Review: Smirnoff Peach Lemonade Vodka
Smirnoff Peach Lemonade Vodka was just released. This follows their successful release of Smirnoff Pink Lemonade Vodka last year. It joins a stable of flavored vodkas Smirnoff currently produce, that now number 29. Each flavor starts with a corn distilled vodka base. Natural flavors and certified color are added before bottling Smirnoff Peach Lemonade at 60 proof. While this is the industries first peach lemonade flavored vodka, Mikes Hard Peach Lemonade was launched in 2014. More recently Vizzy and Bud Light released a Peach Lemonade hard seltzer, and Smithworks produces Southern Peach Tea Lemonade Hard Seltzer. Read more 
Review: Timberline Vodka
Timberline Vodka was released April 2021. It is made from a balance of grain, 14 different varieties of non GMO Pacific Northwest apples, and glacier fed spring water from Mt. Hood. Timberline is distilled with 46 levels of purification in a dual column 2000 liter pot still at Clear Creek Distillery in Hood River Oregon. Hood River Distillers acquired Clear Creek in 2014. While they are best known for their craft brandy, Clear Creek also produces McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey. Timberline Vodka is bottled at 80 proof with three different collectable canvas labels reflecting their commitment to the great outdoors. These labels feature a hiker, snow goose, and skier. Timberline is a proud partner of the freshwater trust, a non profit whose mission is to preserve and restore freshwater ecosystems in the western US. Hood River Distillers also makes Big Gin, and imports Batanga Tequila. Read more
Review: Buenavida Hard Seltzer
Buenavida Hard Seltzer was released July 2021 in Southern California. National Distribution began this month. It is produced at Stone Brewing Company in Escondido California. The Stone Gargoyle found on the bottles label, 12 pack box, and bottle cap are clues as to who makes this hard seltzer. Stone opened a second brewery in Richmond Virginia. Stone is the 9th largest craft brewer in the US. It was founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996. They were among the first to pioneer west coast style IPA. Buenavida Hard Seltzer is the result of the company’s internal challenge to make a hard seltzer that actually tastes good. It is made with brewed high quality cane sugar and natural flavors and packaged in bottles not cans. Read more
Review: ROCK’N Vodka
ROCK’N Vodka was created by Andy Roinotis, Isabelle Roinotis, and Denny Trakas. It is made from Non GMO Sugarcane at Rush Creek Distillery in Harvard Illinois. They have since partnered with Rock and Roll HOF member and lead guitar player of Cheap Trick Rick Nielsen. It was created in 2019. Currently there are only 38 sugar cane distilled vodkas in the entire world. We have reviewed 9 of these and while the flavor profiles vary all have been quite tasty. Read more
Review: Starlight 31 Stars Vodka
Starlight Vodka was released June 2014. It has since been rebranded to Starlight 31 Stars Vodka. 31 takes its name from their distilled spirits plant number DSM-IN-31. Stars bring recognition to their home, Starlight Distillery. In 1843 Simon Huber emigrated from Baden-Baden Germany to settle in Southern Indiana. Through the years the family farm has grown to 600 acres. In 1938 a dairy barn was built. In 1978 they redesigned the dairy barn and opened their winery. In 2000 they obtained a license to distill on the farm. Beside vodka they currently produce several whiskeys, gin, rum, brandy, and grappa. 31 Stars is crafted by Co-Owner and Master Distiller Ted Huber from heirloom corn. The corn is grown, milled, mashed, distilled and bottled by the family on their farm. It is small batch distilled 7 times on an 80 gallon custom Christian Carl Copper Pot Still hand crafted in Germany. Read more
Review: Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream
Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream is one of a handful of spirits currently crafted at the Hard Truth Distilling Co. in Nashville Indiana. The other spirits include Hard Truth Vodka, Cinnamon Vodka, Indiana Straight Rye Whiskey, Sweet Mash Rye, Gin, Peanut Butter Whiskey, Maple Bourbon Cream, White Rum, and Toasted Coconut Rum. The white rum base is made from premium Black Pearl select molasses and pure sugar cane. It is fermented using a Caribbean Island strain of yeast and distilled twice at a low proof to retain flavor then proofed down using Brown County Indiana water. Toasted flake coconut, cane sugar natural sea salt, and cream are blended before bottling at 30 proof. Read more
Review: Kennay Farms Vodka
Kennay Farms Vodka is made from 100% corn grown on the Kennay family farm. It is crafted in a historic former theatre in downtown Rochelle. The Hub Theatre opened as an art deco style theatre in 1931. It took over two years to renovate the theatre. This distillery also makes gin and whiskey. The corn is produced, milled, and distilled by a family member. The Kennay’s are 6th generation farmers. The vodka is produced on a Vendome Copper and Brass Works still with 20 distillation plates. The spirit is carbon filtered prior to bottling. The bottles logo represents the strong women of the Kennay Family. Read more
Review: Saison Pale Rum
Saison Pale Rum is one of six rums in the Saison Rum portfolio that are distilled in the Caribbean and shipped to France where the rum is aged in barrels and blended at Distillerie Tessendier and Fil. This distillery is best know for crafting Cognac Park. For four generations the Tessendier men and women have grown grapes and created cognac. Saison Pale Rum is made from distillates from 3 distinct terroirs in the Caribbean Islands of Barbados. Trinidad, and Jamaica. The chosen unaged rums are selected from both the distillation of molasses in pot stills combined with sugarcane distillation in column stills. The rums are shipped to France and blended by Cognac Master Jerome Tessendier. The blend rests in mature French oak barrels on the banks of the Charente River for 3 months. The rum is gradually reduced to 40% with no sugar added. Read more
Review: J Carver Vodka
J Carver Vodka is one of two vodka’s crafted at the J Carver Distillery in Waconia Minnesota. The other vodka, Lake House is made from a blend of rye, corn, and wheat. J Carver Vodka is made from locally sourced winter wheat grown in Glencoe Minnesota and pure limestone filtered water. The spirit is distilled in a custom copper double column still built in Germany. This local farm to glass distillery produces all of their spirits onsite. Their other crafted spirits include whiskey, gin, brandy, aquavit, and liqueurs. J Carver was named for Minnesota explorer Johnathan Carver. Carver is also the county in Minnesota where their spirits are crafted. The distillery was founded in 2012 by Bill Miller. His brother Matt Miller was a distiller for Catskill Distilling Company in New York. Read more
Review: Arette Blanco Tequila
Arette Blanco Tequila is made at Tequila Arette de Jalisco from estate grown agave and water sourced from the Tequila volcano springs. Arette is named for Arete, a horse who won a gold medal for Mexico in the 1948 Olympics in England. Eduardo and Jaime Orendain, the great grand sons of the legendary Don Eduardo, returned to El Llano Distillery, the original building where Don Eduardo first starting crafting tequila in 1900. They rebuilt the distillery in 1978 and Tequila Arette was introduced in 1986. Once harvested and trimmed the agave is slow cooked for 15 hours in autoclave ovens then rested for 15 hours in a stainless steel autoclave. The pinas are shredded and the extracted juice is fermented for 4 days is stainless steel vats with natural house yeast. It is small batch double distilled in stainless steel pot stills with copper coils and carbon filtered. Read more