Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/33511
BAR-HOPPING Scott Newitt—“Firefly Guy,” former spirit salesman for 20-plus years and co-founder of the Firefly Distillery— steps onto the balcony, introducing himself and his two confidants. John Caffery is a childhood friend he has known since the 8th grade. Thomas Landaiche is not only a close friend he met in college while attending LSU, but also his “Firefly Broker Guy” for Louisiana. Scott later confides, “I chose him to work with us because he has a passion, he is an influencer and I trust him . . . and life’s about trusting people.” This comment is an arrow direct from the quiver of Scott’s conduct. In 2006, Scott and his partner, Jim Irvin, founded the Firefly Distillery on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina. Their first products were positively- received handcrafted Muscadine Wine and Firefly Straight Vodkas, but it was not until they introduced their signa- ture Sweet Tea Vodka two years later that their popularity exploded. Scott grew up outside of Pearl River, Louisiana. He remembers catching fireflies on summer evenings. How magical those lightning bugs were. In 40 / the tasting panel / june 201 1 Scott Newitt enjoys the groove of LC Smoove at My Bar @ 635 Night Club. addition, “Honey Island swamp was my backyard,” he says. “I have a deep, deep history in the South, and when I was a kid we drank sweet tea as if it were milk. It doesn’t get more Southern than sweet tea. I always wanted to name my own spirit Firefly, and the sweet tea combination just made sense, particu- larly after I saw a couple of other vodka teas released.” Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka’s celebrity has now leapt from the South and across the country like the spirit brand equivalent of Mark Twain’s Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County—but unlike that famous story, the Firefly persona of a laid-back drink for the people is no tall tale. Scott and Jim are gospel. They practice what they preach. Jim has a vineyard on Wadmalaw Island where he cultivates 2,700 Muscadine grape vines with his wife, Ann. “We have a one page operating agreement between us,” relates Scott, “drafted by lawyers. Jim is in charge of everything that goes into the bottle, and I am in charge of everything that goes on outside of the bottle. It also states that I won’t mess with Jim and he won’t mess with me.” Their product line has grown con- siderably to include raspberry, peach, mint and lemon tea vodkas, as well as three vodka lemonades and a Sweet Tea Bourbon that’s made with multi-award- winning Buffalo Trace bourbon. But tonight it’s all about Firefly Sweet Tea and their new addition to the family, Skinny Tea Vodka. It’s their signature spirit minus the sugar, for a low-calorie cooler that tastes just like its celebrated cousin: sweet tea like you remember, but with a kick and a smooth finish. The sweetener is provided by TruviaTM , a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant. Next to us, a young lady strips her blouse off to reveal a tank top. She brandishes a survival knife and sets to on her new Firefly teeshirt, a gift from the Firefly Guy. Off come the arms, collar and midriff. She dons it with a flourish and proclaims, “This ain’t your grandma’s Sweet Tea.” As if we had any doubts.