The word “moonshine” evokes a lot of imagery, from backwoods outlaws in Tennessee to eye popping, mouth scalding fire water that might just make you blind. Moonshine is actually just a term given for whiskey that’s produced illegally, and that whiskey, which is often corn based, is a spirit that has deep roots in our American culture.

When early settlers from Scotland, Ireland, and Germany came to America, they brought with them multigenerational distilling knowledge. They used this knowledge on their new settlement farms to convert the crops that they couldn’t sell fresh at market into something that would keep throughout the winter. This distilled spirit was whiskey.

During prohibition this whiskey became illegal, and so producers had to go underground and produce it illegally. Often these whiskeys were produced from family recipes in backyard stills with an immense amount of pride.

Technically, moonshine still refers to a spirit produced without paying the tax, but small craft distillers like Kings County Distillery evoke the moonshine ethos with their corn whiskey. Sold in small 375ml clear glass flask-like bottles with a simple type written label, the Kings County Distillery “Moonshine” is reminiscent of the old time, hand crafted, unaged corn whiskey which used to define American spirits.

Unlike the fire water that you’d expect from a moonshine, the Kings County Distillery “Moonshine” is actually slightly soft on the palate. It tastes like fresh buttered corn with just the right amount of kick towards the end to remind you that you are drinking whiskey. Put into a barrel, this corn whiskey would resemble the sweet corn bourbon that has become so popular in the US, but unaged, it has a clean and easy quality that is approachable, even to those who generally prefer more neutral spirits like vodka.

Kings County Distillery is located in Brooklyn, New York (East Williamsburg, to be exact) and is New York City’s first licensed whiskey distillery since Prohibition. They do everything in very small batches by hand.

You can buy Kings County Distillery “Moonshine” Corn Whiskey online at DrinkUpNY.com or, if you are in New York, the Kings County Distillery Site lists all the regional outlets that sell their product.