While I was paying for my beer a few weeks ago, I saw something on the shelf near the cash register-- "Eggo--Brunch in a Jar." Or more precisely, a waffle and syrup cream liqueur, from Sugarlands Distilling Company, in a partnership with Eggo Waffles. It was also sold in a tiny 50 mL bottle. So of course I bought one. I practically had to, given my tastes.
Sugarlands is based out of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Sugarlands is fairly recent, having started in 2014. It's currently owned by Ned Vickers, Kent Woods, and Gary Eidam. Vickers is the founder and company president, and Eidam is also the head distiller. The company's flagship product is Sugarlands Shine, or various flavors of moonshine. Some of these flavors get pretty creative and weird, such as Appalachian apple pie, blueberry muffin, maple bacon, and Folds of Honor sour blue raspberry. Since either 2016 or 2017 (sources differ), the distillery also began making Roaming Man Whiskey. Which appears to be much more simple and basic rye whiskey. In 2022 Sugarlands joined with car racer Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his wife Amy to produce High Rock Vodka. And at some unspecified date the company devised a line of rum-based cream liqueurs called Sugarlands Sippin' Creams. Some of these flavors are also a bit unusual, such as orange dream, dark chocolate coffee, banana pudding, butter pecan, and peanut butter. (And the one I sampled is also quite atypical, clearly.) Oddly, the three owners aren't listed on the official company websites, but some of the other distillers are. Some of these include Mark Rogers, Mark Ramsey and Digger Manes, and Jim Tom Hedrick.
The Eggo story begins way back in 1938, when Frank Dorsa and his unidentified brothers bought up a potato chip factory, and started making their own. The San Jose, California-based business expanded into producing salad dressings, noodles, and pretzels as well. And then, in 1953, Frank Dorsa invented a way to cook, freeze, and then distribute waffles, which were christened "Eggos." Frank also came up with his own mayonnaise, so his food creating talents weren't just limited to frozen waffles. In 1966 the Dorsas sold their business to Fern Foods, who shortly thereafter then sold Eggo to the massive Kellog's company in either 1968 or 1970 (again, sources differ). In 1972 Leo Burnett created a television ad campaign which lasted for decades. "L'eggo my Eggo" as the characters always say in the spot. Like last week's post, I'm guessing most readers thought of this commercial immediately upon seeing "Eggo." Or, they thought of the Netflix series "Stranger Things" character Eleven, who apparently lived on a diet composed almost entirely of Eggos for quite some time.
Sugarlands/Eggo Brunch in a Jar, Sippin' Cream, waffles and syrup cream liqueur: The odor was very sugary, not surprisingly. The color was a brownish-white. The taste was very creamy and sweet. I can't say I detected the waffles, but certainly the syrup, eggs, and cream. It reminded me of advocaat (see my post on July 30th, 2022) or egg nog. All in all, then, it was pretty good, as I generally liked egg-based liqueurs. (I haven't had that many, but the ones I've had I enjoyed.) So it was undeniably unusual, but in a fun, different way. The strength of it was fairly mild, being 20% alcohol, or 40 proof. So, if you enjoy egg nog, and want to have something like it in the non-winter months, this is probably a good choice.
Sugarlands also has a partnership with the Discovery Channel television program "Moonshiners," which started in 2011, and is still being made. The show is a bit controversial--the producers and creators claim it's a real life, documentary-like program, while some law enforcement members claim it's all fake, since the moonshiners depicted in the show would be quickly arrested if their activities were genuine. I guess viewers can decide for themselves. Finally, if you're curious about my thoughts on the subject of real, illegal moonshine, consult my post on July 27th, 2019.
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