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Inside
THE ULTIMATE
2021
HOLIDAY
GIFT GUIDE
Why is
Bourbon
Expensive...
& When Will the
Burst?
Bubble
So Crazy
ARE SMALL BATCH GINS
THE NEXT BIG THING?
IS MICHTER'S 25 YEAR OLD
BOURBON WORTH $1000?
YES, VODKA REALLY DOES
PAIR WELL WITH CHEESE
AND HERE'S WHY

WINES WITH THE GOTHAM
SAVE THE PLANET
PROJECT CAN HELP
HOW TAPPING INTO KEG
BY CARRIE HONAKER
16 ALCOHOLPROFESSOR.COM Fall/Winter 2021

AS I WANDERED INTO THE BARREL CHEST
IN ROANOKE, VIRGINIA TO BUY A BOTTLE
OF WINE I CAME UPON A SURPRISE IN THE
BACK—A SMALL BAR WITH A SMATTERING
OF TAPS AND OLD CHURCH PEW SEATING.
I THOUGHT IT MUST BE BEER, BUT WAS
SURPRISED TO FIND A FEW WINES ON TAP.
NOT LOWER QUALITY WINE, BUT BETTER
STUFF I WOULD BUY IN A BOTTLE FOR $15-
$20. I WENT FOR MALBEC, A PERSONAL
FAVORITE. IT WAS DELICIOUS. AND IT GOT
ME THINKING…
MY FORAY INTO TAPPED WINE IS EXACTLY
THE KIND OF EXPERIENCE BRUCE
SCHNEIDER WAS GOING FOR WHEN HE
PARTNERED WITH CHARLES BIELER TO
START THE GOTHAM PROJECT. SCHNEIDER,
A SEASONED WINEMAKER, WANTED TO
PRODUCE A BETTER GLASS OF WINE. THEY
EVEN HAVE A MANIFESTO. IT STATES, “OUR
PROMISE TO YOU IS A BETTER GLASS OF
WINE. ONE THAT YOU ARE PROUD TO
SERVE, YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL ENJOY,
AND IS SUSTAINABLE.”
Noble ideas, but how does this all
work? For The Gotham Project
Schneider said, “We use exclusively
stainless steel kegs. So they're
infinitely reusable as long as you
take care of them. Probably the
biggest benefit is the sustainability
of the process. You're not wasting
glass bottles that, in theory, and the
best case scenario, get recycled. But
less than 30% of them actually get
recycled. [Kegging is a] much more
sustainable way to do wine by the
glass.”
Free Flow Wines on the West
Coast sees keg wine similarly, “We
believe that together we can build a
category that will make a difference,
from the wines that are poured into
your glass to saving the world – one
keg at a time,” Jordan Kivelstadt,
Co-Founder of Free Flow Wines
said. They also use stainless steel
kegs, and according to their website,
“[Those kegs] put into service will
save 2,340lbs of trash from the
landfill over their lifetime, equaling
tens of millions of pounds of waste
to date. The facility has a custom
water reclamation system that cleans
over 95% of wastewater for reuse.”
And, if you are curious, check out
their website Try Wine On Tap’s
constantly updating calculator of
pounds of bottles, corks, foil, and
boxes saved with the use of Free
Flow’s reusable kegs—it is like
watching The National Debt Clock,
except it is tracking something good
for the planet.
Sommelier Sarah Tracey, a wine pro
Certified by the Court of Master
Sommeliers and owner of The
Lush Life, thinks the sustainable
packaging is what attracts
consumers, “the environmental
benefits, like minimizing the waste
from bottles, corks, and packaging,
especially in the markets where
I'm working in New York city, [is
important]. People are pretty savvy
and very interested in what they can
do to be more sustainable. They get
into how many thousands of bottles
from landfills kegs save. Then they
try it, and they actually like the
wine—then you have a fan for life.”
Founded in 2009, Free Flow Wines
wanted to create a product that
moved wine beyond the bottle and
provide a fresher, more sustainable
HOW CAN KEG
WINE HELP THE
PLANET?
According to Nielsen, 73% of
Millennials are willing to pay
more for a sustainably sourced
and packaged product. As more
consumers grow cognizant of the
impact of their choices, kegged wine
becomes a more responsible choice.
“The Boston consulting group BCG
came out with a study about how
during COVID-19, consumers’
awareness and the importance they
place on sustainable packaging has
grown at a very fast clip. I think
that's had to do with some of the
things we've seen, like the wildfires
in California. People believe the
choices they make as consumers
need to reflect that awareness
and appreciation for everybody's
responsibility to do their part,
to keep the planet healthier,”
Schneider said.
glass for restaurant and bar patrons.
Free Flow Wines have kegged over
250 premium wine brands and
distributed them to more than
4,500 restaurants, hotels, sports,
and entertainment venues across
the nation.
On the East Coast, The Gotham
Project has also moved into bars,
restaurants, and hotels with their
premium wines. At the core of
Gotham Project is the ethos,
“sustainable farming practices are
really important for us. The wines
have to be delicious and authentic
and really good—they need to
be very good representations and
expressions of the grape varieties,
and the places they come from.”
Hand-selecting quality wines is only
the first step. These two companies
do not have vineyards. They source
from ones they trust and then bulk
transport the wine in large bladders
to ports and then their filling
facilities. According to Schneider,
“The wine is well-protected from
air [in the bladders] so the wine
stays really fresh in transport. Then
we have tanks at our winery in New
Jersey where we store the wine,
and then we keg on a regular basis.
It stays totally fresh. And, it is a
really responsible way to move the
product.”
From the wine service side, Tracey
QUALITY?
WHAT ABOUT
Fall/Winter 2021 ALCOHOLPROFESSOR.COM 17

emphasized, “minimizing waste has
been a huge concern. Kegs solve
that problem. [For example] you
have a bottle open behind the bar for
a day or two too long, and hopefully
servers are quality controlling
every glass that goes out to guests.
But, there's always those moments
where things tend to fall through
the cracks and it's a busy service.
The bartender is just pouring and
not actually making sure the bottle
is fresh. I had very few returns on
glasses of wine that come from
keg. They're always at a consistent
temperature, and
ready to go. I say
that ‘set it, and
forget it’ aspect
of streamlining
wine by the glass
to me was a huge
reason to give it a
try.”
There is a school
of thought that
putting in the
facilities to serve
keg wine make
it prohibitive
for small,
i n d e p e n d e n t
restaurants, bars,
and hotels. But this is a fallacy.
AccordingtoSchneiderkeggedwine
typically is 10-15% less expensive
than wine by the bottle, but “there's
definitely an upfront cost. Based on
the savings in bottle cost, and labor
savings, on average we estimate it
takes the restaurant six months to
pay back their investment in the
system. After six months it's cost
neutral for them. From that point,
they're actually saving money.”
And now the two flagship keggers
of wine have teamed up to make
distribution even easier. In 2017,
they launched a filling station.
According to Schneider, “We have
a joint venture in a New Jersey
production facility. We pooled
our keg fleets, so we have a shared
fleet that's just dedicated to wine.
And together we're able to get the
kegs back to one of the two filling
stations, either our filling station in
New Jersey or their filling facility
in California. And it just makes it
that much more efficient—kegs can
go to whichever facility is closer.”
This cooperation leaves a smaller
carbon footprint, saves fuel, and
allows for wider distribution of
delicious, sustainably sourced, and
environmentally-friendly packaged
wine.
ADVANTAGES
SUSTAINABILITY
There are many reasons to embrace
keg wine just based on the benefits
for the planet, but in a more
BEYOND
KEGGING
THE
COST OF
practical look at adoption among
restaurants, hotels, and large venues
there are many benefits as well.
Storage space, especially in places
with small kitchen footprints like
NY and California,an important
consideration. Storing a set of kegs
takes a lot less space.
According to Tracey, one of the
most important benefits for retail
is “ease of use. Wines by the glass
in any restaurant setting can be
really labor intensive. You have staff
that's constantly moving cases from
the wine room
out to behind
the bar and
stocking. You
have a really
busy service
and bartenders
are trying to
get bottles
open when
there are 25
tickets up at
the service bar,
the recycle bins
and trash bins
fill so quickly
during a busy
night. It takes
a lot of effort
to manage
that. That was
the first thing
that sold me
on giving it a
shot just. I also think kegs would be
[viable] for cruise ships and theme
parks. Keg wines really streamline
service.”
“It's a great way to do wine by the
glass because the first glass and
the last glass taste the same. Every
glass is fresh and delicious, the way
that winemaker wants it to taste,”
Schneider said.

