The stars of 'Moonshiners' defy the infamous warning that illegal booze can make you go blind

Mark Ramsey and fellow Moonshiners challenge stereotypes about Appalachian distillers as home distilling battles reach the Supreme Court.

The stars of "Moonlighters" reveal the truth behind a misunderstood tradition

Mark Ramsey and Eric "Digger" Manes of The Moonbiners discuss the history of Appalachian moonshine, its false reputation, and why they believe the tradition will endure.

Moonlight's fame is enough to make your eyes water.

For generations, Americans have been warned that the notoriously illegal booze can blind them. But "Moonshiners" stars Mark Ramsey and Eric "Digger" Manns say there's more to the warning than most people realize.

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Mark Ramsay and his distilling partner Darr Mance star in the new season of Discovery Channel's "Moonlight" airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (Courtesy of Discovery Channel)

"There was a lot of advertising there. They said he could court, die, go crazy, get jacked. The government was the one who poisoned the industrial liquor that people stole to make bath gin."

The historical record partially supports Mance's account. According to the Smithsonian Channel, during Prohibition, the federal government required industrial alcohol to contain toxic additives to discourage people from drinking it. Some of that alcohol was diverted into the illicit liquor market and sold for consumption, although it was distinct from traditional distilled moonshine.

Mark Ramsey learned to make moonshine in his youth. (courtesy of Kashf channel)

The consequences were fatal. According to the Smithsonian Channel, 66 people died on Christmas Day 1926 in New York City after consuming poisoned industrial alcohol. Charles Norris, the city's medical examiner, blamed the federal government's efforts to add toxic substances to industrial alcohol, including those that include methyl alcohol, also known as methanol, which can cause blindness and death.

WATCH: 'Moonlighters' stars reveal the truth behind a misunderstood tradition

But not every warning about illegal booze was a scare tactic.

Ramsey acknowledged that moonshine carried real health risks in previous generations, especially when distillers unknowingly used dangerous ingredients to make their equipment.

Eric "Digger" Mance (pictured here) and Mark Ramsey are skilled at distilling. (Courtesy of Discovery Channel)

"In those days, there were people who had health problems because of moonlighting," Ramsey explained. "The solder they used to make the pots had lead in them back in the day and they didn't know that was happening. So when it was discovered that the solder had lead in it, even the old timers here, when they made their constants, stopped soldering their connections inside the pots.

"So, it caused some problems, but it was completely accidental," he said. "They just didn't know any better."

While moonshine does not inherently cause blindness, improperly produced spirits can contain dangerous levels of methanol, a toxic form of alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that methanol poisoning can damage the optic nerve and cause permanent vision loss or death.

"The two dozen surviving Moonlighters must join forces to fight for their way of life before it is lost forever." (Courtesy of Discovery Channel)

"Moonshiners," now in its 16th season, premiered in 2011, according to the series synopsis. The series "follows a diverse group of people living in Appalachia who carry out a 200-year-old tradition passed down from their ancestors."

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Discovery channel "Mohtaban" has been broadcast since 2011.

Distillers can legally produce and sell spirits marketed as moonshine if they comply with federal, state and local licensing, tax and other requirements. According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Administration, federal law generally prohibits home brewing of distilled spirits for personal consumption, although recent Constitutional Court rulings have challenged some restrictions.

According to the Washington Post, federal appeals courts have issued conflicting rulings on a federal restriction on home distilling that dates back to 1868.

Mark Ramsey, Amanda Bryant, Kelly Williamson, and Eric "Digger" Mance are seen here filming Moonlight. (Courtesy of Discovery Channel)

In April 2026, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal ban on the operation of herbal distillates in homes and certain other places was unconstitutional. Days later, the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, upholding the restriction as a "necessary and appropriate means" of collecting liquor taxes, the publication reported.

The Hobby Distillers Association and four individual plaintiffs challenged the restriction in a 5th Circuit case, The Washington Post reported. Advocates of home distilling hope legal repeal of the ban could spark a "craft spirits revolution."

The lawsuit has since reached the Supreme Court. In July, John Ream, a plaintiff in the Sixth Circuit case, asked the justices to review the ruling. The Justice Department filed a separate petition in August seeking to overturn the Fifth Circuit's decision.

Eric "Digger" Mance and Mark Ramsay are the faces of Sugarlands Distilling Company. (Courtesy of Discovery Channel)

Ramsay also challenged old stereotypes about "moonlighters."

"A lot of times, people give it a bad name because they see it as poison and a bunch of idols doing things they shouldn't," he says. "And moonshiners, as a rule, are very, very good people. They were just doing what they had to do to survive the day."

"[Moonshine] didn't really sell in Appalachia," Ramsey said. "It went farther north: Ohio, Detroit, New York, the East Coast... a friend of mine told me... he took a bar to Ohio and said, 'They up there, they get it.' And each of them said: "May God have mercy on them."

"The liquor business in those days, its heyday, probably wouldn't have thrived here in Appalachia if our neighbors to the north weren't buying it," Ramsey said. "So we had a reason to build it and they had a reason to want it."

"We failed, but we could make liquor," Mance added. And they had money and could buy it."

Ramzi is also optimistic about Mehtab's future. He said a new generation of distillers is eager to continue the tradition.

"As we've seen in past seasons ... we always want to know who's going to fill our shoes, who's going to carry the torch forward," he said. "[And] we've got some great distillers coming up. I think it has a future, a very healthy future. Things will change. It's been argued that the best distiller hasn't been made yet, so they've got something to shoot for."

"That's the most beautiful thing about the lessons you learn from these old timers who teach you how to make liquor," Mance said. "You make do with what you have and you don't let the situation you're in drag you down. You keep moving forward."

For Mance, the preservation of this tradition boils down to pride in his art.

Eric "Digger" Mance and Mark Ramsey are young hopefuls who want to learn the art of making quality moonshine. (Courtesy of Discovery Channel)

"For me, it's more of an honor," he said. "It doesn't matter. I don't know what hobby you might have. It might be painting. You might be painting. Well, if you do a nice portrait, and you stand back, and you look at it, you think, 'Wow, that looks really good.'