Most moonshine is very powerful and often illegal. Mostly it is illegal because producers do not want to obtain a still license and also usually make the moonshine well over the regulated alcohol content that liquor is supposed to have. Many "Moonshiners" as they are called distill moonshine to almost pure alcohol. Without the paper work and proper taxes being paid moonshine has always had a bad rap when it comes to the law. Most stores today that sell liquor sell various kinds of legal moonshine often with different flavors like apple pie added in.
Copper is mostly used to make a still because of the great heat conductivity. A barrel is filled with cool water and the copper tubing is put in it. This is what helps to condense the apple pie moonshine. This is how most stills are and have been made since the early twentieth century. You can purchase many of these materials in still kits online.
Yeast is used to turn sugars into the alcohol that makes up moonshine. Moonshine can be contaminated to toxic levels by the methanol gas which is created by the yeast during this process.
The first few drops of the distilling process are called the foreshot. This is mostly made of methanol that has been concentrated in the stilling process. There are also other toxic compounds in these first few drops as well like acetone and aldehydes. To make the finished product safer and taste better the foreshot is drawn out of the still and thrown out.
With so many dangerous gasses and chemicals it is important to stay safe if you want to try your hand at distilling moonshine. Any liquor that is above 80 proof or 40% alcohol can ignite very easily. The air can even ignite if the still area is not properly ventilated. It is very dangerous to have an improperly built still being used and this is another reason why it is usually illegal to make your own.
You can get an idea of the moonshine's quality from www.moonshinestills.net by taking a small sample and setting it on fire. A blue flame means that there are no contaminates in the moonshine. Harmful compounds left in the moonshine will burn with a yellow flame. Because methanol burns with a clear flame you are not able to tell if it is present in the moonshine but you can determine if there are other heavier compounds such as lead or acetone in it like this.
Obviously it is much easier and safer to purchase moonshine from a store than to make it yourself. Although moonshine in stores may have less alcohol content than homemade moonshine it can still pack a punch. The 75%-90% alcohol content that is in commercial moonshine should be able to do you fine though. There are also many delicious flavors like apple pie moonshine that you can purchase.