HOW
ARCHEOLOGISTS
ARE DIGGING INTO
THE ROOTS OF
WINE & MAKING
BEER
BY CARRIE HONAKER

T
he story of winemaking
is as old as humanity
itself. Archeologists have
been uncovering wine’s
relationship to the human
experience for decades,
and we can safely say
it dates back to at least
between 6000-5800 BC.
Dr. Patrick McGovern,
known as the “Indiana
Jones of Ancient Ales,
Wines, and Extreme
Beverages,” has been
studying biomolecular
archaeological and
archaeobotanical evidence
for grape wine and
viniculture for decades.
The findings in Georgia
in the South Caucasus (the
earliest known wine) were
a result of McGovern and
fellow researchers applying
archaeobotanical, climatic,
and chemical testing on
excavated pottery. Dr.
McGovern elaborated
on the process of finding
evidence of ancient wine.
HOW TO FIND
ANCIENT WINE

2 “We generally
[examine] vessels
for [evidence of]
wine—generally you get the
precipitation settling out
materials at the bottom on
the inside. Then you get a soil
sample associated with it to
use as a control sample. And
you’re interested in that base
sherd from the vessel so you
can look under a microscope,
and see if there’s any residue
that’s visible, but it doesn’t
have to be visible. It can be just
absorbed into the pottery.”
3 “We take an
organic solvent,
like methanol, and
we extract out compounds
that are bound up in the
matrix of the pottery. We
usually run infrared analysis,
which is passing infrared
light through the sample.
That’ll tell us if there was any
organic material. In the case
of grape wine, you’re looking
for tartaric acid, which
you can find using liquid
chromatography, or mass
spectrometry.”
4 “We look for other
compounds of
interest, especially
herbs and tree resins with
gas, chromatography, mass
spectrometry. We have
a sequence of analysis
depending on what we find,
what we observe, and what we
think is possible.”
“You want to start
with archeological sites
that have very well-
preserved remains. We
don’t want to waste time and
energy on doing samples that
are disturbed or contaminated
in various ways.”
1

M c G o v e r n ’ s
groundbreaking success in
Molecular Archeology led
to a unique collaboration
with Dogfish Head
Craft Brewery. Some
of McGovern’s most
important findings have
translated into a line of
Ancient Brews crafted
alongside Sam Calagione,
founder and CEO of
the brewery. The Midas
Touch, a brew based on the
residues found in vessels
in King Midas’ tomb, is
the most awarded of the
Ancient Ales line.
A little closer to home,
Dr. Crystal Dozier,
an Anthropological
Archeologist at Wichita
State University, is digging
into possible evidence
of Native American
winemaking. In 2020
Dozier and colleagues
published findings from the
first dig in Texas. 54 pieces
of pottery from six sites
dating from 1300-1650 CE
were examined. Absorbed
residues in the pottery
were put through chemical
analysis using ultra-high
precision chromatography.
This process compares
unknown molecules to
known chemical signatures
to narrow down possible
ingredients. Their analysis
showed evidence of
tartaric acid and succinic
acids, but results could not
be replicated inmultiple
trials.
According to Dr. Dozier,
“Caffeine and alcohol are
two of the most popular
substances today and
are incredibly important
components of religious,
social, and political life
in many societies. It
should be no surprise that
indigenous Texans also
innovated, experimented
with, and used these
chemicals.” (Editor’s
note: Anthropologists
estimate that in prehistoric
times indigenous peoples
who are the ancestors of
modern American Indians
existed in Texas.). And
this is just the first piece
of the puzzle of Native
Americans producing their
own fermented beverages
prior to colonization. Dr.
Dozier has two other active
field sites where she hopes
to unearth conclusive
evidence of indigenous
winemaking.
MYTH BUSTING:
NATIVE
AMERICANS AND
ALCOHOL
Dozier is on a mission
to disprove the concept
that Native Americans
were corrupted by alcohol
brought by colonizers. She
wants to show they were
producing, and consuming
fermentedbeveragesbefore
settlers arrived. “The
Jackson Administration
perpetuated that
indigenous people were
naturally inclined to
alcoholism. And the story
[to paraphrase] was, ‘Oh,
they never developed
alcohol themselves. This
is why it's destroying
their communities. That's
why we need the central
government to take over
and manage their lands.’
There's been a long history
of this perspective of
Native Americans being
particularly sensitive to
alcohol, which I'm not sure
is actually supported by
any evidence.”
With direct findings
around the world of early
fermented beverages,
it is hard to believe
Native Americans were
not a part of this story.
Dozier explained it may
McGovern, the Scientific
Director of the
Biomolecular Archaeology
Project for Cuisine,
Fermented Beverages, and
Health at the University of
Pennsylvania Museum in
Philadelphia, and adjunct
Archeology Professor is
a pioneer in the study of
Molecular Archeology.
He has traveled the globe
unearthing some of the
most profound evidence
of ancient fermented
beverages, including the
reconstructing of the
funerary feast at the tomb
of King Midas, as well as
chemically confirming
the earliest fermented
beverage, a mixed drink
of rice, honey, and grape
or hawthorn tree fruit,
found in Neolithic China.
In his book, Uncorking the
Past, McGovern explained,
“...through a number of
techniques,includingliquid
chromatography-mass
spectrometry, carbon and
nitrogen isotope analysis,
and infrared spectrometry,
we identified the chemical
fingerprints of theprincipal
ingredients.” The presence
of tartaric acid indicated
ancient wine.
UNIQUE
COLLABORATION

be attributed to the fact
that most brewers, in all
societies, were women.
“Knowledge is often
gendered and passed
down mother to daughter.
And we know the earliest
European colonizers
were majority men, and
also particularly negative
against indigenous women.
So, I can understand why
those pieces of knowledge
have not been shared with
the Western world.”
As far as the future,
Dozier hopes her research
challenges the stereotype
of indigenous people as
prone to alcoholism. “That
stereotype is incredibly
damaging. I hope this
research helps us realize
these people had similar
relationships to alcohol as
all people on earth, and
that alcoholism is due
to the repercussions of
colonialism, poverty, and
trauma.” Research of this
kind is still in its nascent
stages, and there is much to
learn about the history of
brewing in North America.
As Pliny the Elder said, “In
Vino Veritas”—in wine
there is truth. And, maybe
insight into the human
condition.

