Review: Casey Jones Distillery Total Eclipse Moonshine and Bourbon
Up next in eclipse tie-in booze is a pair of products from Casey Jones Distillery, based on Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Hopkinsville won’t quite be in the path of totality during next week’s eclipse, but it was in the path during the 2017 eclipse — and it’ll be close enough in 2024 to warrant making a celebratory moonshine and bourbon for the occasion bottled as the Official Bourbon/Moonshine of the Total Solar Eclipse. A cardboard pack includes two half-bottles clad in Total Eclipse branding and bundled with a pair of eclipse-viewing sunglasses.
We got the duo — autographed, natch — just in time for April 8. Thoughts follow. Prices shown are for standard 750ml bottles.
Both are 100 proof.
Casey Jones Distillery Total Eclipse Moonshine – White dog made from 50% corn, 50% cane sugar. Boldly corny on the nose, with a ruddy undertone and hints of petrol offering some of that classic moonshine funk. With the proof kept in check, it doesn’t really scorch the palate, and that’s aided by ample sweetness that hits the tongue a bit like corn syrup, rounded and a bit unctuous. As the finish builds, the earlier notes of wet earth, mushroom, and Corn Nuts are well-tempered, the conclusion enduring in its sweetness, with just a touch of spice to even things out. B- / $30
Casey Jones Distillery Total Eclipse Bourbon – One of Casey Jones’ four-grain mashbills: 75% corn, 10% rye, 10% wheat, and 5% barley. 2 1/2 years old. The wheat influence is obvious; from the start the whiskey shows off a sweeter, doughy quality that’s evident on a nose that features aromas of toasted corn, charred wood, coconut, and almond butter. A powerful maple syrup quality overlays all of this, recalling a Sunday morning breakfast of buckwheat pancakes slathered in the stuff. It’s approachable enough on the nose, but on the palate, the experience is hit and miss, a bit discombobulated thanks to too much going on. Those sweet syrup notes come on strong from the start, moving into elements of brandied cherries, jam-slathered biscuits, and a bolder, heavier note of creamed corn. Barrel-driven vanilla notes are aggressive and lasting, making a meandering return to maple by way of more notes of crumbled corn chips and a fairly aggressive lumberyard character that adds a certain grittiness to the experience. It’s clearly a young whiskey, but if you really want to drink the Official Bourbon of the Total Solar Eclipse during showtime, well, here’s your choice. Time is ticking. B- / $50
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