Review: Steel Dust Vodka
Steel Dust Vodka is named for a horse who was born in Kentucky in 1843, and brought to Texas as a yearling. The 16 hand tall champion quarter miler match horse was so fast his jockey reportedly coated the stallions back with molasses in order to stay aboard the entire ride. Steel Dust is made from locally grown corn and is distilled six times. The first five times in small batches in a copper pot still. The spirit is finished in a custom column still. If a vodka made from locally grown Texas corn distilled six times in a copper pot still sounds familiar, the bottle design including the plastic top closure will remind you even more of another Texas born vodka. Steel Dust Vodka touts a farm to bottle experience but no farm or distillery information is provided. Steel Dust is bottled by Ocean State Distillers, Woonsocket Rhode Island. Read more 
Review: Old Fourth Distillery Vodka
Old Fourth Distillery Vodka is made from minimally refined non GMO turbinado cane sugar sourced from a small Louisiana farm. The distillery was started by Jeff and Craig Moore, two brothers who located the distillery in the fourth ward district of Atlanta. Turbinado cane sugar was selected because the distillery is located in an urban area, and they were looking for something they could convert to alcohol with zero waste. The only by-product is pure distilled water. The distillery was Atlanta’s first legal distillery since 1906, when it opened in 2014, the same year the vodka was released. Old Fourth Distillery Vodka is distilled three times on a Carl still. Carl has been building custom stills since 1869 in Stuttgart Germany. The Old Fourth Distillery also currently produces a gin, straight bourbon whiskey, and Lawn Dart. Lawn Dart is made from their vodka base and is vapor infused with fresh lemon peel, fresh organic cold-pressed ginger juice and a hint of the same cane used to craft their vodka. 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
Review: Dixie Southern Vodka
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ixie Southern Vodka was introduced in 2013, and originally carried the General Beauregard name and image. General Beauregard commanded the defenses of Charleston South Carolina during the Civil War. Dixie is part of the Grain and Barrel spirits brand that includes Endless Summer Rum, and Chicken Cock Whiskey. They also produce several flavored vodka’s including Dixie Mint, Black Pepper, Citrus, and Wildflower. Dixie Southern Vodka is made from 100% non GMO corn, and distilled six times in a column still, and filtered through a patented process called TerrePURE. TerrePURE uses ultrasonic energy and oxygenation to enhance drinkability by reducing impurities in the distillate. Read more
Review: Driftless Glen Vodka
Driftless Glen Vodka is produced at the Driftless Glen distillery build around the hillsides of the Baraboo valley nestled along the Baraboo river in Baraboo Wisconsin. Baraboo Wisconsin is located about 50 miles Northwest of Madison Wisconsin, near the Waterpark Capital of the World, The Wisconsin Dells. The site was selected by husband and wife team Renee and Brian Bemis as much for it’s water supply, as it’s great scenic beauty. About 10-12,000 years ago a glacier moved its way to what is known as the Driftless area where it stopped and melted off, creating a huge underground aquifer unloading massive amounts of sand and sediment that naturally filters the water making the water some of the purest in the country. The distillery opened in 2015. They also produce Bourbon, Rye, Brandy, Moonshine, and Gin. At launch their vodka was branded with the Sleepover Vodka name. Driftless Glen Vodka is made from their own blend of corn and sugarcane based spirit. Both are redistilled in a hybrid pot still made by Artisan Still Design. That pure water is used to reduce to proof. Read more
Review: Two Brothers Vodka
Two Brothers Vodka is crafted by Jim and Jason Ebel, the same two brothers who have been leading the craft beer movement for over 20 years with their Two Brother’s craft beers. If you haven’t tried their beers, I highly recommend them. Two Brothers Vodka is one of several craft spirits produced in Aurora Illinois in a former roundhouse that was constructed in 1856 to serve Aurora on the Chicago Aurora Railroad. Two Brothers Vodka is made from a 100% corn base. The spirit is distilled in a 300 gallon hybrid three column 20 plate still. The vodka runs through the still once, but achieves the same amount of purification as 20 times through a standard one plate still. Two Brothers Vodka is filtered once through a louse filter prior to bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Bedlam Vodka
