Will Kehler And Author Ian Smiley Release New White Whiskey

By Richard Thomas

Will Kehler and Ian Smiley, the author of Making Pure Corn Whiskey and co-author of The Distiller’s Guide to Rum, have teamed up to put their own white whiskey on the market, Manhattan Moonshine. *

Reportedly Kehler and Smiley were inspired by the realization that during the Prohibition era much of a large portion of the illegal whiskey in the country was made in secret urban distilleries. Indeed, until the mid-20th Century illicit liquor distillation was as much a Northern and urban phenomenon as it was a Southern and rural one.

Like many modern white whiskeys, Manhattan Moonshine is more than just a corn whiskey. After spending a year experimenting on different mashbills, Smiley and Kehler settled on a novel mix of rye, spelt and oats. Reflecting its Prohibition inspiration, Manhattan Moonshine will be bottled in an art deco-style container in place of the more usual jugs and mason jars, and will be priced at $45 per 750 ml bottle.