Authored By Laura Kelton

Sometimes, I forget just how Southern the roots of white whiskey are. Moonshine, white lightnin’, white dog and white whiskey-whichever may be your preference-immediately stir up connotations of backwoods, bathtub-brewed booze that some say can make you go blind. Much like absinthe, the idea of obtaining a spirit once ruled illegal definitely has its draw. Even today when I talk about ‘shine being available for purchase over the counter, many people don’t realize that it is out there for distribution, being made for immediate and legal consumption.

Under this very large umbrella of moonshine, we are looking at spirits that are bottled off of the still. They may or may not be cut with water and are not ever touching an oak barrel. With that comes the good, the bad and the ugly, which I will try to help differentiate between.

Having so many different titles to defer to, I asked Dave Pickerell, who, according to February’s issue of Garden & Gun, is “leading the brown liquor revival, one craft spirit at a time,” what he thought of the continuously growing white whiskey market. I hear he knows a thing or two about the intricacies of the barrel-aging process, so although I was slightly afraid I was opening a can of worms in bringing up the subject, he was an open book in discussing projects he has contributed to and the growth of it in the liquor market. His breakdown was the most simple and logical I had heard to date, categorizing this mysterious and widely adapted spirit into three parts.

First, let’s talk about moonshine. Though it is defined as “illicitly distilled or smuggled liquor,” you can find it on alcohol labels lining the shelves of your favorite store. In order to create and distribute said product, it does have to be made by someone carrying a license to distill spirits and regulated by the governing powers in the alcohol industry. Here we find spirits oftentimes distilled from sugar for its wide availability, price and ease of use in fermentation. Moonshine can also be distilled from fruit or, more commonly, corn. When creating booze for the sake of booze, sugar is your best friend. Without it, fermentation cannot occur, and no alcohol can be produced. Though there are some well-crafted ‘shines on the market, here you’ll often find neutral grain spirits that never see a barrel and have been cut down to a lower proof and flavored with fruit for mass appeal. Some end up syrupy and sweet-a few that I can really get behind are the American Born “Dixie” Moonshine, flavored with tea, and Tennessee South’s Blackberry Shine. In the craft industry, some flavored spirits are tossed aside for their connotation of being stout syrups, but some brands like those mentioned above are working to make it harmonious with spirits even as simple as moonshine.

Next, we have white dog, or white whiskey, made and distributed by distilleries that are waiting for their final product to sleep in barrel long enough to release. With these spirits, flavor can be a 50-50 split, and marketing is everything. Some brands release “white dog” initially to gain profit and move the company forward as they wait for their flagship whiskey to develop. Some offer it as a raw, uncut base spirit that is telling of what is to come. The dangers here are where most of my issues with the idea of white whiskey lie-more often that not, is it made to go in a barrel for a reason. These rough, uncut spirits don’t often taste as good as they possibly could because they are not made with immediate consumption in mind. They are meant to rest in oak for the purpose of rounding out those rough edges and developing depth of character. Again, this is a category in which you can always find shining stars, but sometimes, the bad outweighs the good. I will say that Maker’s Mark straight off the still tastes like sunshine, but even then, there is only so much that one can consume.

Lastly, there are white whiskies that are intended to be enjoyed as such. In the craft market, it is always important to understand where something came from or how it began. Companies such as Craft Distillers are releasing products like Low Gap White Whiskey, distilled from Bavarian white wheat. In 2011, it was awarded Whiskey Advocate’s Artisan Whiskey of the Year Award for its round fruity aromas and brandy-esque drinking style. With sippin’ spirits, intention can be everything. You cannot expect an unaged spirit to drink as one with oak aging will, and because of that, more thought and care have to be involved in the distilling process. Although it would be great to have one spirit that does it all, it unfortunately isn’t that easy.

It is clear that the white whiskey and moonshine market is here to stay, so which will you be having? Want to try making white whiskey cocktails at home? Try substituting it in classic recipes like the Last Word or Corpse Reviver for a Southern twist on timeless drinks.

Until next time, happy imbibing!

Laura Kelton is a recent graduate of UTC and currently runs the bar program at Easy Bistro & Bar. Feel free to reach out to her by email with any questions, comments or requests. The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.