It seems like a long time since I reviewed a moonshine. I did review that Kentucky pink lemonade which was effectively pink lemonade mixed with moonshine, but they didn't technically market it like it was moonshine, so I'm disinclined to include that post from way back in late 2020. Previous to that, the last moonshine I tried was that horrifically bad blue flame that wasn't even blue. The least you can do is use some food coloring and make it blue! Either way, I'm fully anticipating that this root beer flavored moonshine will be an absolute winner.
Like most moonshines in a glass, it is fairly unremarkable. This one is a brown liquor that might at first glance be confused with any number of whiskeys or bourbons out there. It has the same syrupy texture and coloring. The aroma, however, is a combination of astringent and root beer. It reminds me a bit of the root beer shooters that I was introduced to many years ago that were made up of root beer schnapps and whatever cola was on hand. The difference is that this smells a lot stronger.First sip is, indeed, stronger than those shooters were. That said, it is pretty darn good. I've always enjoyed the alcohol warmth that the first sip carries down the esophagus right to the belly. This does that in the exact same way, but it adds a sweet root beer flavor that is probably superior to most of the hard root beers that I've had. The distillery is intentionally vague by saying that natural root beer flavor has been used, and I'm not sure what tree a root beer comes off of. A second sip hits and is damn smooth for something sporting 35% ABV. Just as you bring the alcohol up to your mouth, you can tell that moonshine is behind everything. After you start to sip, any idea that this is hard-hitting is covered up by that sweet root beer flavor. Really, the only thing missing is the carbonation. I'm not suggesting the carbonation needs to be added to this, but I wonder what this would do as a mixer.
Bottom Line: Deceptively scrumptious.
4.0/5