The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Andrew Graham
Rating: B
Marigny Moonshine
(Credit: Seven-Three Distillery)
Until recently, with the opening of the Sazerac House in the French Quarter, there were only two distilleries in New Orleans that made whiskey: craft distillers Atelier Vie and Seven Three Distilling Company.
Both use Louisiana rice, and both of their drams are truly unique, as I discovered during a visit to New Orleans last year. The Whiskey Reviewer’s Deputy Editor, Kurt Maitland, reviewed the Atelier Vie whiskey and spoke to its founder and head distiller, Jedd Haas, a couple of years ago. I too enjoyed the Atelier Vie Riz rice whiskey, and I don’t have much to add to Kurt’s tasting notes.
Less than two miles away from the Atelier Vie distillery, closer to the French Quarter, is Seven Three Distilling Company. Its Marigny Moonshine is a 100-proof, unaged whiskey. The mash bill is 95 percent rice (sourced from James Farms in south Louisiana) and five percent malted barley.
Unaged whiskey—call it white dog or moonshine—is an itch that every whiskey drinker should scratch at some point because, as a category, it’s more than just a novelty. Generally, I’ve found these spirits are really enjoyable to use in place of conventional whiskey in cocktails.*
The Moonshine
Color: Completely clear. Looks like water, and has very little viscosity when at room temperature.
Flavor: The Marigny Moonshine features a prominent, highly fragrant nose of green apple, toasted almond, pear: a chardonnay-like essence. More green apple, with flavors of black currant and pear, dominate the palate, and cinnamon and dark chocolate notes creep in towards the finish. Those chocolate notes are, for me, what lingers and become really enjoyable. The finish is clean, crisp, and smooth — I get notes of figs and plumb.
The mash bill of mostly rice is worth emphasizing. Typically, a moonshine implies a mash bill of mostly corn, but the word has no established definition in the U.S. as a category of whiskey, so it doesn’t need to be all corn and there are not-whiskey moonshines made from a mix of grain and sugar (or entirely sugar). I do wonder if the climate in Louisiana has any effect whatsoever on the flavor when compared to some of the rice whiskeys from elsewhere in the world.
It is here that I should point out the obvious: No, this doesn’t taste like the whiskey that whiskey drinkers are used to. But moonshine is not vodka or vodka-adjacent, as I have at times heard some well-intentioned folks say. It is its own category of whiskey (when made from grain), and it’s well worth one’s time if their expectations for it are well-calibrated. The bottom line is that I had a great time drinking this expression. I found the Marigny Moonshine offers the amount of flavor nuance of other whiskies with a different flavor profile, and I’m really happy with its versatility.
The Price
Marigny Moonshine retails for $40. It is available throughout Louisiana and now in Illinois through Big Fish.
* Editor’s Note: Another reason to get acquainted with white dog is I don’t think you can truly evaluate an aged spirit until you can appreciate the virtues and shortcomings of its native, unaged base.