Bedlam Vodka was released June 2017, but the story starts in the mid 1800’s during the Irish Potato famine. Because of the scarcity of potatoes, and to avoid paying the corn tax, the ancestors of co-founder Scott Russ imported rice and created a poitin recipe. His family later tweaked this recipe during prohibition to produce a moonshine sold in Alabama and Georgia. Scott heard these stories and more importantly, learned the recipe from a relative who helped produce the moonshine as a child. This recipe served as a starting point in crafting Bedlam Vodka. Bedlam is named for the region in Ireland where Scotts family first began making their Poteen. It is distilled from long grain white rice, harvested in Arkansas and Louisiana at Graybeard Distillery in Durham North Carolina. The rice arrives in 2000 pound totes. It takes 1.5 pounds of long grain rice to produce one bottle of Bedlam Vodka. After the rice is cooked down to a mash, it is fermented with a proprietary yeast for 9-11 days. 15 different strains of yeast were tried before selecting this one. A single distillation follows in a unique custom built cube chamber reflux column still made in the Netherlands. The spirit is gently carbon filtered only once. Water filtered through reverse osmoses is blended to reduce to proof and the vodka rests for 15 days before bottling. Bedlam is a true grain to glass vodka. The rice enters the distillery as a grain, and 25 days later leaves the distillery bottled at 80 proof. Read more
Review: New Amsterdam Gluten Free Vodka
New Amsterdam Gluten Free Vodka was just released. The bottles painted trim is brown for those keeping track at home. For those unfamiliar with New Amsterdam, their flavored vodka comes in bottles matching the fruit flavors with corresponding bottle trim colors. NA Gluten Free joins a vodka lineup that includes 9 flavored vodka’s, a 100 proof vodka, and their Original New Amsterdam Vodka. These vodka’s are all made from “the finest grains”. No specific grains are listed. New Amsterdam Gluten Free Vodka is made from “the finest corn” grown in the heartlands. It is distilled five times and meticulously filtered three times before bottling at 80 proof. Only Smirnoff and Tito’s sell more vodka in the US. Last year New Amsterdam sold over 5 million cases of vodka. Not bad considering their first bottle was sold in 2011. Read more
Review: Barr Hill Vodka
Barr Hill Vodka was introduced in 2012. Todd Hardie, Caledonia Spirits Founder spent over 40 years as a beekeeper before deciding to craft spirits from his raw organic Vermont honey. The Caledonia Spirits Distillery is located on the banks of the Lamoille River in Hardwick Vermont. In late summer each year the distillery takes delivery of hundreds of barrels of pure raw honey. It takes 4-5 pounds of raw honey to craft one bottle of vodka. The honey is cold fermented for over 3 weeks and small batch distilled, first in a pot still and then in a custom column still. Their recipe depends on two simple principles, they never heat the honey prior to distillation, and they never distill more than twice. Read more
Review: Blood Sweat and Tears Vodka
Blood Sweat and Tears vodka was recently released. The name represents origin, blood; work ethic, sweat; and the struggle of all triumphs and tribulations, tears. Brand creator Umberto Luchini, is a former Campari America Marketing VP who previously worked on Espolon Tequila. Blood Sweat and Tears Vodka is triple distilled in Eugene Oregon by Ben Green from locally grown Pacific Northwest winter wheat and pure Cascade water. They mash, ferment, distill, freeze filter, and hand bottle everything out of a repurposed old laundromat. The matte black glass bottle features artwork depicting Oregon landmarks including Benson Footbridge and Lost Lake. Benson Footbridge traverses Multnomah Creek between the cascades of Multnomah Falls. Lost Lake is a lake in Sisters Oregon that disappears down a hole every spring. Read more