Since the early beginnings of Top Shelf Distillers, we knew that moonshine heritage was an integral part of starting a distillery in Perth.

We started with the traditional un-aged whisky moonshine recipe, known from the backwoods moonshiners in the Tay River region for over 100 years. But we also wanted to pay homage to some of the best ingredients of Lanark County — corn and maple syrup. So then came the birth of our Reunion Maple Moonshine. The first unique flavour in our now growing collection of moonshine.

The Reunion brand quickly became the creative lab for our distillery team, experimenting with local ingredients and creating wonderfully rare flavour profiles. In 2017, inspired by the Midland Butter Tart Festival, we perfected and launched our Butter Tart Moonshine. The response from the public was overwhelming and quickly became a permanent addition to our seasonal lineup.

Fast-forwarded to 2020. This year, with all the hardships endured from the pandemic, we wanted to bring to life what made us Canadians and the identity that united us all – and it started with butter tarts! 

We partnered with Mrs. Garrett’s Bake Shop, a small bakery out in Inverary, known for their authentic take on our national delicacy. What started off as a small order of 500 butter tarts as a tasty treat to accompany our Butter Tart Moonshine has now grown to an order of 15,000 butter tarts (that’s like eating 41 butter tarts a day for a year)!

This 37 year-old bakery has withstood the test of time, with 3 members of their small but mighty team who have been there since its inception.

When we asked Mrs. Garrett’s daughter if the bakery would be around for another 37 years, the response was a swift yes with plans for the grandchildren to continue the baking tradition in this little shop in South Frontenac Township, where everything is made daily by hand – and with love!