Ole Smoky Distillery Moonshine

I recently got my hands on some Moonshine at my local liquor store. It was made by the guys from the TV show Moonshiners from Ole Smoky Distillery in Gatlinburg, TN.  They had a couple different flavors but I decided to try the 100 proof Ole Smoky.  I think I liked the fact that it was a higher ‘octane’ and it was from the TV show so I thought I would give it a try. For only about $19 for the 750 ml the price was not too bad either. When I tasted it right out of the mason jar it was sold in, the flavor was quite bold and strong to say the least. It was just like what I guessed moonshine would taste like.  It felt like I could breathe fire right out of my mouth.

I had a 1 liter Oak Barrel that I finishing up aging some Crown Royal in for about 3-4 weeks. I knew the Crown had been deeply soaked in to the staves of my oak barrel. Now, if I really wanted to remove as much of the Crown Royal flavor from my barrel I could rinse the barrel with water and then fill it with water and let it sit for a few days.  Then empty, rinse and refill with water for another few days. By repeating the process it will water down the Crown in the crevices of the barrel and therefore limit any carry over to my new batch of Ole Smoky.  However I decided that I wanted to have the Crown flavoring in my Ole Smoky so I put the Ole Smoky in without even rinsing the barrel out.

I patiently waited almost 3 weeks without even tasting the batch in my barrel.  Once I did draw a large shot our of the spigot after about 18 days the first thing I noticed was the color was now a nice caramel instead of the clear water appearance it initially had when I poured it in.  I smelled it next and noticed the oak tannins with all the vanilla and other noticeable scents.  Once I tasted Ole Smoky Moonshine I fell in love with it.  The smooth flavor coated my palette and tongue and seeped in to my taste buds even before I could swallow it. Once I did I immediately was reminded of the 100 proof kick.  All I can say was that it was DELICIOUS! In fact the very next week I went and bought another fifth and I now alternate Crown Royal and Ole Smokey every three weeks in that same oak barrel.  Every person I have shared it with has agreed that it is a favorite of theirs too.

White Lightning, aka White Dog Whiskey is just unaged Whiskey, usually moonshine.  I have started trying other brands and some from other countries.  I am just basically taking their unaged liquor and aging it myself in my own personal oak barrel at home to the flavor I like. You can do it too.  I am trying a couple others right now and I will let you know how they turn out right here.  Stay tuned for my posts and be sure to follow us on Facebook where all the blogs will be posted too.

Oak Barrel Recipe

1. Age Crown Royal (or your favorite aged whiskey) in your oak barrel for a minimum of one week so it can soak in to your barrel or until you like the flavor, remove it and enjoy.
2. Fill your oak barrel with Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine.
3. Age as long as you want depending on the size of your barrel.  I used a 1 liter barrel and left the moonshine in there for about 18 days and it worked great for me.