Cheap whiskey is getting expensive
Sebastian wants to know why there’s this trend of unaged whiskey that is a bit spendy. Well, it started in Tennessee. A few years back, our legislature passed a law that made it legal to make moonshine for resale. After, Hank Williams, Jr. went out and bought the recipe for moonshine from Popcorn Sutton‘s widow and partnered with her. And Tennessee White Whiskey was born. It was and is very popular. And for about $30 for a mason jar sized container, it was spendy. It made for a great gift and I’ve given several away, especially to my yankee friends. Given it’s success, everyone else started making the same thing. After all, it’s cheap to make since you’re not wasting time and money aging it.
December 9th, 2013 at 10:19 am
If people pay a lot . . .
December 9th, 2013 at 12:30 pm
What I cannot understand is how the ‘not legal’ stuff still made here in NE TN often costs as much, if not more than the legal – taxed – stuff sold in liquor stores.
A mason jar of ‘good’ clear can easily cost more than a 750 of Jack Daniels.
Oh, I understand that the risk is very real, but given that you can get something cheaper, generally better, and with more reliable quality, the premium paid for the thrill of crossing a line is downright silly.
But I guess that is the American way.
Selling the sizzle and not the steak, I mean.
Sometimes I wonder how many ‘shiners are simply diluting Everclear in the garage?
December 9th, 2013 at 2:57 pm
I tried some of the popcorn sutton shine. I (over all) seem to like the aged items better. While it was spendy, I did like the fact I felt like I was tasting history – i just kidna wish it tasted better. 🙂
To prepare for the recent storm here in OK, I went by the liquor store and bought some scotch, 12 case of Samuel Adams, and three bottles of wine for the wife.
It was a nice couple of days spent in the house.
December 9th, 2013 at 5:18 pm
Thomas Rykala has no nuts!
December 10th, 2013 at 11:39 am
Since discovering some really good, non-taxed “white whiskey” I don’t want any part of the bitter taste imparted by the barrels. A couple of us taste-tested the friend’s against one of the store-bought brands and the non-taxed was far smoother. A good recipe, great water, and some care in distillation makes all the difference in the world. I watched the friend make a batch and learned a whole lot. Lots of work to make small batches, they deserve the $30 a quart. 5 gallons of mash will make less than a gallon of finished whiskey, and take several hours to set up, distill, clean up. Think of it as an artisan product. It’s too labor intensive to make much money on.