Corn Liquor

Theron,
One other thing you should consider is that not all moonshines are the same either. My father once told me that he visited an old man who ran his own still but mainly for his own consumption. In a cupboard off his kitchen, he had shelves upon shelves of jars and invited my father to 'share a taste or two'. From his experience, some were sweet while others tasted like rubbing alcohol and yet others had little or no taste at all. In the end, it took him a while afterward to regain control of his legs. Seems a sip or two was almost too much.

Dane

When I tried it, the corners of my mouth kept jerking towards my ears in a Joker-Like grimace. Not the normal reaction for whiskey drinking.
"Gag" gift may be the appropriate name.
I guess I don't appreciate it.
http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...mlins/puke.gif

I can't remember where I read it, but I recall reading about a moonshiner discussing how he 'spiced up' the flavour of white lightening. They'd take a few small pieces of white oak and dry-fry them in a skillet until the wood was charred 'red' but not blackened. They'd add several pieces of this cooked oak to a gallon jug, fill w/raw spirits, shake it daily. The writer claimed it only took a few weeks to smooth and 'sweeten' the flavour considerably, bring it closer to the realm of bourbon. I haven't tried it, make no claims. But it was interesting enough that it stuck in my memory.

The father of a close friend of mine has done some home distilling and he swears by this method of "aging."

For the record, most moonshiners today use table sugar, not corn or any other grain. Of course, I'm talking about the serious moonshiner who is in it as a business. They use sugar because it is cheap, easy to get and easy to work with. The people who distill grain or fruit spirits, albeit illegally, are more the hobbyists.

I keep a bottle of corn whiskey on hand because it's the closest thing you can buy to what bourbon tastes right right off the still, so I have it to demonstrate the considerable impact of aging. The bottle I have has lasted a long time.

I was surprised at how many of these little buggers sold during the holidays. Folks really did grab them as a "gag gift" but with the intent of somebody getting drunk. Amazing how many asked me, "Is this good?" My reply, "It ain't as good as what I've had sittin' on a front porch down South, but it'll do." http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...emlins/lol.gif

> Folks really did grab them as a "gag gift" but with the intent of
> somebody getting drunk.

I've seen Georgia Moon turn up at a few bachelor parties, but I've only
seen the victim take two or three sips. The jar, still mostly full,
does make a great memento to help remember the night, though.


Tim Dellinger

I have a jar of Georgia Moon corn whiskey. I have it on my premium bourbon shelf, as a joke. It tastes like corn, believe it or not! To think that in the 1700's and 1800's this is what whiskey tasted like! No wonder bourbon became such a hit in New Orleans! That new Bourbon, KY stuff was actually drinkable! http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...emlins/lol.gif

Heaven Hill makes a product I believe is called Mellow Corn (I am not looking at the bottle but I have one). I actually think it is really tasty. I kind of like diluted white dog so naturally I'd like this. I've never bought a jar of Georgia Moon. -- Greg

I believe Mellow Corn is the product that actually has a little age on it, something like six months in used barrels, much like Seagrams gin. Another corn that I think it still sold is Platte Valley, which is sold in a crock and is, I believe, a McCormick product.

I bought a bottle of this for a Bourbon tasting I held a few years back. I wanted to offer it first in order to show the difference between an aged and unaged whiskey. I sipped it first, and decided not to serve it to the guests for fear it would destroy their pallates, if not permanently, at least for the night. I settled for passing around the jar and having them smell the difference. Truth is, I probably didn't even need to pass the jar around. Just open the lid and wait ten seconds.

A bottle of Bourbon doesn't last long in my house but this bottle sits nearly* full, next to the bitters, in my otherwise empty cabinet.

*I will say, however, that it makes an excellent addition to a meatball sauce.