The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By S.D. Peters
Rating: B-
Firefly White Lightning
(Credit: Firefly Distillery)
Firefly White Lightning Moonshine is crafted by the Firefly Distillery on Wadmalaw Island, SC, and, other than the professional label on the jar, has the look and feel of the sort of a illicit moonshine you might expect from a small, out-of-the-way place– which is to say it looks like moonshine, and comes in a Mason Jar.
Like other legal white whiskeys, Firefly White Lightning Moonshine is made with more concern and care for the quality product than for the immediacy and quantity of the production, which makes it a lot more interesting than your run of the mill “clear stuff.” The Distillery also produces a selection of flavored versions of their Moonshine, but their White Lightning is their core product and “the real thing.”
The Moonshine
Firefly White Lightning Moonshine looks like water – the only hint in the glass that it’s not being the thicker, oily texture that’s common to white whiskey. It’s bottled at 100.7 Proof (50.35% ABV), which is obvious with one sniff. The initial burn of a too-deep sniff is quickly supplanted by the aroma of corn, stone, spring water and hay – a wonderful combination that makes you feel very much in the country.
It tastes of water-splashed pebbles and caramel corn with a bite – the grainy flavor of the corn being significantly lightened by the sweetness and the higher proof giving it a decent kick.
The real reward is in the finish, where corn recaptures the high ground, giving a proper balance to the flavors of caramel, stone-ground bread, and Dominican cigar that mill around a very smooth, satisfying finish that belies the initial burn at the start of the tasting. There’s room for this white whiskey to grow, but it’s clearly surpassed the average white whiskey.
The Price
Firefly products, once predominately available only in the Distillery’s home state of South Carolina, have a growing distribution in the U.S. For $15-$20 a “jar”, White Lightning is a good place to start exploring white whiskey.
I can not believe the smell and taste of this moonshine. If I didn’t buy it from the store I would have sworn that this was at home back door Mississippi made. I can’t wait to tell all my older friends and family about this. This is the best thing since sliced bread.
that is some good stuff …iv’e had about 10 jars….yeeehaaawwww!!!!!!!
It’s even better after having charred oat chips soaking in it for 2 months. Takes away the burn and makes for a great sipping corn whiskey.
First time drinking and I’ll be buying more great taste my grandfather was a shiner and I think I could taste the same thing when I was younger great spitting shine
Ive drank a LOT of Moon and in my 62 years of making and buying Moon,Yours has got to be the worst I have ever TRIED to drink. I have poored out crap that was similar in taste but I would not sell it to loyal Moon drinkers. Sir ,Sirs or mam your so called Moonshine lacks a lot to SHINE as TRUE MOONSHINE.
So far this is the best store-bought corn whiskey I have tasted. Amazingly, it struck a nerve deep in my East Tennessee memory. This is not the harsh, offensive grain alcohol that you typically find labeled as moonshine. Nor does it leave a sticky residue on your lip, as some poorly flavored products do. It has obviously been crafted with care and attention to quality. Definitely an A+ for those seeking a true corn whiskey!
In the early days as I hunted the mountains of north Georgia I occasionally came up on a still located on a spring head. Mountain folk often crafted moonshine to make a living. Food was hard to come by. Generation after generation of moonshiners created a culture that expected the best shine that could be made. It became apparent which families were the best at this tradition. Firefly is possibly the best shine I have ever tasted.