Have you noticed that fruity
island flavors have been spilling
over from fizzy and frivolous
drinks into the more staid,
traditional gin category?
Widely available and quite
popular in Europe and Great
Britain, spirits like Hoxton Gin
with its coconut and grapefruit
profile and That Boutique-y
Spit-Roasted Pineapple Gin
represent an emerging tropical
flavor trend, while in the states,
Hali’imaile Distilling Company
makes their Fid Street Gin on
Maui with local pineapples.
HERE ARE SOME OF
OUR FAVORITES
TROPICALGINSARE
BETTER THAN EVER
W E
ASKED
J a r e d
Brown, Master
Distiller at London’s Sipsmith,
about the rise of tropical gins, and
he dove deep into the history of
pineapple’s popularity in Europe:
“Pineapple gin never hit the heights
of enduring popularity reached by
pineapple rum beginning in the early
1800s, but it was selling from Brooklyn
to Savannah, GA, in the late 1840s up
to the
mid-1850s. I have
not seen any references to it in the 1920s
(during Prohibition). However, just after
Repeal pineapple gin saw a resurgence as
part of a flavored gins portfolio from Mr.
Boston. There may have been a few other
brands available as some advertising
from the time only lists “pineapple gin”
without mentioning the brand.
PINEAPPLE
GIN
By L i s a Fu t t e r m a n

The pineapple itself
had major cultural
significance well
before the Victorian
Era. From the moment
Columbus’ sailors first
encountered it and named
it ‘piña’ for its resemblance
to a pinecone, the pineapple
enthralled Europeans and was a
symbol of hospitality. By the mid-
1600s, Brits returning from the tropics
would bring pineapples. Sailors
put them on the gateposts of their
homes to show the voyage had been
successful. Meanwhile, a wealthy
home might feature a pineapple as
a dining table centerpiece during
a week of dinner parties prior to
actually cutting up and serving it, as
it was such a pricey luxury.
In 1723, the first pineapple was
successfully grown in the UK in a
hothouse (obviously, this never led to
widespread production).”
TOP TROPICAL GINS
We tried several of the excellent
tropical gins available in the United
States, which range from Tiki-style to
intriguing botanical infusions. Here’s
our round-up:
BIMINI COCONUT FLAVORED GIN
IPSWICH MA From the highly regarded New England rum distillery,
this gin is made from the same molasses-based spirit as their rum, then
infused with spices and citrus to add the classic tiki flavors and aromas.
Aged for 3 months in stainless steel tanks, this citrus and baking spicy gin
is ready to take your gin cocktails to the tropics, whether you are foraying
into modern tiki drinks or just taking an island vacation in a glass. Split
it with sloe gin in a Singapore sling, or play around with a pineapple
negroni.
PRIVATEER SEASONAL
RELEASE TIKI INSPIRED GIN
TAMAR DISTILLERY - REDWOOD VALLEY CA Distiller Crispin
Cain uses a pot still and an antique cognac still, plus sources ginger from
an organic grower on Kauai to make this incredibly gingery gin. The
combined process of adding a ginger infusion to his London Dry Gin and
then re-distilling preserves the heat one finds in fresh ginger but is elusive
to capture, and the result tastes fresh and exciting in cocktails—you may
never go back to vodka in your Moscow Mules.
RUSSELL HENRY HAWAIIAN WHITE
GINGER GIN
PORTER’S TROPICAL OLD TOM GIN
LANGSTANE LIQUOR COMPANY - ABERDEEN, UK This
far from frivolous Scottish gin begins 100% British wheat and
classic juniper, then makes a left turn. The spirit is cold distilled in
a glass still at about 55°C, layered with distillates of passion fruit,
guava and white tea, then lightly sweetened with cane sugar.
The result: an elegant spirit without any cloying, cooked, or
artificial fruit flavors. Bartender and Langstane Liquor co-
founder Alex Lawrence says, “Tropical flavors are enormous
in the drinks industry, but they’re often very saccharine,
quite juvenile in their profile. Gin being a refined kind of
spirit, I thought it would be a great vehicle.” According to
Lawrence, a regular martini “becomes a juicy and unctuous
apertivo” when crafted with Porter’s Tropical Gin. “You
can take quite stuffy cocktails and suddenly they have a
subtle kind of fruitiness.”
ROUND TURN DISTILLING - BIDDEFORD ME Inspired
by Hemingway’s gin-drinking escapism and a Death and
Co. coconut martini, married Mainers Kristina Hansen and
Darren Case use the mixologist’s technique of fat washing to
add a rich coconut flavor to their original gin, enhancing the
delicate fruits and florals without any suntan lotion taste.
Hansen and Case credit their packed column Trident still,
which “keeps the proof high and the vapor temperature
low during hearts collection, which leaves the heavy juniper
notes behind,” for their pleasingly delicate spirit.

IS
BOURBON
SO CRAZY
EXPENSIVE...
&WHEN
WILL
THE
BUBBLE
BURST?
WHY
By Tom Johnson

In fact, there are several of them.
They’re delicious and rare and
have good stories. The movement
of their prices in secondary
markets says a lot about how
bourbon is doing in times of
COVID and what some people
assumed would be an inevitable
bursting of the bourbon bubble.
The Bourbon Bubble
The bubble clearly has
not burst, though
a recent study of
bourbon as an
“ a l t e r n a t i v e
i nv e s t m e n t ”
in Unbridled
Spirit: Illicit
Markets for
B o u r b o n
W h i s k e y
economists
C o n o r
Lennon and
Tom Shohi
indicate the
rate of inflation
for American
whiskey has slowed.
Pappy remains, of
course, the benchmark
against which all other
bourbons are measured.
Every year Buffalo Trace releases
another batch of approximately
7000 cases into a market frothy
with anticipation. Every year the
price goes up and people tut-
tut that it can’t last forever. The
nominal price of Family Reserve
23 Year Old Bourbon is about
$300 a bottle. But even with a
soft economy and COVID, on
the secondary market, the price
continues to rise at a rate that
bottles is an adult variant
on collecting comic books.”
COLONELE.H.TAYLOR
The driver of the scotchification
of Bourbon is not perennials
like Pappy, but in the freaks and
one-and-done outliers that are
increasingly driving secondary
markets. “Rockstar products that
arepushingtheneedle,”ishowA.J.
Heindel, who operates Unicorn
Auctions, describes them.
“Growth is about as
strong as it’s ever
been.” The king of
that particular
hill – for now
– is another
B u f f a l o
T r a c e
product:
C o l o n e l
E . H .
T a y l o r
Warehouse
C Tornado
S u r v i v o r
K e n t u c k y
B o u r b o n
W h i s k e y .
“Tornado” to
its friends, is the
fortuitous product of a
2006 storm that blew the
roof off one of Buffalo Trace’s
rick houses. It looked, at the time,
like a major disaster, potentially
rendering hundreds of barrels
of whiskey worthless by exposing
them to the elements. “My first
concern was safety,” says Harlan
Wheatley, Buffalo Trace’s Master
Distiller. “We had to make sure the
ricks weren’t going to collapse.”
While the engineers worked
recalls Venezuelan hyperinflation.
The secondary market price,
depending on how connected
you are and where you catch it in
the grey market supply chain, is
around $3500 a bottle.
“Thepricesgoupandthey’venever
come down,” says the operator of a
Kentucky-based whiskey business
who both buys and sells large
lots o n
the secondary market. He would
prefer his name not be used, so we
will call him Victor, and he has gone
from doubt to true belief in the
secondary market’s staying power.
“Look at scotch,” Victor explains.
“Look at the course of the scotch
market for the last 30 or 40 years.
You see how the scotch industry
has created a niche where collecting
F
ORGET PAPPY. Pappy
is old news. There’s a
new Most Expensive
Bourbon on the block.

