Review: Ciroc Summer Colada Vodka
Ciroc Summer Colada Vodka is a limited edition vodka available in very limited quantities at liquor stores and top hotspots nationwide. It joins a flavored vodka lineup that includes Amaretto, Apple, Coconut, Mango, Peach, Pineapple, and Red Berry. The vodka base for each of these flavors comes 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 Distillerie de Chevanceaux in the South of France. Coconut, Pineapple, and other natural flavors are infused before bottling at 70 proof in an all white bottle. The Ciroc brand was first launched in 2003, but it wasn’t until Diageo partnered with Sean Combs in 2007 that the brand blew up. Combs is responsible for managing all Ciroc lifestyle branding and marketing initiatives. Read more 
Review: Born and Bred Vodka
Born and Bred Vodka was released in 2016 and is now approaching near national distribution. It originated on a quest by Channing Tatum to find the best vodka in the USA. After taste testing vodka from 25 different American distilleries, he selected the family owned and operated Grand Teton Distillery in Driggs Idaho to help craft his vodka. Born and Bred is made from Idaho potatoes grown within 25 miles of the distillery, and pure glacial waters of the Grand Teton Mountains. The vodka is small batch distilled 20 times. The Jackalope pictured on the bottles label is a mythical animal, part rabbit and part antelope. If you see one of these animals, it may be an indication you drank too much of this vodka. Read more
Review: Deep Eddy Orange Vodka
Deep Eddy Orange Vodka was just released. This is their sixth flavored vodka. The other flavors include Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemon, Peach, Sweet Tea, and Cranberry. They all start with Deep Eddy Straight Vodka as the base. It is made from sweet corn and spring water from deep aquifers in Texas Hill Country. It is column distilled ten times in a 20 foot column still and slowly filtered six times over charcoal. Deep Eddy Orange is made with the freshest blend of oranges grown by farmers across America. Read more
Review: Nue Berry Vodka
Nue Berry Vodka was released in 2014. It is one of five flavored vodkas produced by Dynasty Spirits in Texas from their Original unflavored vodka base. The other flavors include Grapefruit, Peach, Pineapple, and Whipped Cream. Nue Berry Vodka is made from corn and is distilled six times. Natural flavor is added before bottling at 70 proof. By naming this vodka Berry, I’m assuming the flavor will be a mix of berry flavors. Since no product description is offered on their bottle, webpage, or Facebook page I’m very interested in sampling this vodka to find what berry flavors I taste. Read more
Review: Cold River Vodka
Cold River Vodka was introduced in 2005. It is crafted along with a Blueberry vodka, a Barrel Aged vodka, and a gin at Maine Distilleries in Freeport Maine. While many vodkas made from a potato base use potato starch, Cold River Vodka is made from whole Yukon Gold, Russet, and White potatoes grown on the Green Thumb Farm owned by Donnie Thibodeau. He is one of the distilleries four partners that include his brother, a neurosurgeon at Maine Medical Center. The whole potatoes arrive at the distillery washed and in 2000 pound bags. 3-4 of these bags are dumped into a 1475 gallon kettle where they are steamed and cooked in filtered water. The potatoes are then fermented with yeast, before being triple distilled in a 1000 liter copper pot still. Water from Maine’s Cold River aquifer is filtered and blended with the vodka to reduce to 80 proof. Cold River Vodka is then bottled onsite. Read more
Review: Svedka Blue Raspberry Vodka
Svedka Blue Raspberry Vodka was just released. It is one of 14 Svedka flavors currently available. They also produce an 80 and 100 proof unflavored vodka. Svedka is the number one imported vodka in the US, and while flavored vodka sales have fallen recently, Svedka’s flavored vodka sales have continued to grow. Svedka Blue Raspberry vodka starts with a vodka base made from Swedish winter wheat. Four pounds are required to produce one 750 ml bottle. The vodka is distilled 5 times in a continuous distillation process. Ice cold water from Swedish springs is blended to reduce to proof. The vodka is then run through high performance purification columns five separate times to remove impurities. Natural flavors are infused before bottling at 70 proof. Svedka is the fifth vodka brand I am aware of to produce a blue raspberry vodka flavor. The others include UV, Wave, Burnetts, and Ursus. Read more
