copper pot
A copper pot still used for cooking off moonshine.
Also called copper pot still, copper still.
Updated September 21, 2026
copper pot pronunciation
/KOP-er pot/
Meaning
In mountain talk, a copper pot is the main kettle of a traditional shine still. Copper heats even and strips sulfur flavors, so it shows up in hollers and in legal craft shops that chase the old taste. Folks may mean the whole setup, but the heart of it is that copper vessel under the fire.
How folks use it
- “Granddaddy kept a copper pot hid back of the ridge for years.”
- “That run came off a copper pot with a thumper, so it drank smoother than the steel keg stuff.”
Origin and etymology
Pot stills made of copper came into Appalachia with Scotch-Irish distilling know-how. Copper stayed the preferred metal for homemade whiskey through the revenue years and Prohibition. Outside the South, people say pot still. In the hills, copper pot is the everyday name.
Frequently asked questions
Is a copper pot the liquor or the still?
The still. It is the copper cooker, not the jar of white lightning.