Review: Black Band Vodka
Black Band Vodka is crafted at Black Band Distillery in Peoria Illinois. They also produce a Gin, Bourbon, Rye, Whiskey and Coffee Liqueur. Peoria was once hailed the whiskey capital of the world. Prohibition ended that. Peoria native and principal distiller Chris Ober began studying Peoria’s history of distilling and researching different distillation and fermentation processes in 2006. He acquired a century old building in the historic warehouse district of Peoria in 2017. Construction began in 2018. In 2020 whiskey production began. Black Band Distillery opened their doors the Spring of 2021 and now includes a farm to table restaurant and cocktail bar. Along the way Chris attended courses on distillation at Kothe Distillationstechnik, and Siebel Institute of Technology for Craft Distilling. He also worked a one on one apprenticeship with Master Distiller Robert Birnecker at Kovel Distillery in Chicago. Black Band Vodka is crafted from 100% Warthog wheat on a 5000L Kothe Hybrid Still. Read more 
Review: Dead Drop Artesian Vodka
Dead Drop Artesian Vodka is crafted at Illinois’ oldest standing brewery. The brewery was built in 1857 by German immigrant John S Bielfeldt. The family brewed beer until prohibition when they sold to Head Brewer Carl Ebner Sr. who ran a soda pop bottling plant as a front to a bootleg operation. Soon after the brewery fell under the control of Al Capone who supplied speakeasies far and wide. This brewery not only survived prohibition but also a flood in 1902 and a tornado in 1904. By 2014 the brewery sat in a blighted state of disrepair when Andrew Howell and Jake Weiss purchased the property. After years of restoration and spirit production they opened Thornton Distilling December 5, 2019. Dead Drop is an old Prohibition era bootlegging term. Often times barrels of whiskey would be left at a secret location for pick up when the coast was clear. They recruited Head Distiller Ari Klafter from Privateer Rum to craft their spirits. Thornton Distilling currently produces vodka, gin, pecan whiskey, dark rum, silver rum bourbon, absinthe and Drop Dead Old Fashioned. Other spirits are barrel aging and will be available soon. Dead Drop Artesian Vodka is distilled from 100% corn and proofed using limestone filtered water drawn from the buildings original artesian well. Read more
Review: Jackscrew Vodka
Jackscrew Vodka is crafted at Wolf Point Distilling in Chicago Illinois. Wolf Point takes its name from where the North, South, and Main branches of the Chicago River meet. After four years of planning Pavlos Dafnis and Victoria Polvino opened their distillery in the Industrial Kenzie Corridor November 2021. They currently also produce bourbon, gin, flavored vodka, and moonshine. Each is named for a Chicago Landmark or tale from the city’s past. Jackscrew Vodka is named for one of the boldest architectural and engineering feats of the 19th century. In the 1800’s Chicago’s elevation rested at the shores of Lake Michigan preventing natural drainage. Swamp like conditions developed and triggered a series of plagues that claimed the lives of roughly 6% of the population. In the 1850’s engineers established a city wide sewer and storm system that required the cities infrastructure to be physically lifted 4 to 14 feet higher requiring jackscrews to be synchronized in movement. By 1860 in just 5 days engineers raised more than half a city block using 6000 jackscrews. Jackscrew Vodka is produced from sourced GNS made from a blend of corn and wheat. A small head cut is made and the spirit is run through multiple charcoal filters before bottling. Read more
Review: Kristone Vodka
Kristone Vodka is crafted at Crystal Rain Distillery by Kristian Hristov. The Crystal Rain Distillery opened in Lake Forest Illinois in 2019 but they recently opened their new distillery in Wheeling Illinois. While they currently just produce vodka, their Facebook page shows images of oak barrels, hinting more is on the horizon. Kristone is made from Organic Winter Wheat and water purified by both carbon and reverse osmosis. It is slow distilled 6 times through a copper pot still with 24 plates and is filtered through silver and platinum. Read more
Review: Blaum Bros Vodka
