We’ve been hearing a lot about new vodka start ups and micro distilleries. We recently posted on Industry City Distillery’s unique processes. We’ve recently been informed of Heartland Distillery, makers of Indiana Vodka, and it seems there are more micro distilleries coming out of Kansas, Chicago, and even North Carolina. The common thread is a small number of people focusing on making exceptional vodka. Unfortunately, unless the vodka is made in your area, it may
Over at Reuters, Kara Newman describes her experience with spicy vodka in Kiev, Ukraine. A long standing tradition in the Ukraine, she calls their hot vodka, such as honey pepper and horseradish, the first flavored vodka. Bartender Yuriy Sokiryan suggests that helps Ukrainians have more sophisticated tastes. We’ve reviewed National Vodka’s Horseradish and Pepparo, but couldn’t see ourselves drinking it straight all the time (well, maybe the Pepparo, which had a pepper in the bottle).
According to an article at The Economic Times, India’s youth are taking a liking to vodka. India is likely to witness accelerated levels of growth in sales of liquor in tier II and tier III cities as companies are focusing on retail channels like bars, restaurants and pub joints across these towns apart from huge investments in infrastructure, supply chain, bottling facilities etc. which will also open employment avenues, ASSOCHAM says. With neat molecular mixology
Harpers reports that Zubrowka is getting a branding reboot. The premium rye vodka from north-east Poland will be targeted at 25 to 40-year-old “authenticity-seeking drinkers” with a new look based on the illustrations of artist Kristjana S Williams. Sounds a bit like Absolut Elyx, huh?
The latest big-deal flavor is Stoli’s Salted Karamel. The Huffington Post wrote up their thoughts on the vodka, and included a few tweets from the public. Apart from making fun of the spelling of “caramel” (all Stoli products have stylized spellings), there is an undertone of disdain for the flavored vodka trend. Today, I found out my new go-to cheap vodka, New Amsterdam, is releasing a few flavors and I was a little put off by that.
The New York Times has a followup article called “Learning from Tito’s Vodka.” I have been asked in the past about what “features” a vodka should have to be successful. I think this quote from the article sums up everything: Be authentic: Don’t try to be something you’re not. Deliver a good product and the market will find you. Tito’s wasn’t a Russian vodka and it didn’t come in a sexy bottle. It took time,
If you’re hosting a Independence Day party, here are some supplies and vodka suggestions you don’t want to miss. Vodkas Americana Luxury Vodka (5 Stars from New Jersey): You’ll have a hard time finding a more patriotic looking American vodka. With quality to back it up, put this vodka on your list. Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka (5 Stars from Austin, Texas): There’s nothing like sweet tea vodka when you need a relaxing drink in
In today’s Friday links, we have a story on Tito’s Handmade Vodka, a new “vodka startup” called Exclusiv, a review of Double Cross, a story on Industry City Distillery, and NYC vodka bar suggestions. More on Tito’s The New York Times has an article reminiscing on the early days of Tito’s Handmade Vodka. It’s as much a lesson on building a brand on a shoe string budget as it is a history of the finer
D Magazine’s blog SideDish has an interview with a new Texas vodka called Nue. According to the interview, the vodka is made from a corn / wheat blend. If it’s anything like the other vodkas coming out of Texas, we’re looking forward to trying it.
Gizmodo has a nice review of Still Spirits Top Shelf. These small bottles of flavoring can transform your favorite vodka into almost any liquor. Using gas chromatograph, Still Spirits analyzes big-name brands such as Jack Daniels or Bombay Sapphire to determine the difference in the constituents of the liquor, then they create a liquid that contains some of those missing pieces. Adam Southard of Still Spirits puts it simply, “We’re rebuilding molecules from scratch.” Overall,