Review: Corridor Vodka
Corridor Vodka is crafted from 80% Pennsylvania Rye and 20% Wisconsin Malted Barley at District Distilling Company in Washington DC. The distillery was founded by a group of siblings and spouses and was DC’s first combination distillery and pub. Corridor is distilled by Master Distiller Matthew Strickland in a custom 42 plate hybrid pot still made in Germany. The vodka is then aged 6 months in steel tanks at 42 degrees prior to bottling. Some of the other spirits made here include Buzzard Point Rum, Checkerbark Gin, Wild June Western Gin, Embassy Row Grappa, and 5 Whiskeys. In May 2019 the distillery closed with a press release stating they were searching for another location and would update soon. No further updates have been released. Read more 
Review: Narrow Road Vodka
Narrow Road Vodka was released with the opening of Elevation 5003 Distillery in Fort Collins Colorado February 2016. CEO and Distiller Loren Matthews currently also crafts Timber Ridge Gin, 5003 Straight Rye, 5003 Straight Bourbon, Lunarshine Corn Whiskey, Falernum Liqueur, and Franklin Coffee Liqueur at her distillery. Elevation 5003 is named for the altitude the distillery is built at. Narrow Road Vodka is made from single malt barley and fresh Colorado Mountain spring water. The barley is cooked, fermented, distilled, proofed, filtered, and bottled onsite. Narrow Road is small batch triple distilled and triple filtered. Read more
Review: Akva Vodka
Akva Vodka recently arrived on shelves at Total Wine and More stores throughout the US. Priced at $11.99 for a 750 ML bottle in Brookfield Wisconsin, Akva is a value priced vodka. It is made from organic Swedish wheat grown in local fields and mineral rich water from Vanern, Sweden’s biggest Lake. It is distilled five time in Sweden and bottled in The Netherlands. Svedka is also a value priced vodka distilled five times and made from Swedish wheat. I’m interested in how the two compare. Read more
Review: 229 Vodka
229 Vodka is crafted at Still Pond Distillers by father and son Charles Jr. and Charlie Cowart. In 2012 they opened the distillery as an addition to the operating vineyard and farm winery. 229 is their value priced line of spirits named for the area code of their distillery in Arlington Georgia. Aside from 229 Vodka the line includes 229 Apple Vodka, 229 Peach Vodka, 229 Gin, and 229 Strawberry Gin. Their premium line of spirits includes Muscadine Moonshine, Still Pond Vodka, Still Pond C4 Bourbon, and Still Pond Willow Rose Single Estate Brandy. 229 Vodka is distilled from pond grown Muscadine grapes, locally sourced corn, and water from the Floridian aquifer. It is distilled 6 times, filtered, bottled and hand labeled on site. Read more
Review: Crescendo Organic Vodka
Crescendo Organic Vodka is one of six organic spirits crafted at the veteran owned and operated Crescendo Spirits Company in Eugene Oregon. The other spirits include the 190 Proof grain spirit, Diamond Clear, Crescendo LimonCello, LimeCello, PompelmoCello, and AranCello. Kyle Akin conceptualized the distillery in 2013 and his first bottles of Limoncello arrived on store shelves April 2014. Crescendo vodka was released November 2017. It is five times distilled from organic sugar cane and blended with water straight from Oregon’s snow pack. Read more
Review: Trader Joes Small Batch Vodka
Trader Joes Small Batch Vodka was just released. With 530 store locations in 43 states and The District of Columbia Trader Joes has become a force in private label adult beverages. TJ’s Small Batch, as the name implies is small batch distilled 10 times from corn in Monroe Wisconsin at the old Monroe Brewing Company Brewery. This brewery opened in 1845 and is best known for brewing Huber and Augsburger beer. I believe it is only available on a regional basis like Trader Joes TX vodka is only available in Texas. Trader Joes Small Batch Vodka is charcoal filtered and reduced to proof with water sourced from a natural limestone filtered aquifer about 1300 feet below the distillery. It is bottled at a higher than usual 88 proof. Read more
Review: Kanpeki Vodka
