 40% |
| Flavored jar | From labeled ABV |
| Typical legal bottle | 1.00 at 40% |
A 750 mL 40% bottle is about 17 drinks. Four pours are four drinks. Pour math: whiskey drinks.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.143 whiskey; 5.156 specialties. Moonshine is not a listed class.
- Typical 40%. NIAAA December 2025.
- 27 CFR 5.143 type — if the label says so