Blaum Bros Vodka is made at Blaum Bros. Distillery in the historic town of Galena Illinois, once the home of our 18th President of the US, Ulysses S Grant. The distillery was founded by brothers Matt & Mike Blaum who found the only way they could get along together was to drink whiskey with each other. So they decided craft spirits together. They currently produce bourbon, rye, gin, absinthe, vodka, and Hellfyre Vodka, a vodka made with Jalapenos, Habaneros, and black pepper. All of the spirits are milled, mashed, fermented and distilled on site. Blaum Bros. Vodka has been on our radar for sometime due to their unique blend of local wheat and rye. While their website still talks up this unique blend they have moved on from that blend, and now make their vodka from locally grown corn. Read more
Review: ROCK’N Vodka
ROCK’N Vodka was created by Andy Roinotis, Isabelle Roinotis, and Denny Trakas. It is made from Non GMO Sugarcane at Rush Creek Distillery in Harvard Illinois. They have since partnered with Rock and Roll HOF member and lead guitar player of Cheap Trick Rick Nielsen. It was created in 2019. Currently there are only 38 sugar cane distilled vodkas in the entire world. We have reviewed 9 of these and while the flavor profiles vary all have been quite tasty. Read more
Review: Kennay Farms Vodka
Kennay Farms Vodka is made from 100% corn grown on the Kennay family farm. It is crafted in a historic former theatre in downtown Rochelle. The Hub Theatre opened as an art deco style theatre in 1931. It took over two years to renovate the theatre. This distillery also makes gin and whiskey. The corn is produced, milled, and distilled by a family member. The Kennay’s are 6th generation farmers. The vodka is produced on a Vendome Copper and Brass Works still with 20 distillation plates. The spirit is carbon filtered prior to bottling. The bottles logo represents the strong women of the Kennay Family. Read more
Review: Down East Vodka
Down East Vodka is made from a unique strain of organic wheat grown on a fifth generation family farm in Paxton Illinois. The three Glazik Brothers, Dallas, Clayton, and Will have partnered with Stumpy Spirits Distillery in Columbia Illinois to craft their spirit. The brothers haul 2.5 tons of their own grown wheat to Stumpy’s and they process the grain into vodka. The process takes 3 weeks and when complete the brothers drive down and bottle the vodka and return with it to Paxton Illinois. The Down East name comes from the wheat fields being located east of their farmstead. Clay Glazik designed the bottle with a Silver Tree Logo, a tribute to their Irish heritage. Read more
Review: Unbroken Vodka
U
nbroken Vodka is crafted at Stumpy’s Spirits in Columbia Illinois. Columbia is located near St. Louis Missouri. The distillery began operation in 2014. Husband and wife team Adam and Laura Stump opened for business July 2015, on ten acres of farm land they rent from Adam’s father and uncle. They run the 200 acre farm that has been in the family for 8 generations, dating back to when the family was deeded the 200 acre farm for $1. Adam and Laura also rent 50 acres of farm land to grow what is used in crafting their spirits. They currently produce a bourbon, several flavored whiskies, and several seasonal vodka varieties. Unbroken Vodka is made from 100% corn, grown on their land just outside the distillery. Pure fresh well water from a limestone aquifer is used to reduce to proof. They plant, harvest, mill, mash, ferment, and distill the corn from grain to glass. Only the heart of the heart makes the final cut. The spirit is then filtered through a custom blend of activated carbon before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Chicago Vodka
Chicago Vodka was first released July 2016. It is handcrafted in the heart of Chicago on Goose Island by the Chicago Vodka Company. They also produce Chicago Fire, a vodka infused with Bhut Jolokia Ghost peppers. They previously also produced Cool, a mint infused vodka. Chicago Vodka is made from wheat and is distilled five times and filtered nine times through a patent-pending filtration system that allows only 30 liters per hour of filtration flow. It takes five full days to filter one batch of 600 bottles. The vodka is then hand bottled and hand corked at 80 proof in a cylindrical shaped bottle that brings memories of Skyy 90. Read more