In the years of the US Prohibition Law (1920-1933) the demand for alcohol, far from falling, skyrocketed. That gave rise to all kinds of schemes to produce, distribute or even self-supply liquor. Thus was born the ‘moonshine’ whiskey, produced in illegal liquor stores, almost always family-owned, hidden in the immeasurable mountain range of the Appalachian mountains.
To elude the police, the alcohol was transported at night, in the moonlight, hence its name. Thus, liquors of the ‘moonshine’ type –with a higher alcoholic strength than allowed- have always been popular in regions such as Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia or Carolina… and now, also, in the green mountains of the Basque Country (although in this case, complying with all legal requirements).
Five years ago three friends from Vitoria-Gasteiz (Jose Luis Navarro, Eduardo Martínez de Murguía and Juan Carlos Ortíz de Zárate) decided to create Basque Moonshiners, a brand under which they produced BASMOON vodka, made from Alava potatoes.
The ‘micro-distillery’ in Vitoria.
Some time later, and with the bartender Manu Iturregi as a new member of ‘the band’, at the beginning of 2019 they presented AGOT Single Malt Basque Whiskey Pioneer Edition, the first ‘single malt’ type whiskey produced in Spain. They created that distillate following the same artisan philosophy that guided them with their vodka: the first batch consisted of only 989 bottles.
And it is surprising, in such a short time, all the effort put into this young “micro-distillery”, as José Luis Navarro, director of Basque Moonshiners defines it, has paid off. Because AGOT Pioneer Edition has just been chosen as the best whiskey in Spain at the 2020 World Whiskeys Awards, awards granted by the leading publication in the sector ‘The Whiskey Magazine’.
“A few years ago they called us crazy for making spirits from local raw materials, and now we see that all this work has not been in vain,” explains Navarro, adding: “We like to follow our own path, and this award encourages us to continue doing things that have not been done. We are already working on new expressions that will surely continue to surprise”.
Made using traditional methods from Navarrese malts of the Pilsner and Munich varieties from the San Adrián area, this AGOT Pioneer Edition is characterized by its double distillation in copper stills and its aging in wine barrels -in this case Rioja Alavesa – and bourbon, for three years. It has an elegant dark amber color, and its aromas include cocoa, toffee and vanilla.
Old ‘moonshine’ still in the southern USA.
Thus becoming a benchmark for malt whiskeys on the international ‘craft’ scene, Basque Moonshiners has just presented its new project: AGOT PX Edition. This single malt is again made from local malts and also has double distillation and three years of aging in barrels.
The difference with respect to the Pioneer Edition is marked precisely by the barrels used, which in this case are not only Rioja Alavesa wine, but also others that have previously been used to age wines of the Pedro Ximénez variety (in addition to new French barrels).
In this way, the whiskey gains in nuances and aromas of ripe fruit and raisins, resulting in a very pleasant liquor, with an intense and pleasant flavor, and with good memories on the palate. Luckily, the production has been higher this time, reaching 1,650 numbered bottles, for sale on the website www.basquemoonshiners.es and in specialized and gourmet stores.
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