Review: Till American Wheat Vodka
Till
American Wheat Vodka was released for sale April 2016 in Kansas and Missouri. Since then several states have been added. As each month passes, they expand their footprint, with the goal someday soon of National distribution. Till American Wheat Vodka is produced by MGP, a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits who first opened their doors in 1941 as a small distillery in Atchison Kansas. In 2011 they acquired a second distillery in Lawrenceburg Indiana once owned by Seagram’s. Many of today’s best known spirits start as a grain neutral spirit distilled by MGP. Their Indiana distillery produces whiskey for about 130 brands. Till is made from red wheat grown in Kansas and distilled using a 75 year old proprietary process. Till American Wheat Vodka was MGP’s first attempt at creating their own brand. Since launching Till, MGP has introduced the Master Crafted line of whiskey. Read more 
Review: Two Founders 80 Acres Vodka
Two Founders 80 Acres Vodka was recently released. I found my bottle at Total Wine and More. Two Founders is one of several vodka varieties that are bottled in Princeton Minnesota that I only seem to find at Total Wine and More stores. Two Founders is made from corn grown in Iowa, presumable on an 80 acre farm. The spirit is distilled five times in Iowa before heading to Princeton Minnesota to be bottled at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Straw Boys Irish Vodka
Straw Boys Irish Vodka was launched in 2015. It is crafted at the Connacht Distillery that sits on the banks of the River Moy. The Connacht Whiskey Company is the result of a dream shared by four men, three Americans, and one Irishman, to bring pure pot still Irish whiskey back to the west of Ireland after a 100 year absence. While they wait for their own produced whiskey to mature they have sourced Irish whiskey distilled from a secondary source, and they craft a gin, poitin, and vodka. The Straw Boys name comes from an age old tradition in Ireland where a fun bunch of young men appear suddenly at a wedding to dance with the bride and groom. They depart as swiftly as they arrived. Their name comes from the straw hats used to hide their identity. Their appearance is said to bring good fortune. Straw Boys Irish Vodka is created using select wheat and is batch distilled in copper pot stills and hand bottled at the distillery. Read more
Review: Zodiac Vodka
Zodiac Vodka was relaunched in 2014 with distribution initially limited to Texas. Zodiac has since increased availability with an eye on National distribution. Zodiac Vodka was originally introduced in 1999 so if the name sounds familiar you may have tried it years ago. Zodiac is produced in Rigby Idaho in a true farm to bottle process by Distilled Resources. This is the same distillery that produces Square One, Blue Ice, American Harvest, and 44 North Vodka. Zodiac is made with certified Russet potatoes and pure water sourced from the Snake River aquifer. After fermenting the potatoes, a 91 stage distillation in a four column still follows. The vodka is filtered once through Canadian birch charcoal. Read more
Review: Nemiroff Vodka
Nemiroff Vodka is distilled from soft winter wheat and filtered water from proprietary artesian wells. The spirit then goes through an 11 stage filtration process at their distillery in the Vinnytsia Region of Central Ukraine, known for its 1000 lakes and clear sparkling water. The history of the distillery dates back to 1872 when the Earl Gregory Stroganoff opened a small distillery in Nemyriv, the center of the country now known as Ukraine. It soon became the largest distillery in the region. In 1992 the distillery was reopened. While they continue to use the expertise and traditions of the past they have invented new technologies and products. In 1997 the unique recipe of Nemiroff Original was created. Read more
Review: Beluga Noble Russian Vodka
Beluga Noble Russian Vodka was first produced in 2002 at the Mariinsk Distillery. The Mariinsk Distillery was established in 1900 in the heart of Siberia. Noble is one of five varieties of Beluga Russian Vodka. The others include Transatlantic, Allure, Gold Line, and Celebration. Beluga Noble is made from barley malt and pure water from 300 meter deep artesian wells in the bedrock of Siberia. The water is double filtered through quartz sand and special silver. Once distilled the spirit is filtered through a 10.5 meter coal column filter composed of birch charcoal. The vodka is flavored with fractional amounts of honey, oat, and milk thistle, and then left to rest for 30 days prior to bottling. Read more
Review: VDKA 6100 Vodka
VDKA 6100 Vodka was released April 2004. It is backed by actor Robert De Niro and Australian Casino Mogul James Packer. Yes, this is the same James Packer who was engaged to Mariah Carey. Robert De Niro, also had a hand in designing the packaging. The vodka is crafted by Artisan Spirits Merchants, with whey sourced from grass fed cows milk in the Bay of Plenty Region. VDKA 6100 is fermented using a rare strain of yeast imported from Ireland. The spirit is distilled three times and filtered through carbon rockets. Pure locally sourced natural New Zealand spring water is blended to proof. The VDKA 6100 name pays homage to the distance between New Zealand and the US. 6100 is also the country code of Perth Australia. Crown Metropol Perth, one of co-owner James Packer properties, is located there. Read more
Review: Koskenkorva Vodka
Koskenkorva Vodka is made from Saana and Elmeri, custom barley varieties. These are the northernmost barleys in the world. The barley is all grown within a 120 mile radius of the distillery. A continuous distillation process provides the equivalent of 250 distillations. Pure spring water filtered through the ridges of Salpausselka is blended to reduce to 80 proof. The vodka is so pure it does not require a separate carbon filtration. The Koskenkorva distillery has produced this vodka since 1953 in Koskenkorva Finland, a town with a population of 2100. Each year this town produces the equivalent of 90,476 kilos of barley per villager. Read more
Review: Greenbar Tru Vodka
Greenbar Tru Vodka was recently released, replacing Tru Organic Vodka, in The Greenbar Distillery stable of organic spirits. You may have noticed the new package design of their entire product line including Crusoe Rum, IXA Tequila, and Slow Hand Six Woods Whiskey. With Greenbar Tru Vodka the change was more than just cosmetic, they changed the recipe. The husband and wife team of Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Matthew have never been about playing it safe. Since launching Modern Spirits in Monrovia California in 2004 the two have crafted dozen of spirits including rum, vodka, gin, whiskey, and liqueurs. They even killed their first brand Modern Spirits to get out of a horrible distribution contract. Anyone remember Modern Chocolate-Orange or Grapefruit Honey Vodka? Greenbar Tru Vodka is made from three ingredients American organic wheat, California grown organic pomegranate and pure water. The organic wheat and pomegranate are distilled separately in a continuous distillation column still and gently charcoal filtered. They are then blended together. Pure water filtered through reverse osmosis is added to reduce to 80 proof. Read more
Review: Tru Organic Vodka
Tru Organic Vodka is crafted from organic wheat, distilled with a state of the art column still, and gently charcoal filtered. Pure water filtered through reverse osmosis is blended to reduce to proof. The Greenbar Distillery was one of the countries first legal distilleries since the repeal of Prohibition when they opened in Monrovia California in 2004. The distillery relocated to the LA Art District in 2012, and was the first legal distillery to open in Los Angeles. This version of Tru Vodka is no longer produced, but you may still find a bottle at your local liquor stores. The husband and wife team of Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Matthew recently changed the formula and the packaging of this vodka. I will be posting my review of their new Greenbar Tru Vodka tomorrow. Read more