XXX Shine Whiskey comes from the fine folks at Philadelphia Distilling, makers of Bluecoat Gin and Vieux Carre Absinthe. It’s available in three expressions — the original White Whiskey, plus two flavors: Salted Caramel and LiberTea. All three are 100% unaged, corn whiskey. And it just so happens that we’ve got the white whiskey and the salted caramel right here.
XXX Shine White Whiskey
This white whiskey is thrice distilled in a copper pot still. On the nose, it’s all corn, with notes of freshly-husked corn and baked corn bread. Take a sip and you’ll find a dry, easy-going spirit that’s neither too harsh nor too sweet. All in all, it’s pretty solid. We still prefer our whiskeys aged, but hey, if you’re going to drink a white whiskey, here’s a good candidate. 44.4% ABV / $25
XXX Shine Salted Caramel Whiskey
Shine Salted Caramel begins its life as white whiskey, but before bottling it’s flavored with salted caramel. Caramel is nothing new for whiskey — oak barrels often impart caramel notes to aged spirits. But in that case, the caramel is subtle and natural tasting, while in this case, the caramel is very artificial. On the nose, there’s a huge aroma of sugary caramel candies, with some underlying savory notes. Drink up for much of the same. The initial hit of salty caramel is extremely sweet. It backs off some toward the finish, with mild corn whiskey notes peeking through. But that finish… it stays with you for minutes. So if you’re going to drink this one, you’d better love sweet caramel candy. 40% ABV / $25
