Review: Shiner ‘Shine and Cinnamon ‘Shine Corn Whiskeys

If you’re from Texas — or have ever been to Texas — you’ve probably enjoyed a bottle of Shiner Bock. The unofficial state beer went national beginning in 1989, after which a bevy of line extensions arrived. Finally, in 2023, the operation began a distilling arm, producing vodka, gin, and moonshine (plain and flavored with cinnamon). We look at the latter two of those here.

Both are 90 proof.

Shiner ‘Shine Texas Corn Whiskey Review

Unaged corn whiskey that also has winter rye, malted wheat, and two-row barley in the mash. Double-distilled on a pot still, with no sugar seemingly added to the product.

The aroma of fresh white dog is unmistakable, with heavy notes of cornmeal tempered by gentler aromas of caraway and earthy underbrush. Slightly musty in the way that most unaged whiskeys tend to be, it’s nonetheless approachable, if aggressively corny.

On the palate, there’s a gentle corn sweetness — that cornmeal cooked up into cornbread — and mild layers of vanilla and butterscotch to offer a touch of sweetness. It’s not much, mind you: The overwhelming impact of this moonshine is solidly grain-focused, with a finish that is more drying than any other moonshine I’ve encountered in recent memory. That pushes Shiner ‘Shine closer to the vodkaverse than other expressions of the spirit, though rest assured it is far from a “neutral” experience.

B / $25

Shiner Cinnamon ‘Shine Flavored Texas Corn Whiskey Review

The above, flavored with “real cinnamon sticks” and a small amount of cane sugar.

Add whatever you like to the bottle, but you can’t entirely wipe the corn away from the nose of this flavored moonshine, which mixes gently sweet cinnamon notes with an underbelly of ground corn to create a sort of breakfasty baked good in liquid form.

The palate’s got the spice, though as with most cinnamon whiskey-ish products it’s not exactly Red Hots fiery, but rather a sweeter expression of cinnamon, closer to a cinnamon roll that’s been made with cornbread. The finish is mild and a little chewy, the stickiness on the glass from the added sugar more intense than I expected. As a Fireball substitute, it feels more artisanal, but far less powerful.

B / $26

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