Community Corner

Toast The New Year With Connecticut-Made Whiskey

Broadway Wine & Spirits in Colchester is the closest place you'll find that carries Onyx Moonshine—Secret Stash

Connecticut liquor producer Onyx Spirits Company is best known for making moonshine but in December the company announced it was branching out. On December 6, 2013, the 80th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, Onyx released its first barrel-aged whiskey.  

It's not as big a leap as it sounds. All whiskey, which is a grain-based alcohol, essentially begins life as moonshine. Onyx Moonshine is an unaged whiskey made from 50 percent corn, malted grains, and Connecticut spring water. Based on an authentic New England moonshine recipe, in 2011, it became the first legal moonshine to be produced in New England. The distillery’s flagship product, Onyx Moonshine, is aged in 33 five-gallon, charred American oak barrels sealed in organic bees wax. 

Aging the moonshine in oak barrels adds the color, smokiness, and flavors that morph it into a traditional whiskey. The barrel-aged product is named Onyx Moonshine – Secret Stash, as a tribute to the founder’s practice of barrel aging Onyx Moonshine for their private consumption.  

“It’s about time Connecticut has an exceptional whiskey we can be proud of,” said Kent Harrigan, Onyx Spirit Company’s Guardian of the Whiskey. “This product is everything customers love about Onyx Moonshine, with the addition of the smooth, rich flavor that only charred American oak, time, and skill can impart. The result is an amazingly smooth whiskey that will be worthy of some serious recognition in the whiskey world,” he added. 

The 33 private barrels have been offered exclusively to stores and restaurants in Connecticut, with a limit of one barrel per location. Each barrel has a different flavor profile and will yield just 33, 750ml bottles of whiskey at 91 proof. The bottles have been hand labeled with the barrel and bottle number and will retail for around $60 per bottle. Only two restaurants have a barrel, including Market Grille in Manchester, and Krust Pizza Bar in Middletown. 

“Earlier in the year when we announced we’d be aging Onyx in barrels, the barrels were sold out to stores in 48 hours,” said Onyx co-founder Adam von Gootkin. “This is finally the moment we’ve been waiting for and we cannot wait for everyone to taste this. This is history.”

Bottles of Onyx Whiskey were delivered to the following locations—but call ahead to make sure they still have some in stock. The whiskey was selling fast, with many people preordering a bottle before it even hit the store: 

M&R Liquors
206 Buckland Road, South Windsor
860.783.5228

M&R Liquors
2773 Main Street, Glastonbury
860.633.7040

M&R Liquors
120 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester
860.643.9014

M&R Liquors
214 W Main Street, Avon
860.678.1997

M&R Liquors
838 Farmington Avenue, Farmington
860.384.9799

Manchester Wine & Liquors 
1010 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester
860.649.4750

Market Grille 
110 Buckland Hills Dr, Manchester
860.644.1011

Oxford Liquors 
451 Hartford Road, Manchester
860.643.7796

Sav-Rite Liquors 
117 Washington Ave, North Haven
203.239.3779

The Cork Fine Wines & Spirits 
1597 E Main Street, Torrington
860.496.0400

Bottle Shop of Unionville 
20 S Main Street, Unionville
860.673.2651

Spendless Discount Liquors 
210 Spencer Street, Manchester
860.643.9461

Worldwide Wine & Spirits
480 Queen Street, Southington
860.276.5801

Krust Pizza Bar 
686 Main Street, Middletown
860.358.9816

Stew Leonard’s Newington
3475 Berlin Turnpike, Newington
860.760.8100

Crazy Bruce's Liquors 
178 Newington Rd, West Hartford
860.233.2117

CT Beverage Mart 
3127 Berlin Turnpike, Newington
860.667.1339

Worldwide Wine Cellar 
33a Fieldstone Commons, Tolland
860.870.5100

CT Beverage Mart 
615 Hartford Road, New Britain
860.225.1444

Broadway Wine & Spirits 
71 Broadway, Colchester
1.888.959.9463

Liquor World 
135 West Road, Ellington
860.872.0507

Liquor World 
136 Berlin Road, Cromwell
860.635.3876

Putnam Plaza Super Liquors 
4 Main Street, East Hartford
860.568.3659

Town Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Beer 
345 Hawley Lane, Stratford
203.916.7670

Willowbrook Spirit Shoppe 
2 Willowbrook Road, Cromwell
860.635.1200

Crazy Bruce’s Liquors 
1224 Farmington Avenue, Bristol
860.582.4523

Liquor Depot 
687 W Main Street, New Britain
860.223.7140

Riley’s Liquor Store 
320 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon
860.875.1152

CT Beverage Mart 
955 Washington Street, Middletown
860.347.1624

Amity Wine & Spirit Co. 
95 Amity Road, New Haven
203.397.9463

Wine Cellars 
468 Farmington Avenue, Farmington
860.677.0130

Liquor Super Store 
1261 Meriden Road, Wolcott
203.757.9463

Maximum Beverage 
33 N Main Street, West Hartford
860.761.2541

From a Press Release by Onyx Moonshine


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