West Virginia’s Bloomery is best known for its SweetShine liqueurs — moonshine infused with various botanicals, fruits, and whatnot. Bloomery’s Cre, the company is careful to note, is something entirely different. Just don’t ask, exactly, what it is:

This earthy flavored, bontanical liqueur different in proof and profile from Bloomery’s SweetShines, yet identical in quality and attention to the craft, is called Cré (Irish Gaelic for “earth”.)

So what’s in it you ask? What makes it green? Like the formula of Coke and the 11 herbs and spices of KFC, we just can’t give the ingredients away. They’re secret! What we CAN tell you is that you can rest assured that Cré most definitely has ingredients from our farm in it and chlorophyll is what makes it green : ) Beware, she’s as sassy as she looks at 80+ proof!

So it’s a vegetable-infused liqueur that by the way despite being over 80 proof is supposed to be refrigerated after opening.

The look is akin to Chartreuse, but that’s about where the similarities end. The nose is pungent with mixed herbs — rosemary and sage, particularly — plus notes of licorice, bitter roots, and a “green juice” character that could be driven by cucumber, spinach, or kale — or all of the above.

The palate is a bit thick, as if you can taste the antioxidants, with a mix of herbal and vegetable notes taking center stage. A lemony sweetness lifts this up, but it’s hard not to think about creamed spinach when sipping on the stuff. The finish builds to something that is quite sweet and incredibly lasting, and though it can’t quite wash away the veggie characterthat’s come before, maybe that’s a good thing. I have to say: I feel awfully healthy after having sampled this stuff.

85.6 proof. Reviewed: Batch #BL0006.

B+ / $38

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