irefly Distillery has a line of Vodka that has become the latest rage – Sweet Tea Vodka. Their first bottling run was on April 4, 2008, and already the elixir is distributed in 50 states. The most popular brand is their Sweet tea flavored vodka which is made with local American tea, and Louisiana sugar. The tea used in this process is grown on a Wadmalaw Island tea plantation, the only tea grown in America.

Their Muscadine flavored Vodka, from the Irvin House Vineyards, where the distillery is located. This vodka is made slowly in small batches, and is distilled six times. Scored 89 points in "The Beverage Testing Institute" outscoring Ketel One, Absolut, Finlandia, and Fris. Other flavored Sweet Tea Vodka's in the line include, Peach, Raspberry, Mint Tea, and Lemon, each made the same way as the Sweet Tea Vodka, and distilled four times.

FireFly Sweet Tea Label

Partners Jim Irvin and Scott Newitt have created a great team to take this project well into the future. Jim, studied Chemistry at Vanderbilt, is a natural fit for the master distiller for Firefly Distillery. Jim discussed the in’s and outs about the distillery as he had been doing this line of work all of his life.

I could tell he enjoyed his work as I listened to him tell me the differences between yeast strains, and it became even more clear as he showed me how the still worked. Jim retired from the family construction business, along with his wife Ann, and started Irvin House Vineyards. Joined by their son, Jay, they run the winery and the distillery as a family effort.

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