Go ahead, try some

If you attended the Best of Charleston party, chances are you made your way to the Firefly Vodka table, and tried a shot of their new moonshine. We were intrigued to say the least, and ventured deep into Wadmalaw Island to the Firefly Distillery to sample all six flavors including the distillery-exclusive strawberry moonshine.

Their best flavor hands down is the White Lightning. This is an unflavored, pure grain whiskey that can hit over 100 proof. The shot packs a punch, and you’ll feel it immediately. They recommend that you flavor this one yourself with fresh fruit, or enjoy it straight up. Sitting next to us was Boone native and experienced moonshine connoisseur Betty Hayes, who was also a fan of the White Lightning.  “We’re from the mountains, and you should taste what we get in Boone,” she said. “This is a smooth grain whiskey, and it’s how moonshine should taste.” We couldn’t agree more.

Next up was the peach. This was our favorite of the flavored moonshines. It was fruity, but not too sweet, and still retained a lot of the kick of the White Lightning. The apple pie and caramel were both strong flavors, and anyone with a sweet tooth will enjoy drinking these two straight, or even combined.

The cherry and strawberry are reserved for those who want to maximize sweetness with their alcohol. These have the lowest alcohol content, and an overdose of sugary flavor.

Firefly did a great job blending moonshine with sweet flavors that don’t taste artificial, but our advice is to go for the White Lightning for the real moonshine experience. It’s easy enough to add some flavor, and even easier to enjoy this smooth grain whiskey straight up. Anyone curious about Firefly Moonshine should take the drive out to Wadmalaw and enjoy the beautiful, undeveloped nature of the island and vineyard. Kids will love the petting zoo, and after a few drinks we did too. The distillery sells the complete line of Firefly products, and the ride home (with your DD, of course) through the rural country will satisfy all your bootlegging fantasies.

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