Water makes a lot more difference than you might think. I don't know anybody who makes moonshine, but I would imagine the water could be as much of a factor there as it is with beer or wine.
Olympia beer used the marketing slogan "It's the Water". It wasn't the best beer on the planet, obviously, but as far as cheap beers go, it probably was better than most similarly priced swill, and it was the Artesian well water that made the difference.
My dad used to make his own wine. We had our own well, so it wasn't a case of chlorinated water or anything, but there was a lot of sulfur in it. Occasionally that "rotten egg smell" would come out of the pipes. My grandpa also made his own wine and seemed to have better results. His water came from a natural spring on his property. It made all the difference. Sure enough, when dad tried using some of grandpa's water, it was a lot better. And when grandpa passed away and we had to sell the old homestead, we started using the Artesian water from the well downtown. It was kind of a pain in the ass lugging that around in those heavy glass bottles (the big old school water cooler kind) but the end result was worth it.
Sadly when dad retired and my parents moved into an old folks trailer park, he gave up the wine making. And I don't have the space for it here to take up the practice myself. (Or home brewing either)