Step 1 : Introduction to the question "What does the "XXX" on a moonshine jug mean?"
The classic symbol indicating a jug contains moonshine is the "XXX" symbol. The symbol is well-known to indicate there's shine inside but few know what the "XXX" actually means. The number of X's on the jug actually tells how many times the batch of moonshine has gone through the still. An "XXX" symbol indicates the shine went through the still three times and is pure alcohol. In the old days, before more modern upgrades to moonshine stills, a batch of shine run through the process one time didn't produce pure alcohol. A single "X" batch would produce an alcohol content of only about 30 percent. A second run through brought that up to about 70 percent. The third time through produced almost pure alcohol content. Source: MoonshineHeritage.com
