Review: Platinum 7X Vodka
Platinum 7X Vodka was introduced in 1996. It is made from high quality American corn at Buffalo Trace Distillery. This is the same distillery that crafts Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Van Winkle, and Blanton’s Bourbon. Wheatley, Rain, and Clix Vodka are also produced here. Platinum 7X Vodka is distilled seven times. The first four distillations are in a column still. The final three are in a traditional pot still. Pure limestone filtered water is blended to reduce to 80 proof. Read more 
Review: Blu Frog Vodka
Blu Frog Vodka was launched in 2016 by co-founders Patrick Rochette and Romy Petit. It is made from a high quality non GMO corn base and pure Canadian spring water sourced from Quebec. It is cold distilled five times and micro filtered 5 times at the Embouteillage Solar Distillery in Terrebonne Quebec. Every bottle of Blu Frog Vodka is verified and submitted to several quality measures before being bottled. Read more
Review: Western Son Vodka
Western Son Vodka was first produced in Carrollton Texas at a distillery built in 2011. Growth has exceeded that distilleries capability and Western Son is now made at their new distillery that once housed a former panty factory in Pilot Point Texas. They also create six flavored vodka’s and three whiskeys. Like their better known Texas neighbors Tito’s, and Deep Eddy, Western Son Vodka is made from yellow corn. It is distilled ten times through a 20 foot column still and quadruple filtered. Water filtered through reverse osmosis is blended with the vodka to reduce to 80 proof. Read more
Review: High Noon Original Vodka
High Noon Original Vodka is one of three vodka’s produced for E&J Gallo by the Holladay Distillery, the makers of 360 Vodka in Weston Missouri. High Noon Ruby Red Grapefruit and High Noon Lemon are the other two varieties. All three are currently only available in Madison Wisconsin, Denver Colorado, and Charleston South Carolina. Production details are limited, but High Noon is made from Midwest grown corn. For the record, E&J Gallo has a very successful history of building new spirit brands including New Amsterdam Vodka, and Gin, Camarena Tequila, Shellback Rum, and Rum Haven Coconut Rum. Read more
Review: Whiskey Acres Farm Crafted Vodka
Whiskey Acres Farm Crafted Vodka was released March 2016. The vodka was previously only sold onsite at their DeKalb Illinois Distillery. They also produce a corn whiskey, bourbon, and rye whiskey. This is a true seed to spirit distillery with all of the grain needed to craft their spirits coming from the 2000 acres they farm. The distillery is run by father and son farmers Jim and Jamie Walter, and their partner Nick Nagle. Imagine if Pablo Picasso had been limited to painting with only a two color palette. The results would have been very different. That is the same logic used in crafting this vodka. With dozens of corn varieties to experiment with, all grown according to their own strict standards, they were able to select the best corn variety to craft their vodka with. They looked for disease resistance, natural in-field dry-down, test weight, starch content, and flavor of the final product, as only some of the criteria in selecting this variety. If you thought I was going to mention the corn variety used to craft this vodka you would be wrong. This is one of the magic pixie dust secrets that makes Whiskey Acres Vodka taste truly unique and special. Most consumers think of corn as corn, and most corn vodka producers are at the mercy of using what ever corn their suppliers deliver. Whiskey Acres Vodka is distilled in a custom made 500 gallon Vendome still. After an initial stripping run on about 10 batches where the spirit is distilled to around 150-160 proof, enough spirit is available to put back in the still for a finishing run. The vodka is very slowly distilled again for 40-60 consecutive hours. The vodka is blended to proof with water from a naturally filtered limestone aquifer that sits below the distillery. After being continuously carbon filtered for 24-48 hours the vodka is hand bottled onsite by the ownership team and volunteers. Read more
Review: Batch 206 Vodka
Batch 206 Vodka is made from 100% corn. This vodka was previously made with a red winter wheat base. The Batch 206 Distillery opened in Seattle March 2012. It is owned and operated by Jeff and Dallen Steichen. They also craft gin, bourbon, whiskey and moonshine. Batch 206 vodka is distilled in a 1000 liter handmade German Kothe Still. The vodka is then filtered for 206 hours in a charcoal polishing regimen using coconut shell charcoal. The vodka is further subjected to a pharmaceutical grade filtration. Pure water that measures Absolute 7 on the pH scale is blended to reduce to 80 proof before hand bottling and labeling. Read more
Review: Boardroom Vodka
Boardroom Vodka was launched with the opening of the Boardroom Distillery in Lawnsdale Pennsylvania. The distillery is in a warehouse that once housed the Tyco Fire Production Products CO. They also current craft a Fresh Cranberry, and Fresh Citrus Vodka, a rum, gin, and a 100% Real Beet distilled 90 proof spirit. The company was founded by three former road warriors, brothers Marat and Vlad Mamedov, and Marat’s wife Zsuzsa. Boardroom Vodka is made from locally grown 100% Non GMO corn. The corn is fermented with yeast in temperature controlled closed top tanks and distilled in a custom built Hagyo Distilling Company still made in Miskole Hungary. The vodka is filtered and blended with water before it is hand bottled at the distillery. After receiving a Double Gold Medal from The Fifty Best, in the domestic vodka category, I thought I would give Boardroom Vodka a try.. Read more
Review: Ceres Vodka
Ceres Vodka is one of two spirits launched with the opening of Chicago Distilling Company January 2014. Chicago Distilling Company is a female owned family operated craft distillery led by the wife and husband team of Noelle and Jay DiPrizio, and Jay’s brother Vic. The inspiration for opening the distillery came in the form of moonshining ancestors in the backwoods of Wisconsin. Chicago Distilling Company is located in the Logan Park neighborhood of Chicago Illinois. Ceres Vodka is named for the Roman Goddess of Grain and it is made from 100% Illinois Yellow corn and double distilled. The distillery currently also crafts Finns Gin, Finns Barrel Aged Gin, Several Single Malt Whiskeys, Blind Tiger Rye, Blind Tiger Bourbon, and Lanfrays Trigger Absinthe. Our initial post of Ceres Vodka mysteriously disappeared but I was able to save our reviewing notes which we have reposted below. Since our initial post they have added 2 lines of canned cocktails including Club 88 Vodka Spritzers and a line of 10% craft cocktails using Ceres Vodka and Finns Gin. Read more
Review: Crater Lake Reserve Vodka
Crater Lake Reserve Vodka is crafted at the Bendistillery in Bend Oregon. While Batch 333 was created as another batch of Crater Lake Vodka, by mistake the vodka was left to filter over 100 times through charcoal and crushed lava rock. The result was a vodka with extraordinary purity and smoothness. This vodka was originally sold as Diamond 100 Vodka. Now named Crater Lake Reserve, it is made from corn and distilled five times. After filtering 100 times through charcoal and crushed lava rock, pure Cascade Mountain water is blended to reduce to 80 proof. The vodka is then briefly rested in oak before bottling. Read more
Review: Black Dot Vodka
Black Dot Vodka is crafted at the Yahara Bay Distillery in Madison Wisconsin. They also make Black Dot Gin, Whiskey, and Rum. Their vodka is now made with just three ingredients Corn, yeast, and water. It was previously distilled with a blend of 90% corn and 10% Montmorenci Cherries. Black Dot is distilled in a 90 gallon copper pot still and then chill filtered. Read more