things out, the whiskey roasted
unprotected in the Kentucky
sun. Eventually, Wheatley’s crew
threw a series of tarps over the
building to protect the barrels,
but for the next several months
the wind blew freely through the
roofless warehouse. One observer
says you could smell the whiskey
evaporating from a quarter-mile
off. Six months later, during a
routine quality check, it occurred
to Buffalo Trace’s tasters that the
exposure to the elements hadn’t,
in fact, destroyed the whiskey.
Instead, it seemed to have given
the whiskey a special character.
Sensing opportunity, Buffalo Trace
designated Bourbon from the top
two tiers of the roofless rickhouse
– reportedly just under 100
barrels – to be sold under a special
in other products to pay for the
consumables they actually drink.”
Says Heindel. “They designate a
brand or two for consumption and
then use the rest of their enterprise
to fund that.”
Others engage with almost no
interest in the whiskey as anything
but an “alternative asset.” With the
prime rate hovering around 3.5%,
the current annual 9% return on
bourbon reported in Unbridled
Spirit looks pretty good. And, it’s
worth noting, whiskey is a lot more
fun to invest in than corporate
bonds. “When focusing on
bourbon’s investment potential,”
wrote the authors of “Unbridled
Spirit”, who ignored repeated
requests for interviews, “we see that
bourbon’s real arithmetic return
is higher than a variety of stocks,
designation. It is widely reported
that the barrels were less than 40%
full, the unblocked wind having
accelerated the angel’s share.
BUFFALOTRACE
The distillery declines to say how
much Tornado they bottled, but
somereasonablerumor-mongering
and back-of-the-envelope math
indicates they ended up with
between 1000 and 1200 cases.
Buffalo Trace released Tornado at
about the same price point as its
regular EH Taylor: $69.00. The
climb up the secondary market
started almost immediately. The
reviews were terrific, the story
was interesting, the supplies were
finite. A few years later it’s selling
for close to twice what Pappy
Van Winkle gets, $7000 a bottle.
“We’re flattered,” says Wheatley,
“but it doesn’t change how we do
business.”
In fact, it did. The surprisingly
pleasant result of what was
generally assumed to be a
destructive aging process was one
of the reasons why Buffalo Trace
started its Warehouse X project,
testing all kinds of unorthodox
theories to see if they turn out
distinctive whiskeys.
LIMITEDRELEASES
It’s hard not to notice that the
very top of the secondary market
is increasingly ruled not by trophy
brands like Pappy, but by very
limited releases that, like Tornado,
won’t have a next year. And that
the rising cost of those top-of-
the-charts bottles is attracting
people who buy and sell whiskey
intending to trade, rather than
drink. “Typically, the most frequent
approach of a major investor is
they will leverage their investment

bonds, and other commodities
over our sample period.”
THESECONDARYMARKETS
The limited editions, while
perhaps not built deliberately for
the return-oriented secondary
market, certainly fuel it. The top
of that for-profit (as opposed to
for-consumption) secondary is
dominated by two distilleries adept
at marketing ultra-limited editions,
Buffalo Trace and Michter’s.
Buffalo Trace has Tornado, Old
Fashioned Copper, and Taylor
Cured Oak, a throwback to the
days before barrel staves were
kiln-dried, all selling at Pappy-or-
above prices. Michter’s has bottled
a variety of “expressions”, as they
call them, reaching far back into
what is arguably Bourbon’s Golden
Age, for sale in – you guessed
it – very limited and collectible
editions.
“Everyone is gaming the system,”
says Victor. “Sellers have more
avenues to sell than ever before.
There are more buyers than ever
before. And now the distilleries
are in on the joke. They explicitly
produce highly collectible one-
off editions as a marketing tool,
coming up with some weird, select-
stock editions.” Of course, no
matter how skilled the marketers,
bad whiskey doesn’t command
thousand-dollar prices. Check
the reviews of the one-offs by
Buffalo Trace, Michter’s, and
the others at the top of the price
ladder; there’s no question they’re
releasing damned fine whiskey. But
it is whiskey that not that many
years ago would have disappeared
quietly into brands that, like
Pappy, release new stocks every
year. Wheatly puts it like this: “We
make a specific recipe today that
can end up in several different
products,” he explains, going into
no detail. “We are very fortunate
to have some outstanding whiskeys
to choose from.”
Tornado may be the archetype,
but the secondary markets have
taught distilleries not to drop their
special editions at anything close to
the same retail price as their other
whiskies. “The secondary markets
have been of great use to distillers,”
says Victor. “They bat their eyes at
it, but the fact is its pushing prices
higher.”

ARE
T HING?
NEXT
SMALL BATC
CRAFT GINS
THE
BIG
By Lisa Futterman

n the printing
i n d u s t r y ,
the word
“ h a l f t o n e ”
describes a style
of layering different colors
of dots on top of each other
to create a composite effect.
“That’s like how I make gin,”
says Andrew Said Thomas,
the co-owner and distiller at
Halftone Spirits in Brooklyn,
New York. Instead of ink,
Thomas uses a palette of ever-
changing botanicals to layer new
flavors into his small batches (one
hundred bottles per) of gin.
Thomas describes what he makes
as “modern gins for the modern
drinker.” Gin always features juniper,
which contributes the piney notes
that consumers either love or hate.
Like many producers, Thomas adds
multiple types of spices, herbs, fruits,
and flowers to his one hundred gallon
column still (at differing stages, more
on that later), which starts with a base
of 100% New York grown corn. His
flagship gin shows clean, dry, and spicy,
with delicate notes of pink peppercorn
and lemongrass. His more traditional
London Dry offers a masculine expression
of a trio of citrus peels, spice, and spruce
tip that is robust and true to style. Both are
bottled at a vigorous 94 proof—perfect for
mixing a nice strong cocktail.
Stylesof
The fun really begins with Thomas’s
experimental gins, which he creates seasonally
within 3 categories. The Wavelength series
presents gins based on color. Last Spring’s
Magenta reportedly reminded tasters of a dry
rosé wine, its pink hue giving way to “full on
fruit” flavors of the rose hips, raspberry, and
hibiscus within. Next up: a black gin, earthy with
tea and smoked peppercorns. Just released:
the even brighter pink 2021 version. Other
new and notables include a black gin,
earthy with tea and smoked peppercorns
and a Mojito Lime packed with fresh mint
in limited release for the company’s one
year anniversary on June 12, 2021.
The Overlay series nods to Halftone’s
partnership with Finback Brewery,
combining hops with more traditional
aromatics to great effect. In the opening
version, cascade hops provide their classic
grapefruit-y notes and Thomas’s addition
of wormwood, licorice, and orris root,
among other botanicals, creates a unique
forest-y brew, with a slight haze from the
hop oil.
The third series, called Modular, features
gins named with 3 letter international
airport codes, represented by local flavors
like genmaicha and shiso for last year’s
HND (Haneda Airport in Tokyo), or the
upcoming SVQ, with Seville orange, sea
kelp, and olive leaf.
Thomas infuses these flavors at different
stages in the process depending on the
nature of the ingredient. Alcohol-soluble
ones like citrus peels, juniper, and the unique
hawthorn berry (a member of the rose
family native to New England whose floral
notes figure prominently in the flagship gin)
are added to the distillate for maceration in
the 55% alcohol. More delicate aromatics
like sumac and lemongrass are placed
in a gin basket to allow the vapor to pass
through them, picking up aroma and flavor
along the way. For a new distillery (the
company launched production in Spring
2020 and will celebrate at their Brooklyn
studio’s first Juniper Fest on June 12, 2021),
experimentation can be exciting but costly.
Says Thomas, “we aim to make 10-12 gins
per year, but embossed labels are expensive,
and getting the formulas approved by the
federal government can take up to 4 weeks.”
I
Gin
Three

