Moonshine - LeNell It All

by LeNell Smothers, Posted Jun 9th 2010 @ 5:00PM

For years whiskey lovers like me have begged the big bourbon distilleries to bottle their unaged whiskey. Sometimes when taking a tour, the distilleries will allow you to taste the spirit right off the still. This fiery, high-proof liquor destined to be bourbon cannot legally be called bourbon until it hits the new charred oak barrel. Up to that time, you'll hear it called a variety of things: white dog, new make spirit, bourbon distillate. You won't hear the distiller call it moonshine.

The term moonshine supposedly goes back to a time when folks avoiding liquor authorities made their booze by the light of the moon. This illicit spirit has also been called mountain dew (yes, now you understand the soda reference) and white lightning. For some reason, though, the term "moonshine" has a romantic, naughty ring to it that reminds you of two strappin', good lookin' country boys in a souped-up orange car called The General Lee helping out poor ole moonshinin' Uncle Jesse. I guess this sexy outlaw connotation is why so many in the press these days are using the term moonshine incorrectly to refer to legal unaged spirit made by licensed distilleries. Moonshine ain't legal and is often made from granulated sugar and not even grain.

About ten years ago, attorney Payton Fireman was the first out the door (legally) in West Virginia with his Mountain Moonshine Spirit Whiskey. It didn't get the name "whiskey" because he added some neutral grain spirit (think vodka); nonetheless, he was a pioneer in opening the door for small distillers to legally bottle clear spirit. The fact that he bottled some of his spirit in 375ml maple syrup jugs made a visual connection to the lore of moonshine in a handled jug.

Several years back, Tuthilltown Spirits in Gardiner, New York distilled unaged 100% corn whiskey called Old Gristmill. Quite impressed with their unaged whiskey, I encouraged them to put it in a new, charred oak barrel and turn it into bourbon. They did, and I dare to say that the sales of the barrel aged Hudson Baby Bourbon have outpaced the unaged Old Gristmill.

With the rise in micro distillation across the US, the cry of the whisky lover for unaged whiskey has been heard. If the big boys wouldn't do it, the little ones have taken the risk to bottle spirit with no barrel aging. However, even though I love the chance to taste unaged whiskey, this category will never outsell its mellowed, barrel-aged older sister.

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of Casa Cóctel with partner Demián Camacho Santa Ana. She's owned her own whiskey label, called Red Hook Rye, and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

Filed Under: Drinks
Tags: bourbon, Lenell It All, lenell smothers, moonshine, whiskey

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-09-2010 @10:34PM Kurt Doles said... I have half a bottle or so of Old Gristmill in my pantry as I type this, and it's the best damn white liquor I've ever put lips to. Their single malt is nothing to sneeze at as well.
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6-11-2010 @10:21AM Greene Grape said... LeNell, your 'spirit' (sorry) is missed in Brooklyn!

We're holding what we described as a 'legal moonshine' tasting this weekend . . . but now I'm wondering whether we are using the term right. It's a comparative tasting of the Tuthilltown from corn and Wisconsin's Death's Door from wheat/malt. Gable will be on hand from Tuthilltown and we'll talk with Max Watman who recently wrote a book on the 'White Dog'. In the book, Max describes his illicit home distilling experiments using apples and grain. Does the illicit nature of the spirit make it moonshine or does the base/mash?

If you haven't read it, Max's book is well worth a read - the history of prohibition, the science of distilling with an edge of the seat court case and amateur stock car racing . . .
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