Review: Stolichnaya Elit Vodka
Stolichnaya Elit Vodka was the worlds first ultra premium vodka when it was released in 2003. Elit is crafted from winter wheat, summer wheat, and rye all grown on the Rapuga Farm in Tambov Russia which is owned by Stoli. The breakdown is about 97% wheat, 3% rye. Elit is distilled three times and blended with pure Balzams Artesian water. The vodka is then freeze filtered at 0 degrees in a silver filter where all the impurities freeze against the filters wall, leaving a very cold and pure 80 proof vodka to be bottled in their distinctive bottle. Read more
Review: Whiskey Acres Farm Crafted Vodka
Whiskey Acres Farm Crafted Vodka was released March 2016. The vodka was previously only sold onsite at their DeKalb Illinois Distillery. They also produce a corn whiskey, bourbon, and rye whiskey. This is a true seed to spirit distillery with all of the grain needed to craft their spirits coming from the 2000 acres they farm. The distillery is run by father and son farmers Jim and Jamie Walter, and their partner Nick Nagle. Imagine if Pablo Picasso had been limited to painting with only a two color palette. The results would have been very different. That is the same logic used in crafting this vodka. With dozens of corn varieties to experiment with, all grown according to their own strict standards, they were able to select the best corn variety to craft their vodka with. They looked for disease resistance, natural in-field dry-down, test weight, starch content, and flavor of the final product, as only some of the criteria in selecting this variety. If you thought I was going to mention the corn variety used to craft this vodka you would be wrong. This is one of the magic pixie dust secrets that makes Whiskey Acres Vodka taste truly unique and special. Most consumers think of corn as corn, and most corn vodka producers are at the mercy of using what ever corn their suppliers deliver. Whiskey Acres Vodka is distilled in a custom made 500 gallon Vendome still. After an initial stripping run on about 10 batches where the spirit is distilled to around 150-160 proof, enough spirit is available to put back in the still for a finishing run. The vodka is very slowly distilled again for 40-60 consecutive hours. The vodka is blended to proof with water from a naturally filtered limestone aquifer that sits below the distillery. After being continuously carbon filtered for 24-48 hours the vodka is hand bottled onsite by the ownership team and volunteers. Read more
Review: Grand Teton Vodka
Grand Teton Vodka was introduced in 2012. It is crafted from Idaho potatoes, grown within 25 miles of the distillery. The vodka is distilled the equivalent of 20 times and then freeze filtered 6 times with charcoal and garnet crystal. Pure Rocky Mountain spring water is blended to reduce to 80 proof. The Grand Teton Distillery is family owned. They also produces a huckleberry, and cherry flavored vodka, a 100 proof vodka and a few whiskeys, and moonshine’s. Read more
Review: Pinnacle Strawberry Vodka
Pinnacle Strawberry Vodka was released October 2016. I source spirits for review from over a dozen states. Distilleries and Wholesalers also send me product for review. At one time retailers would fight to be the first to stock any new flavor Pinnacle created in their lab. It has been several years since Pinnacle created a new flavor. When I heard of the release of Pinnacle Strawberry I searched everywhere to find it. I just found it tonight at a Total Wine and More in Minnesota. Pinnacle currently lists over 40 vodka flavors on their website including Kiwi-Strawberry, and Strawberry Shortcake. Pinnacle Vodka is made from French grown wheat and pure French spring water. It is distilled five times at Distillerie de la Tour in France. The vodka base is then shipped to Frankfort Kentucky where natural and artificial flavors are blended before bottling at 70 proof. Read more