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Liquor Review: Georgia Moon

Published on August 7th, 2007 in Whiskey & Bourbon by Dan

Shine On Georgia Moon is a product of the Heaven Hill distillery. They are the last bastion of straight corn whiskey production in the U.S. Corn whiskey is a recipe or mash bill with a minimum of 81% corn. Corn whiskey is the close cousin of bourbon. What distinguishes the two is the type of barrel used and the time aging duration. Corn whiskey is generally not aged or only aged for a short time (i.e. 6 months) in un-charred, new oak barrels. Georgia Moon claims it’s less than 30 days old! That sounds pretty close to moonshine to me, but it’s corn whiskey through and through. Noted whiskey writer Jim Murray says, “If you are a true student of whiskey, your education is a long way from being complete until you have mastered this particularly charming form.” It makes corn whiskey seem very exciting and complex. Let’s unravel this corny mystery.

First of all, what caught my eye with this whiskey was the unique bottle, or should I say jar. It really gave the sense of drinking real moonshine, but not as potent at only 80 proof and only slightly less harsh on the taste buds. I believed the bottle to be more novel than functional. It made quite a mess when trying to pour a drink.

There was something very satisfying about cracking the seal of this jar and hearing the lid sing while being unscrewed. What was not so satisfying was the smell that came out. Holy corn squeezin’s! This stuff was rank! It smelled like pure alcohol with a hint of musty, sweet corn. I was certainly afraid of what was to come.

Sipping Georgia Moon on the rocks was really not as unpleasant as the smell indicated it would be. It was surprisingly smooth and not too harsh on the way down. You may consider the aftertaste somewhat undesirable. It followed through with that same corn taste I got a hint of when I first smelled it. The flavor conjured up images of standing in a field in the middle of BFE Georgia, licking dirty corn. It was strange, yet alluring. The plot thickened.

I was actually a little surprised by the way this corn whiskey mixed with Coca Cola© and Sprite©. It was pretty strange how the Coca Cola© actually complimented and enhanced the earthy corn taste. It was very interesting, actually. You would never expect this from the overpowering aroma of the spirit.

I was a little disappointed by the minor buzz that followed the required four drinks. Don’t get me wrong, I know this would have put a hurt on me if I was in a hurry. Believe me, the almost bizzare flavor made it difficult to drink this stuff too fast, but I did enjoy it, oddly enough. The ultimate result was a minor hangover later in the day.

I guess the mystery of the corn whiskey still eludes me. And at a price of $15 for a 750mL jar, it can continue to elude me. This seems a little high for what you get, but I think it’s definitely worth a try at least once – just to say you did.

Sipability – 4.0

Mixability – 4.5

Drunkability – 6.0

Hangover-ability – 7.5

Bang for the Buck – 9.0

Overall - 5.5