The lucky guests
at Halftone’s Gowanus
cocktail lounge (which they share with Finback’s
taproom) get to test out Thomas’s latest recipes
(or take them to go), both on their own and in
creatively customized drinks. “Our bartenders
like to challenge drinkers with what they
concoct—and that keeps our patrons engaged,”
says Thomas. Currently, the gins are bottled
in 375 mls—perfect for trying different styles
at home, and distribution in New York State is
slated to launch this month. Halftone Spirits
is considered a farm distillery, a license that
regulates production volume, but allows on-
premise consumption, to-go bottles and cocktails,
and in-state shipping.
Before
You Buy
Other prominent gin
distilleries have seen great
success in making experimental gins in
limited quantity. Chicago’s Letherbee Distillers
sells out of their Vernal and Autumnal gins
(past versions include a complex green chile and
charming strawberry vanilla) within weeks of
each seasonal launch. London’s Sipsmith shares
their experiments via post with the members-only
Sipping Society—just a few winners have made
the cut and gone into larger production, like their
chocolatey Orange and Cacao Gin.
Along with the aforementioned SVQ and Black
gins and the return of Magenta, Halftone Spirits
fans can look forward to several additions to
theW lineup in 2021, including a breakfast gin
flavored with fenugreek and warm spice, and the
next Overlay with Kashmir hops enhanced with
tropical notes of pineapple husk and coconut.
Stop by the cocktail lounge to try a frozen shot of
the already popular Aquavit, a robust “caraway
and dill forward” version of the traditional
Scandinavian spirit, and get a taste of Halftone’s
botanical prowess.
Experimental
More
Gin
Try
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
COLIN
BECKETT

What Makes
a Great
Tonic
Water
and
Why it
Matters
By Jeanette Hurt

tonic water is a tonic
water, except, really, it’s not. Gone
are the days when practically
every tonic water on the market
was made with high fructose corn
syrup and tasted like Sprite with
a dash of quinine. Instead, craft
tonic makers are creating a diverse
and aromatic array of styles and
flavored tonic waters as well as
tonic adjacent mixers.
“We started with the tonic because
this is what the consumer was
really missing on, and then we
(moved into) the ginger ale, and
then we start thinking about the
opportunity to elevate a cocktail,
and that’s where it always starts,”
says Tim Warrilow, co-founder
of Fever-Tree. In fact, according
to a 2020 tonic water trends and
market analysis from Grand View
Research, the global tonic water
market size was valued at $1.72
billion (USD), and it’s expected
to grow at a compound annual
growth rate of 7.2 percent through
2027.
“The first rule I have (for tonic
waters and spirits) is to have fun,”
says Jordan Silbert, founder of Q
Mixers. “There aren’t any hard
and fast rules. Just because one
tonic is intended to do one thing
doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used
for others. You should do what
tastes right.” While just about
every tonic water on the market –
from classic to Indian to elderberry
– goes with gins and vodkas,
tequilas, rums, whiskeys and even
aperitivos and fine coffees can play
well with them. “I’ve seen some
creative coffee roasters make some
wonderful drinks with our Indian
tonic,” says Mary Pellettieri,
founder of Top Note Tonic.
“It’s a phenomenal time to be
a drinker,” Silbert says. “There
are all of these amazing craft
distilleries all making these very
interesting gins, and when you
taste the difference between a
good spirit and a good mixer with
a good spirit and a bad mixer, it’s
night and day. One is delightful.
The other is like, eh.”
Here’s an overview of some tonics
that are anything but eh.
A

Classic
Tonic
Waters
Light
Tonic Waters
Indian Tonic Waters
Whether made by
Fever-Tree, Fentimans,
Q Tonic or Top Note,
classic tonic waters
are made to pair with
classic, juniper-forward
gins and vodkas. “Most
classic tonic waters have
that quinine bitterness, a
lemon-lime top note, with
an actual middle level of
sweetness,” Pelletieri says.
Q, Fentiman’s and Fever-tree each make tonic waters with
reduced calories, but offer the same profile of a regular classic
tonic. Sometimes classified as “diet,” these tonic waters aren’t
the diet soda equivalents, as they usually combine different
sweeteners, but their calorie counts come in to less than half or
a third of regular tonic waters, and they usually pair well with
both gins and vodkas. And most craft tonics have a lot less sugar
and calories than mass-produced tonics. “Our Spectacular tonic
is 40 calories per bottle, and our light one has 20 calories per
bottle,” Silbert says. This sector of tonic waters is “anticipated to
be the fastest growing segment,” according to the Grand View
Research analysis. “We know that low calorie is on trend in the
marketplace,” Warrilow says. “Over one-third of all Fever-Tree
sold is low calorie, but low calorie should never come at the
expense of taste.”
The name Indian tonic
references the time when
quinine was used to
prevent malaria in India.
Some Indian tonics have
a more intense quinine
flavor, that pairs really
well with gins, vodkas and
even fortified wines like
port and sherry. Pellettieri
says her Top Note Indian
tonic is quite different.
“A traditional Indian
tonic is just a super strong
tonic,” she says, adding
that the main bittering
agent remains quinine.
“For us, we use both
gentian root and classic
bitters found in aperitivos,
as well as quinine, and to
me, it has a grapefruit top
note, a hoppy element
like an IPA so I called it
Indian tonic water,” says
Pellettieri, who worked for
Goose Island and Miller/
Coors before starting her
tonic company. “In my
mind, I think more like a
brewer. Top Note Indian
tonic, she says, goes really
well with subtle and
higher end gins that are
more delicate rather than
a London dry style, which
most Indian tonics pair
well with. “Indian Top
Note is going to amplify

Specialty tonics include flavored or
aromatic tonics, and this category
includes everything from cucumber
and lemon to elderberry, and each
craft tonic company has its own
specialty tonics. Fever-Tree has six
different tonics in this category, along
with a couple of light versions, as
well as some tonic adjacent mixers.
“How much time do we have
to discuss this?” says Charles
Gibb, CEO of Fever Tree
North America. “I just really
encouragepeopletoexperiment
and enjoy playing with
them.” For example, Fever-
Tree’s Aromatic tonic goes
really well with gin, but “an
Aromatic tonic with whiskey
is absolutely delicious,” Gibb
says. Also, he notes that
the Fever-Tree Cucumber
tonic and Refreshingly Light
Cucumber tonic do pair with
a herbal gins, but it also pairs
“amazingly well” with Aperol.”
“It creates this amazing, low
calorie, low alcohol spritz drink,
which is fantastic,” Gibb says.
Another really interesting
specialty tonic is Elderflower.
Specialty Tonics
the floral notes and not
overwhelm those gins,”
she says. “This tonic is
really meant for finer
gin drinkers who want a
better experience. But it’s
not a vodka tonic kind of
tonic, as it almost comes
off as sweet. It’s not really
sweet, but the vodka
doesn’t do much for it,
and it kind of dilutes
some of the flavors and
muddies it up.”
She says her Indian tonic
also goes really, really
well in espresso and
coffee drinks. “Something
about the Indian tonic
mixes so much better
than a regular tonic,” she
says. “It has a flavor like
a chocolate covered citrus
peel when it’s paired with
the right coffee. It’s light
and has this honeysuckle
note.”
Silbertsayshissister’slifepartnermade
an elderflower syrup, which he added
to their gin and tonics. “It was like a
garden party on a Saturday night,”
Silbert says, adding that inspired him
to create a Q Elderflower tonic. Q
Elderflower tonic goes really well
with gins that have strong citrus
notes, but it also balances out more
juniper-forward gins. “The first
rule I have is to have fun,” he says.
“There are not any hard and fast
rules, and just because a tonic is
intended to do one thing doesn’t
mean it shouldn’t be done with
another spirit.”
Pellettieri’s third tonic is a
Bitter Lemon tonic. Like her
Indian tonic, it has gentian
root and quinine as the bitter
backbone, but it also has a
lot of lemon juice in it, not
just lemon essence or lemon
flavoring. “There’s a little more
sweetness,” she says. “You can
drink it as an aperitivo soft
drink on its own, but it pairs
really well with a London Dry,
and a lot of bartenders mix it
with a variety of liqueurs and
spirits.”

