Review: Dead Drop Artesian Vodka

Dead Drop Artesian Vodka is crafted at Illinois’ oldest standing brewery.  The brewery was built in 1857 by German immigrant John S Bielfeldt.  The family brewed beer until prohibition when they sold to Head Brewer Carl Ebner Sr. who ran a soda pop bottling plant as a front to a bootleg operation.  Soon after the brewery fell under the control of Al Capone who supplied speakeasies far and wide.  This brewery not only survived prohibition but also a flood in 1902 and a tornado in 1904.  By 2014 the brewery sat in a blighted state of disrepair when Andrew Howell and Jake Weiss purchased the property.  After years of restoration and spirit production they opened Thornton Distilling December 5, 2019.  Dead Drop is an old Prohibition era bootlegging term.  Often times barrels of whiskey would be left at a secret location for pick up when the coast was clear.  They recruited Head Distiller Ari Klafter from Privateer Rum to craft their spirits.  Thornton Distilling currently produces vodka, gin, pecan whiskey, dark rum, silver rum bourbon, absinthe and Drop Dead Old Fashioned.  Other spirits are barrel aging and will be available soon.  Dead Drop Artesian Vodka is distilled from 100% corn and proofed using limestone filtered water drawn from the buildings original artesian well.  The aroma leads with celery, floral, citrus, and table salt.   The sweet corn and creamy orange entry has a very soft mouth feel building to a saline, boiled corn, and bright orange and lemon peak.  It fades with whole orange, and creamed corn, and finishes dry and mineral with sea salt, orange peel, crisp celery, and white pepper.  Grey Goose vodka is distilled from wheat and the flavor profile is much different than the corn distilled Dead Drop vodka, but both finish with saline from the limestone filtered water used to reduce to 80 proof.  The difference is Grey Goose taps you on the shoulder Drop Dead slaps you in the face.

Made in Thornton Illinois

40% Alcohol

Score: 89

Award: Silver Medal