Question: With the legalization of moonshine in many US states I've been wondering what are the big differences between Moonshine and Vodka?

Both are clear spirits made from whatever grains/starches are available. Both can be fairly high proof.

Is it all just an Appalachian that is tied to their origin?

Answer: 
> 
> Moonshine is any alcohol that is made illegally. It is usually make in
>  small batches
> 
> 
> 

In most cases if you are able to buy 'Moonshine' from a store it is generally not real moonshine 

I believe that it's called moonshine because it was illegal to make, so it was usually distributed at night time under the moonlight hence the name 'Moonshine'. It was popular to make as they could produce a high % drink very quickly but in most places there is a legal amount of time you have to distill an alcohol for. Moonshiners did not adhere to these rules hence why the drink was illegal. 

In places where moonshine has been legalized I would not consider it moonshine anymore as that just means they have allowed the distillers to bottle after any time they want in the processes instead of giving a set time for minimum distillation .

There are some legal Moonshine distilleries that label their alcohol as moonshine but most of these are playing on the growing trend of moonshine as all of these are still legit distilleries. They pay all the taxes and ship out there product so this is perfectly legal and they call it moonshine. While this is not a original moonshine, as it is all legal. Moonshine can be any really high proof alcohol but once that alcohol is sold and distributed legally it just becomes the same as any-other spirit and loses the true nature of being moonshine. 

[source](http://www.distillingliquor.com/2015/01/21/types-of-alcohol/)
As a detail and hopefully and appropriately informative aside for this topic:

In chemistry lab there are two alcohol solvents used:
1. Medical Grade (surgical alcohol) = 95% Alcohol (getting that last 0.57% is very time consuming to achieve)
2. (benzene) Alcohol = 98% Alcohol (with 2% benzene still in solution with the alcohol)

[Benzene is used to drive off or get all of the 5% of water out of distilled alcohol](https://www.google.com/search?q=Benzene%20is%20used%20to%20drive%20off%20or%20get%20all%20of%20the%205%25%20of%20water%20out%20of%20distilled%20alcohol&oq=Benzene%20is%20used%20to%20drive%20off%20or%20get%20all%20of%20the%205%25%20of%20water%20out%20of%20distilled%20alcohol). The (benzene) Alcohol will make you sick because of the benzene. 

Surgical alcohol provides the most wonderful drunk. It is a body drunk with zero dizziness. 

Dizziness comes from the long chain fusel oil(s) (alcohols) in fermented alcohol. Fusel oil alcohols are not present in surgical alcohol. All fusel oil alcohols boil off at a different, slightly higher temperature than ethanol (drinking alcohol). Sloppy or rushed distilling gets the higher temperature fusel oil alcohols coming over with the ethanol. Really sloppy and very rushed distilling gets the first run methyl alcohol, methanol . . . which causes permanent eyesight loss. Long chain alcohols cause much of the hangover effect of headaches.

Yeasts produce fusel oils when they struggle to produce higher percentage alcohol levels in wines and beers.
[https://www.google.com/search?q=FUSEL+OIL+ALCOHOLS](https://www.google.com/search?q=FUSEL%20OIL%20ALCOHOLS)