The 2021
Gift Guide
Cheese
Lovers
By Jim Gladstone

EDITOR’S NOTE: JUST RECENTLY KŌ HANA DISTILLERS ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS LEASED AN ADDITIONAL
220 ACRES OF FARMLAND IN HALE‘IWA ON O‘AHU’S NORTH SHORE, FURTHER EXPANDING ITS HEIRLOOM
HAWAIIAN SUGARCANE FARMING OPERATION. THE HARVESTS FROM THIS NEW FIELD WILL ENABLE THEIR RUM
PRODUCTION TO REACH 75,000 CASES PER YEAR – AN OVER 300 PERCENT INCREASE.
HOW
KŌ
HANA
IS
RAISING
THE
BAR
WITH
SINGLE
CANE
AGRICOLE
RUMS
CENTURIES AGO,
ancient Polynesian way-finders
crisscrossed the Pacific Ocean
in search of islands to colonize
and settle on. Along with
supplies and domestic animals,
they carried seedlings of native
plants onboard their canoes to
propagate in their new homes.
In about the 13th century, the
voyagers hit Hawaii and planted
sugarcane, among the other
“canoe crops” like taro and
yams. Fast forward 800 years or
so, and examples of these now
“heirloom” varieties of cane
could be found only in botanic
garden exhibits, vacant lots, or
“Auntie’s backyards.”
Influenced by Dr. Noa Lincoln,
an ethnobotanical researcher,
and native Hawaiian, Jason
Brand, and Robert Dawson,
founders of Oahu’s Kō Hana
Distillers, set out to find cuttings
of these native cane species.
Lincoln helped the founders
understand the importance of
preserving the original strains
of kō (sugarcane), not just for
their botanical value, but also for
their traditional medicinal and
spiritual uses. What better use of
sugarcane than to make rum?

A couple of Hawaiian distilleries
are making rum in the Hawaiian
Agricole style from fermented,
freshly pressed sugarcane juice.
Most rums are distilled from either
molasses, cane syrup, or both.
A byproduct of sugar refineries
that is produced in various forms
all over the Caribbean, Central
America, and South America, rum
has more recently been distilled in
the United States. In Martinique,
a French colony, cane growers
began to produce rum directly
RUM IN THE HAWAIIAN AGRICOLE STYLE
cane juices in their ferments, Kō
Hana, an Oahu distillery located
20 miles NW of Honolulu, juices
each variety in the field, then
ferments, distills and bottles them
individually to create single cane
expressions. “It felt disingenuous
to lump them all together…
we treat these plants the way a
winemaker will treat grapes,”
says Kyle Reutner, Kō Hana’s
general manager. “Ko Hana”
means “work of the cane,” and
this sugarcane works very hard
indeed.
The payoff is huge—they’ve
created 11 versions so far, with
about 20 more varieties to go.
The juice, which oxidizes almost
instantly, making it essential to
ferment right away, varies in
flavor from cane to cane. Earthy
like the deep purple Pāpa'a.
Savory like the red and purple
Mahai'ula. Tropical, tart, and
floral like the light green Lahi.
Saline with black olive notes like
the purple and green striped
Manulele.
The distillers add a proprietary
champagne-style yeast, and
the 500 gallon batch of juice
is left to ferment for 4-6 days
until the proper low sugar level
(brix) is attained. The ferment
is then transferred to their
modern hybrid still, then is left
to rest in stainless steel for 3
months to mellow. The white
spirit, called Kea, is bottled at
80 proof in distinctive square
bottles labeled with the name of
the cane whose spirit is within.
from fermented sugar cane juice
when sugar prices collapsed in
the mid-1800s and there were no
industrial byproducts to be had.
The resulting unaged Rhum
Agricole tastes grassy, earthy,
funky, and herbaceous—a
complete departure from the
caramel-ly, brown sugar notes
found in traditional white rums.
While Kuleana, a rum producer
from the northernmost tip of the
Big Island, combines multiple
Kō Hana
Cane
Bundles
Kō
Hana
Cane
Field

BY
LISA
FUTTERMAN

The creation of a Vietnamese rhum started in
2016. Rhum Belami’s Owner, Master Distiller,
and Blender Rhoddy Battajon knew he wanted
to make a spirit as soon as he tasted the fresh
sugar cane juice on the streets of Ho Chi Minh
City. “Rhum was not that popular before I came
and introduced Rhum Belami to the country,”
says Battajon. With his roots in the Caribbean
island of Lesser Antilles, Battajon learned
how to make alcohol in France. “My family is
dedicated to the food and beverage industry, so
it was kind of natural for me to forge my own
legacy. When I saw that no rhum was made
locally, I saw my opportunity to follow the same
path as my father,” says Battajon.
Rhum Belami uses fresh local sugarcane,
homemade baker yeast and various Vietnamese
botanicals. One of their most popular is their
Premium Dark Rhum 55 percent alcohol, aged
for five years in an oak cask pre-filled with
Vietnamese roasted coffee beans and cocoa
beans from Marou, Vietnam’s most famous
chocolate maker. Their rhum is also sold in
France, Taiwan, and the Netherlands.
Once the day’s coffee quota is met, Vietnam’s citizens partake in a bia aka beer. During special
occasions,shotsoflocally-madericewinegetpassedaroundwhilespeakersblastkaraoke.Imported
(and often expensive) spirits have long appeared in high-end restaurants and cocktail bars around
the country. But it’s not until recently Vietnam began distilling award-winning alcohol.
GET TO KNOW VIETNAM’S TWO
PREMIUM RHUM DISTILLERIES
1
RHUM
BELAMI

Two years later, Sampan Rhum emerged onto
Vietnam’s burgeoning spirit scene. Founded
by three French immigrants, they set up their
distillery, Distillerie d’Indochine, outside of
the ancient town of Hoi An. “Vietnamese
people are more and more curious about local,
premium, and natural products. We have many
people who come to our distillery to visit. It’s
a very unique place in Vietnam with unique
equipment,” says Co-Owner and Master
Distiller Antoine Poircuitte. The equipment,
like the massive full column copper, still is
imported from Armagnac, France.
Sampan is made with 100 percent natural
ingredients, including locally-sourced pure
yellow sugarcane that adds to the flavor. “We
set up our distillery close to the [sugarcane]
field to get the minimum time between the
cut and the press to guarantee the maximum
freshness of the sugar cane juice we are using,”
says Poircuitte. “We are also located at the same
latitude as the French Caribbean, where the
pure sugar cane rhum is born. It’s like a tribute
to the origin of sugar cane in Southeast Asia
and the origin of rhum.” At their small distillery
(which also houses a tasting room and villa for
rent), they produce four award-winning white
rhums ranging from 43 percent alcohol to 64
percent alcohol and are currently distilling two
single barrel rhums, and a vintage rhum aged
for three years in a retired Cognac barrel.
“Rhum is not well known in Vietnam,” says
Porcuitte. So, Sampan is working closely with
mixologists, highlighting that their product is
natural, locally-made, and award-winning to
promote the spirit in different bars, hotels, and
restaurants around the country. It’s available in
nine countries worldwide, including France, the
UK, and Cambodia. They plan to be available
in 15 countries by the end of the year.
2
SAMPAN
RHUM

