Connecticut's Onyx Moonshine Becomes the Toast of the CMA Awards

Country music’s biggest names and brightest stars are about to get a taste of Connecticut’s hottest new liquor, as bottles of , will be included as part of the exclusive gift bag presenters and performers receive tonight as part of the 45th Annual CMA Awards.

“The product has been selling out statewide, and we're excited for the opportunity to gain national exposure for our brand as well as a chance to bring some attention to Connecticut made products,” said Adam von Gootkin, one of the founders of the Onyx Spirits Company, . “This is an exciting time for us at Onyx Spirits Company. This is one of the first liquor products produced in Connecticut to garner national attention since Smirnoff Vodka was produced here way back when. We're looking forward to offering Onyx Moonshine to the very best in country music and we sincerely hope they enjoy drinking it as much as we do.”

The awards, which will be held in Nashville, TN, will begin at 8 p.m. tonight and will be broadcast on ABC. Performers and presenters at this year’s CMA’s include Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Thompson Square, Lady Antebellum, Steel Magnolia, Sara Evans, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride.

Von Gootkin said that the connection came about through a friend that runs Bonitas Mixers, a company that produces cocktail mixers, who passed a bottle of the moonshine along to organizers of the CMAs. Von Gootkin said the organizers liked the moonshine so much that they wanted to include it in this year’s gift bag. 

“Every year they look for new products and established products,” he said. “They were really in to what we were doing, so we went for it.”

Local response to Onyx Spirits products have been phenomenal in the five weeks since bottles have been available in stores, von Gootkin said, and he was confident that demand for the product would only grow as it reached more and more stores throughout the state and the country.  

“This is another great way to give exposure to the brand and introduce people nationally to what we’re doing out here,” von Gootkin said, adding that Onyx had already surpassed 20 percent of its estimated first year sales in its first five weeks. “It just keeps growing faster and faster. We’re getting calls from stores quicker than we can fill the orders.”

Onyx Spirits has a list of restaurants and liquor stores throughout the state where its spirits can be purchased on its Facebook page.