Historic Tobacco Barn
Greensboro, North Carolina USA
Photo Credit: Matt Moore

Colin Heck Newberry
Charles Holderness
Matthew Rodney Moore

“Moonshine Cologne breaks-down from musk to spice, and finally to wood.”

About Moonshine

The notes of Moonshine are pepper, juniper, leather, and tobacco. Please share with our Sugarcube customers why these are your choice scents.

Colin: Fragrances are defined by their olfactory pyramid, which is the scent breakdown parfumers use in creating fragrances. Moonshine breaks-down (a key term) from musk to spice, and finally to wood. The first smell, or top note, of Moonshine is the musky black pepper aroma. The pepper eventually burns away through the other notes, settling finally at the woodsy notes of juniper, leather, and tobacco. Typically, the default scent for most fragrances is floral, which is light and airy; we wanted Moonshine to be strong and close to earth. Instead of the blossoms of a tree, we wanted the bark. Instead of flowers, we wanted pepper. We don’t want Moonshine to remind women of the flowers her man gave her on the first year anniversary, instead we wanted our fragrance to remind her of the resolve and determination that attracted her to him on that first date.
 
 

Moonshine, the cologne, has nostalgic undertones. The burlap ‘sack’, the wooden box, and the overall branding complement that notion. And as such, the word ‘moonshine’ embodies reference to Southern culture. Please elaborate on this.

Matthew: As three Southerners of three very different varieties (try getting a Texan, a Georgian, and a Carolinian to agree on what is “real” Bar-B-Que) Moonshine nevertheless had a united meaning for us. Sure, one is a drink, one is cologne, but they both enhance a night out. What it is to us, to the South, and judging from widespread embrace of Moonshine, the entire nation, is the incarnation of what the masculine American spirit aspires to be. Hand crafted after hours under the shine of the moon, revolting against the established barons of the industry—we relate to ‘Moonshine.’ It is that spirit in both the product and the production that led us to embrace the word ‘Moonshine’ for our brand.

• Rebellious —regardless of regulations and preconceptions of other people you have to press forward.
• Independent—the spirit to strike out for yourself, by yourself, and by having a strong sense of self.
• Courageous—that moment, after you’ve sniffed from a mason jar of real moonshine, and still decide to take a pull. That’s courage.
 
 

Scents often bring up specific personal association and evoke vivid memories. What are a few iconic images and associations of lifestyles of times past to help readers get a feel for Moonshine?

Colin: What I love about our product is that it reminds me of my Grandfather. I remember seeing his cologne on the counter out in the country. He didn’t use an atomizer, he dabbed it on after his daily shave. For me, that first woodsy basenote of juniper reminds me of walking alongside him on the banks of the Colorado River.

Charles: When I think of Moonshine, everything from the packaging to the scent, it reminds me of rummaging through an old farmhouse and stumbling upon a hidden box, tucked away behind some old antiques. When you brush the dust off the box, it reveals the faint old typeset and the aged print, and when you open it; you find a timeless burlap sack, enclosing a clean bottle of a scent that’s classic and ageless.

Matthew: Similar to Colin, my father always kept a bottle of cologne in his dresser. I can think of many-a-morning as a kid watching him shave, put on a suit, and dab on that “stuff” that smelled good. It’s a constant reminder of what is ‘manly’ and real.
 
 
 

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