Pairing
A Closer
Look
at Vermouth &
Cheese
By Lisa Futterman

Serving wine and
cheese before dinner
is an oh-so-American
tradition that
befuddles the more
European palate.
Cheese can be quite
filling, especially piled
high in all-American
fashion, and wine
can overpower the
pre-dinner palate,
and often bulldoze
the cheese as well.
Luckily there’s
vermouth, the
aromatized wine—
full of flavors of
herbs, bark, roots—
bitter, sweet, citrusy
botanicals that perk
up the flagging
appetite.
Vermouth is an
aperitif (from the
Latin word for
“open”) made bitter
with botanical
infusions, made
sweet and boozy
with the introduction
of brandy or other
neutral spirits to up
the alcohol a notch
over table wine level.
Vermouths vary
widely by style,
from the “dry”
white familiar
from Martinis and
cooking to the less
dry bianco/blanc
style, to the “sweet”
reds that are well
known for mixing
in Manhattans.
They come from
France (Dolin is a
great one, or try the
classic Noilly Prat),
Italy (also known as
Torino-style, named
for Italy’s historic
vermouth hub, like
Carpano, Starlino,
and Contratto),
Spain (La Pivón,
Axa, Yzaguirre—we
also tried some tasty
La Copa vermouths
made from sherry),
or the good old USA
(Lo-fi, Uncouth, Vya,
Oso de Oro). Even
Japan has entered
the burgeoning
vermouth race with
Oka Kura Bermutto
made from sake!
Professional and
home bartenders
are embracing the
vermouth-as-aperitif
trend. “There was
a time during my
career as a bartender
where I thought
vermouth was only
mean for cocktails –
sweet for Manhattans
anddryforMartinis,”
says Fatima Butler,
Bartender and
F o u n d e r / C E O
of Rooted in
Hospitality. “I was so
wrong. Their herbal
flavors make them so
perfect on their own.
They’re great with a
twist of lemon and
also work on ice with
soda.”
Butler also noted the
increasing popularity
of vermouth in the
US. According to a
report from Vine Pair,
interest in vermouth
has continued to rise
in the wine category.
Recently, we
conducted a (very
fun) tasting of a wide
range of vermouths
with an array of
cheese styles. On the
beverage side, we
also included wine-
based aperitifs in our
cheese tasting session.
Why? Because their
citrus-y, earthy,
herbal aromatics
are just so darn fun
with cheese., and
they align with the
vermouth family
so closely. Our
findings did not yield
precise pairings, as
much as informal
recommendations.
S

Vermouth &
Cheese Pairings
We loved Lillet, perhaps the queen of all aperitifs,
made in Bordeaux from the wine of the region, plus
oranges, sugar, and lots of secret ingredients, as a
partner to a rich, creamy fresh chèvre.
La Pivon Rojo Vermouth from Madrid showed
herbal and floral, with a big rose petal aroma, and
worked very nicely with grassy Gruyere. We suspect
Manchego and other aged cheeses would also do
nicely with this beverage.
We matched a soft-ripened sheep from Siena, Italy
with Cap Corse, a Corsican quinquina with balanced
bitterness, minerality, and citrus notes, and the
cheese’s earthy richness did quite well. A bandaged
British style cheddar was also a hit, likely due to its
cave-influenced flavors.
A mild and munchy American aged goat cheese got
very friendly with the gentle bittersweet balance of
Cocchi Americano, the aromatized wine from Asti in
Northern Italy whose aromatic base of Moscato di
Asti is bittered with cinchona bark.
We added a sharp, salty, artichoke-y Spanish raw sheep
cheese to test out its herbal flavors with our lineup.
The classic cola flavors of Carpano Antico Rosso and
the Starlino Rosso both gently complimented this
rather challenging pairing.
A sweet, well-aged, crystalline Dutch gouda played
well with the spiced sherried and candied fruit notes
of a Gonzalez Byass Vermouth La Copa, made from
a blend of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherries and
bittered with wormwood, herbs, and quinine.
Overall, we highly recommend an exploration of
the bitter, fruity, saline, and herbal characters of the
aperitif wine world matched with the creamy, nutty,
grassy, and lactic flavors found in cheese. These non-
traditional partnerships will make a fun evening of
aromatic adventure for your next gathering. Start with
your local vermouth, perhaps or a bottle of aperitif
from your favorite region of Europe, build a cheese
board (plus some charcuterie never hurts) and enjoy.

Why It's
Time to
Stop Ha
ting
on Vodka
By Alisa
Scerra
to
According to the Distilled
Spirits Council, vodka is
the “backbone of the spirits
industry” making up about a
third of all hard alcohol sold in
the United States and globally.
So why do you get the stink
eye when ordering it at certain
bars?

Vodka Ha
ters
The Rise Of Craft Vodka
Some craft cocktail-focused bars don’t even serve vodka, such as gastropub Craft & Commerce in San Diego,
having deemed it “a flavorless spirit” that lacks substance. According to Nicole Torres-Cooke, a leading vodka
blogger VodkaGirlTX, the spirit has been getting a bad rap for a few years. She attributes its popularity in the
90s to the Sex and the City TV series, when the Cosmopolitan gained renewed attention, and then in 2014
when the Moscow Mule had made a resurgence in bars (although the cocktail originated in the early 1940s).
So, why do some bartenders turn their noses up over vodka? Torres-Cooke said that marketing and celebrity-
endorsed products, such as P Diddy representing Ciroc might have turned bartenders off. But she also noted
the shift to small-batch craft spirits over the past decade or so, when the emphasis shifted toward whiskey. “The
reality is that whiskey has a lot more flavor,” says Markus Kypreos, founder of Blackland Distillery in Fort
Worth, TX. A chef, lawyer, and certified sommelier, Kypreos got into the spirits business nearly two years ago
to distill whiskey, but he now makes five spirits, including vodka.
Kypreos said he’s proud of the vodka he makes because it’s clean and made with quality ingredients—in this
case, Texas wheat. After proper distillation with state-of-the-art equipment, Kypreos cleans the water the vodka’s
made with through carbon filters, reverse osmosis, and UV filtration, all of which soften its finish. H. Joseph
Ehrmann, professional spirits judge, and proprietor at Elixir bar in San Francisco and Cocktail Ambassadors
agree with Kypreos that the quality of the raw ingredients and the cleanliness of the water that vodka is made
with play a huge role in aroma, taste, and drinkability.
When it comes to poor quality vodka, that bitter taste and sting going down, and the hangover that follows
comes from cheap ingredients and what Ehrmann refers to as “quick-and-dirty distillation.” Low-end vodkas
are usually made with sugar, mass-produced, and sold in bulk. You’ll find them in huge plastic jugs at the liquor
store, or in a dive bar’s well.
Torres-Cooke said she loves the versatility of vodka because it can be enjoyed neat or mixed into a cocktail
without having an overpowering taste, and yes, she says, “vodka has taste,” adding “I also love the pureness of
the spirit—water and the base ingredient.” And “As the saying goes,” she said, “vodka is just awesome water.”
Ehrmann says when tasting and evaluating vodka in spirits competitions, there’s a level of granularity that takes
a lot of focus because there’s not a lot there, but he also agrees that vodka does have a taste. “You are looking
for very subtle nuances, and those flavor nuances can be either disrupted by bad distillation or enhanced by
good distillation,” said Ehrmann.
Both Kypreos and Ehrmann also believe that since vodka is fairly cheap to make, depending on how you make
it, there’s a lot of it being sold out there in bars and liquor stores, and a lot of it is sub-par, and often undrinkable.
To prove the point, when Kypreos first launched vodka at his distillery, to educate his staff, he brought in bottles
of some of the worst vodka out there as an example of what vodka should NOT taste like, and then he had
them sip the vodka they’d be serving as a comparison—a stark difference in quality, texture, and taste.
Wha
t Fla
vor Is Vodka?
Good Versus Bad Vodka

