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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