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: Skyy Infusions Cold Brew Coffee Vodka
Skyy Infusions Cold Brew Coffee Vodka was just released. While I have reviewed several espresso flavored vodka’s, this is my first experience with a cold brew coffee vodka. The only other brand I know of is Beak and Skiff 1911 Cold Brew Coffee Vodka. This is produced in Lafayette New York, and distribution is limited, so we haven’t been able to get our hands on a bottle to review. For those not familiar with cold brew coffee, it differs from Iced Coffee. Cold Brew is coffee brewed with room temperature or cold water for 12-24 hours. Skyy Cold Brew starts with a vodka base made from Midwestern grown wheat. It is quadruple column distilled and triple filtered through California limestone. Water filtered through reverse osmosis is blended to reduce to proof. Real Arabica coffee beans and natural flavors are infused with the vodka before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Smirnoff Strawberry & Rose Zero Sugar Infusions
Smirnoff Strawberry & Rose Zero Sugar Infusions is one of three flavor variants in Smirnoff’s new Zero Sugar Infusions line of vodka. The other two flavors are Cucumber and Lime, and Watermelon and Mint. Vodka has long been the adult beverage of choice for those counting points and calories. An ice filled glass, a shot of Smirnoff, topped with your favorite flavored seltzer water, was, and is a popular healthier lifestyle option. That option has been challenged with the popularity of Hard Selzer’s. Turn about is fair play as Smirnoff Zero Sugar joins Ketel One Botanical in launching a sugar free flavor infused vodka. Smirnoff Zero Sugar is gluten free and infused with natural flavors and essence of real botanicals. Add a splash of soda and you are still sitting pretty at 72 calories per serving. 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: Effen Yuzu Citrus Vodka
Effen Yuzu Citrus Vodka was just released. It joins a flavor lineup that includes, Green Apple, Raspberry, Black Cherry, Cucumber, Blood Orange, and Rose. Yuzu fruit originated in China, and grows to the size of a tangerine. The Effen vodka base is made from premium wheat grown in Northern Holland. Effen uses a continuous distillation process where the liquid circulates within giant stainless steel columns and is effectively distilled hundreds of times. Heating during distillation occurs at temperatures below 85 degrees creating a vodka without any trace of burnt sugar. Effen is filtered 5 times through active carbon. Pure spring water filtered through reverse osmosis is blended with the vodka for several days to reduce to proof. Natural yuzu and citrus flavors are infused before bottling at 75 proof in a yellow polymer sleeved bottle. 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: Ciroc Summer Watermelon Vodka
Ciroc Summer Watermelon Vodka was just released. Summer Watermelon is a Limited Edition flavor. It joins a flavor lineup that already includes 9 year round flavors. Last years Limited Edition flavor, Summer Colada is still available, while supplies last. To create Summer Watermelon Sean “Diddy” Combs worked with DJ Khaled and Diageo to develop the flavor profile. The vodka base is made from a blend of Ugni Blanc and Mauzac Blanc Grapes. The juice is made into 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 Distillerie de Chevanceaux in the South of France. The vodka is infused with a blend of watermelon and natural flavors before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Stoli Lime Vodka
Stoli Lime Vodka was just released. After shortening their flavored vodka lineup, Stoli is now rebuilding. They recently added Stoli Crushed Strawberry, the fourth member of their Crushed, real fruit juice infused vodka brand they launched in 2016. Stoli Lime joins a lineup that includes Stoli Cucumber, introduced last year. Stoli Lime starts with a vodka base made from estate grown winter wheat from fields in the Tambov region surrounding their distillery. The spirit is triple distilled. The spirit travels to the historic Latvijas Balzarns in Riga Latvia, where pure artesian well water is blended to reduce to proof. The vodka is quadruple filtered through a series that includes quartz, Siberian birch, and tightly woven cloth. Natural lime flavor is infused before bottling at 75 proof. Read more
Review: Arcadia Grapefruit Vodka
Arcadia Grapefruit Vodka is one of eight flavored vodka’s distilled and infused at the OHSO Brewery and Distillery in Scottsdale Arizona. The other seven flavors include Meyer Lemon, Orange, Coffee, Horseradish, Jalapeno, Cucumber, and Rosemary. I have enjoyed OHSO beers for years while vacationing in Arizona. Arcadia Grapefruit starts with a vodka base distilled from sugarcane. Dried grapefruit peel is soaked in vodka. The infused vodka is then redistilled and the distillate is mixed with real grapefruit peel extract and the natural sugars and acids found in real grapefruit: sucrose, glucose, fructose, citric acid, and malic acid. Read more