The price of vodka goes up not only with better distillation but with better ingredients. For
example, vodkas made from corn are cheaper and have less depth than ones made with
heirloom varietal grains. But it’s not to say all corn vodkas are bad. They’re not. When it
comes to flavor and texture a premium vodka made from potatoes tends to have a good
mouthfeel and creaminess to it, while wheat and other high-end grain vodkas are velvety
and have hints of freshly baked bread. Vodka made from corn may be less flavorful since
it’s a cheaper material, but some taste pretty good and contain a slight sweetness. Vodka
made from grapes can also be subtly sweet and have a little more character than ones
made from corn.
Will vodka continue to dominate the market? Will there be a move toward less distillation
in hopes of yielding more flavor? Will there be a focus on higher quality ingredients and
less sugar and artificial ingredients? According to The Spirits Business sales shave been
flat but value sales have risen and vodka is poised for a resurgence. Kypreos said he thinks
there are trends towards less distillation, but when distillers don’t filter their vodkas to try
to get some sort of character or taste, they stray too far, and that’s not vodka. “Just call it
something else,” he said, since “the inherent nature of vodka is cleanliness and purity.”
The only flavor or character of the vodka should come from is the base grain used from
distillation, and the cleanliness of the water it’s made with. So ultimately, if you order a
vodka that’s made with pure, quality ingredients, you are drinking a spirit that’s just as
worthy as any other.
Vodka Cockt
ails
As far as mixing cocktails, vodka’s neutrality lends itself to a wide array of possibilities,
but it can still stand standalone as a good sipper, as long as it’s served cold. Vodka should
always be served ice cold. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In an interview with
Assistant Professor of Distilled Spirits at Oregon State University Paul Hughes, he said
not only does temperature matter, but freezing vodka adds to its viscosity. He and vodka
aficionados recommend serving it on ice or shaken or stirred and strained in a chilled
glass with lemon zest or olives to enhance its flavor, depending on whether you’re going
for that citrus or umami hint.
Vodka’s Future

Square One Organic Vodka:
Ehrmann chose Square One as “an excellent
sipping vodka” although he said he likes to mix
it in cocktails, too. The mission behind this
female-owned boutique organic spirits brand,
founded by Allison Evanow, was to create
innovative organic spirits with an eco-conscious
mindset. The vodka is made with organic
American-grown rye and pure, freshwater from
the watershed of the Teton Mountains. As a
standalone, it has black pepper, lemon oil and
baking spices in the nose, with black pepper,
warm cinnamon, toasted bread, and wet slate
minerality on the palate.
Belvedere’s Single Estate Rye Vodka
Lake Bartezek:
All of our experts recommended Belvedere’s
original brand, which was launched in the early
90s as a premium vodka to sip on. A few years
ago, Belvedere launched two single estate rye
vodkas that are garnering a lot of attention in
the spirits world. Made from rye in Poland’s
Masurian Lake District, the influence of the
soil, climate, and typography and climate shines
through in this vodka, yielding a crisp, light scent
and taste. When it first hits the palate, you get
a vegetal hint that morphs into white pepper,
ginger, and lemon zest. It’s a complex vodka
that’s good as straight sipper. 2020 Gold NY
International Spirits Competition
Ketel One:
Netherlands-based vodka Ketel One has held
a solid reputation for years (in business for over
three centuries) for their reasonably priced,
quality vodka. More recently, the company has
become quite popular for their infusions, which
contain no artificial flavors or sweeteners. (But
don’t call it flavored vodka; it’s “botanical.”)
Made from winter wheat grown in Europe, its
blended with water to create mash before going
through a column distillation process. The result
is a silky mouthfeel and a subtle citrus aroma on
the nose that leads to a smooth sweet taste with
hint of spice on the finish.
Zyr:
Russian vodka Zyr, or “zeer,” means “reflection
of the world.” It’s made from a blend of winter
wheat and rye and made from non-GMO
ingredients. Its texture is smooth and creamy,
and it tastes like black bread out-of-the-oven with
just a hint of sweetness. It’s award-winning and
Boston bartending legend and musician Brother
Cleve’s favorite Russian vodka.
Expert
Recommended
Vodkas

Chopin Vodka:
There’s a misconception out there that most vodka is made
from potatoes, says Ehrmann, but it’s simply not true. Most
vodkas are made from grains and other ingredients. That said,
Chopin Potato Vodka is often lauded as one of the top potato
brands in the industry (Chopin also makes a rye, a wheat, and
family reserve). It’s Ehrmann’s choice, as far as potato vodka
goes. A naturally gluten-free vodka, it’s creamy, earthy, and full-
bodied flavor play off of hints of apple and vanilla. It works
well as a standalone on ice, or in a celery spritzer.
Hanson Organic Vodka:
Hanson artisanal vodka is made in Northern California’s wine
country, so you guessed it, it’s distilled from organic grapes.
Made with fresh, local ingredients, this vodka is refreshing and
light-bodied with subtle, fruity aroma that resembles lychee.
This family-run distillery also makes over a half-a-dozen
infused vodkas, ranging from cucumber to habanero (serious
Bloody Mary material there), but the original is its flagship
flavor and the base for all their vodkas. And, in the spirit of
wine country, each bottle is numbered with a batch and bottle
number so each one is traceable.
Tito’s:
The brand which markets itself as “America’s original craft
vodka” is highly respected among consumers and spirts experts
alike. It’s distilled six times and made in old-fashioned pot
stills, so you end up with a smoothness that stands up to more
expensive brands. Since it’s made from corn and reasonably
no-frills branding (Tito created the simple label himself in
1994), it has an appealing price point but no sacrifice to quality,
since it contains a clean, sweet corn taste. Torres-Cooke said
when she started writing about vodka in 2014, it was a way to
spread the vodka love and help promote Texas brands. She
said she feels that Tito’s paved the road for all Texas brands by
introducing the first vodka distillery in Texas.
Grey Goose:
Grey Goose is a controversial vodka brand, either you love it
or hate it. Even our experts gave us mixed reviews. Hughes
agrees with Torres-Cooke that brand image of the vodka
industry has changed the attitude of vodka over the years, and
he attributes Grey Goose to that shift. The brand was first
created in 1997 by American businessman and philanthropist,
Sidney E. Frank, as a fancy, French vodka all wrapped up in a
sleek, frosted bottle. It’s made from grain and was a favorite by
many in the late 90s, early 2000s. Today, it’s some people’s go-
to vodka, while others swear it has gone downhill since it was
acquired by Bacardi in 2004. But the brand is still marketed
by celebs to uphold its glam appeal. It’s a crystal clear, clean
vodka, and for the price, around $30 for a 750ml, some find
it worth it while others opt for more affordable brands that
compare in taste. Torres-Cooke said she prefers the brand’s
Grey Goose Ducasse because it “feels a bit elegant” and has
a nuttiness to it.
2020
Double
Gold
NY
Interna
tional
Spirits
Competition

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