Strawberry Rhubarb Moonshine, by Still Fired Distilleries in Nova Scotia, is a fun, light un-aged whisky^[1]. Northern Rose Spirits, a New York-based distributor of Canadian distillers, was super-awesome and sent a sample pack with the moonshine and a gin, both from Still Fired. I have notes on the gin, too, and I’ll write about that in another article, but the summary of that post will be that the gin is close to spectacular.

The moonshine was a particularly suprising delight for me and a few taste testers. There is a sweetness that is just imparted by the strawberry juice with no added sugar. The natural sweetness is supported by the low alcohol content, which does not compete with the flavors imparted by the fruit. I have to make an effort to not refer to this as a liqueur, because, well because it isn’t a liqueur, which would be sweetened.

Although it’s not sweetened, it smells like strawberry jam, and how nice is that? Not surprisingly, it tastes like strawberry with an edge of savoriness that I attribute to the rhubarb. The tasting notes for Northern Rose Spirits say it’s best served straight and that it can replace sherry or vermouth in cocktails. I used it instead of sweet vermouth in Manhattan, but found that the rye I used (Michters) overpowered the moonshine and, of course, the Manhattan was very dry.

I am looking forward to using the moonshine in other cocktails. Northern Rose Spirits also suggests using the moonshine in a spritz. That makes perfect sense. I think I’ll have a spritz tonight and then try one or two of the cocktail recipes that were sent with the samples. And while I did have some folks try the Strawberry Rhubarb Moonshine, I am hoarding the rest until I find out where to get more, which pretty much shows how much I’m enjoying it. Flavorful and dry, fun and unique, without too much heat from the alcohol, it’s an adult’s liquor (as opposed to liqueur).