Review: Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary
Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary is one of three flavors in the new Grey Goose Essence product line. The other varieties include Strawberry & Lemongrass and Watermelon & Basil. Every couple of months a new brand releases their own 0 sugar botanical blend of infused vodka. Next month Belvedere will be releasing their Organic Infusions Vodka which will consist of Pear & Ginger, Lemon & Basil, and Blackberry & Lemongrass. Grey Goose Essences starts with the Grey Goose vodka base made from soft winter wheat and pristine spring water filtered through Champaign limestone in the Cognac region of France. Each Essences variety is infused with real fruit and botanical essences. Read more 
Review: Grey Goose Essences Watermelon & Basil Vodka
Grey Goose Essences Watermelon & Basil is one of three vodka’s in the new Grey Goose Essences product line. Before there was Hard Seltzer, and Peanut Butter Whiskey, and before Fireball Whisky became a monster hit, flavored vodka was the hottest adult beverage. While flavored vodka sales and selection are not what they used to be, 0 sugar botanical vodka is the hottest flavored vodka trend right now. With the exception of Grey Goose La Vanille, Grey Goose has done a great job with their flavored vodka. I also enjoyed Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass so I’m anxious to try Grey Goose Watermelon & Basil. Read more
Review: Kastra Elion Vodka
Kastra Elion Vodka is crafted with olives grown in the Nafpaktos region of Greece. The name comes from the Greek words for castle (kastro) and olives (elion). The olives are hand picked between the end of October and Mid-December and cold pressed within hours of picking, then blended with organic summer wheat. It is distilled once in a hand made copper still. Pure mineral rich water from the crystalline rock in Mount Taygetus, some of the highest peaks in Greece, is blended with the spirit to reduce to proof. A 30 day resting process follows prior to bottling. Read more
Review: Svedka Cherry Limeade Vodka
Svedka Cherry Limeade Vodka was recently released. It is one of twelve flavored vodkas in the current Svedka lineup. Svedka is not the first Cherry Limeade flavored vodka. Burnett’s also makes one. Pinnacle produces a Cherry Lemonade flavored vodka. Svedka Cherry Limeade is made from a vodka base of Swedish winter wheat and ice cold water from Swedish springs. Four pounds of wheat are needed to produce one 750 ml bottle of vodka. The vodka base is distilled five times and filtered five times. Natural flavors are infused before bottling in Bardstown Kentucky at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Absolut Watermelon Vodka
Absolut Watermelon Vodka was just released. It is one of 16 flavor varieties Absolut crafts with a vodka base made from Swedish winter wheat sourced from 450 local farms. One kilo of wheat is needed to create 1 liter of vodka. The wheat is milled onsite and blended with water and a proprietary yeast. A continuous distillation process is used with steel column stills and copper plates. The vodka is filtered once through a mesh filter. Pure deep well water from naturally filtered aquifers is softened through reverse osmosis and blended to reduce to proof. Natural flavors are infused before bottling at 76 proof. Absolut Vodka was first released in 1879 in Ahus Sweden, and launched globally in 1979. Absolut Vodka is currently the fifth best selling vodka brand in the US, and the second best selling vodka world wide. Read more
Review: Smirnoff Pink Lemonade Vodka
Smirnoff Pink Lemonade Vodka was just released. It joins a Smirnoff flavor lineup that now numbers 28. By my count this is the 6th pink lemonade flavored vodka on the market today. The others include Svedka Strawberry Lemonade, New Amsterdam Pink Whitney, UV Pink Lemonade, Burnett’s Pink Lemonade, and Crown Valley Pink Lemonade. Pinnacle and Sweet Carolina also produce a Lemonade flavored vodka. Smirnoff Pink Lemonade is made from Smirnoff’s corn vodka base. Natural flavors are infused and certified colors are blended before bottling at 60 proof. Marketing material suggests that flavor infusion includes strawberry and raspberry flavor. Each 1.5 Oz. serving weighs in with only 89 calories and 4.1 carb. Read more
Review: Noble Wolf Vodka
Noble Wolf Vodka is to my knowledge the first and only vodka distilled from 100% Florida grapefruit. The idea for the brand came to former University of Texas football star Bryce Cottrell while he was flying to Iowa State for a game. He was watching an episode of the HBO show Entourage where Turtle launched a tequila brand. When he returned from Iowa he placed an ad looking for a chemist to create his vodka. For the cost of a Five Guys burger and $80 cash the chemist created the vodka and found a distillery to produce it. While still a student and starting defensive end at the University of Texas he launched the 8 time distilled vodka. They also produce Noble Wolf Pink Lemonade and their Facebook page teases a Noble Wolf Red Berry flavor. Read more
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: Ciroc Summer Citrus Vodka
Ciroc Summer Citrus Vodka was just released. This is a limited release, and Ciroc’s third summer seasonal vodka flavor following Ciroc Summer Colada, and Ciroc Summer Watermelon. It joins Ciroc’s flavored vodka lineup that currently includes Ciroc Peach, Mango, Apple, Pineapple, Red Berry, and Coconut. The vodka base is made from a blend of Ugni Blanc and Mauzac Blanc grapes. The juice is made into a wine. The wine is distilled four times in stainless column stills by Master Distiller Jean-Sebastien Robicquet at his 500 year old family owned Maison Villevert Distillery. A fifth distillation follows in a traditional custom copper pot still at Distillation de Chevanceaux in the South of France. A blend of natural orange and citrus flavors are infused before bottling at 70 proof. 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