Kanpeki Vodka is crafted in Branchville New Jersey. Brothers Gordon and Mike Geerhart left their construction jobs in 2015 and transformed a 125 year old building once used to store bales of grain into the Milk Street Distillery. At one time a creamery was located across the street and serves as the inspiration for the distilleries name. In the distilleries tasting room you will find a couple of photos from the Creamy strike of 1955. Striking workers are seen dumping milk and farmers are fighting back with baseball bats. The distillery opened January 2017 and Kanpeki Vodka was launched September 2018. It is double distilled from polished grains of pure white rice and is double filtered through a variety of carbons. Kanpeki is a Japanese word that means perfection. Several spirits including War Penny Bourbon, Dam Break Rye, Caraway Rye, Last Vestige Malt Whiskey, Blind Bettie Gin, Black Vulture Vodka and Wooden Leg Rum are also distilled and bottled here. Read more
Review: Ryze Vodka
Ryze Vodka is crafted in Phoenix New York at Locke 1 Distilling Company. The distillery sits across the street from Lock 1 of the Oswego Barge Canal. The same canal preferred by bootleggers as the main artery from Canada to NYC during Prohibition. The bottles graphic image of a Phoenix raising from the ashes pays tribute to the vodka’s name and hometown. The distillery was founded by brothers Stephen and Kevin Dates and their cousin Brenden Backus in 2015. The family also owns Phoenix Welding and Fabricating. They brought their skills, craftmanship, ability, time and finances together to build a farm distillery in a century old building that opened in 2017. The family also owns Phoenix Welding and Fabricating. This background gave them the skill to renovate the century old building into their distillery, and to design and hand build their distilling equipment including a 17 foot high column still. The distillery also crafts Drawbridge Gin, Locktenders Gin, Inferno Cinnamon Whiskey, FA Waldron Bourbon, and their Excuse line of liqueurs. Master Distiller Brenden made 11 different vodkas before selecting the best tasting one. Ryze Vodka is made from locally grown New York winter wheat, and rye. It is small batch distilled 3 times and triple filtered through volcanic rock and active carbon. Read more
Review: Vly Creek Vodka
Vly Creek Vodka was named for one of the many mountain creeks in Arkville New York. Friends and construction workers Brian Mulder and Todd Pascarella built Union Grove Distillery in a former roller rink that was constructed in 1920. Union Grove also crafts FirGin, Catskill Mountain Maple Spirit, and Drie Brook Rye Whiskey. Vly Creek Vodka was the first spirit they produced when they opened the distillery February 2016. They started with apples sourced from Hubbell Family Farms, only 6 miles away from the distillery. The apples were pressed on an antique apple press that has been in service since the 1880’s. The cider ferments over several weeks and is then distilled with a wheat GNS spirit the equivalent of 30 times in a high tech Genio still, custom made in Poland. The spirit is charcoal filtered and proofed with pure Catskill Mountain Water before hand bottling onsite. Read more
Review: Detroit Steam Vodka
Detroit Steam Vodka is distilled and bottled by Rusted Crow Spirits in Dearborn Michigan. The distillery was established in 2013 by Joe Schebel who partnered with his father of the same name. Joe grew up in Dearborn Michigan and he graduated from College For Creative Studies in Detroit. His love of Industrial Steam Punk Style is on display in each bottles design. The Detroit Steam Vodka bottle not only features the old Cadillac Building but also a column still, and the Rusted Crow custom fabricated 1930 Ford Rat Rod Joe built with a 350 Chevy Motor. He used 7000 rivets to puzzle piece copper together with used bourbon barrels on the side. The Rusted Crow spirit lineup also includes Ginger Devil Sinnamon Whiskey, Ginstache Gin, Grey Stache Earl Grey Tea Flavored Gin, Davy Jones Rum, Straight Rust Belt Bourbon, and Murder Mitten Moonshine. Detroit Steam Vodka is made from 100% Michigan grown corn and is distilled 12 times and filtered through activated coconut charcoal. The spirit is blended to proof with artesian alkaline Michigan Spring water. Read more