Review: District Made Vodka
District Made Vodka is crafted from 66% Abruzzi rye, 28% corn, and 6% malted rye. College roommates Sandy Wood and Alex Laufer founded One Eight Distilling in 2013 in the Ivy City Neighborhood of Washington DC. Sandy had a successful career as an attorney and Alex worked in Biotech. They later changed the distilleries name to District Made Spirits. In prepping for their own distillery both interned at Smooth Ambler Spirits and worked at Koval Distilling. Sandy also interned with Springbank Distillers while Alex studied distilling at the Siebel Institute under Dave Pickrell, of WhistlePig fame. District Made Vodka is made from 66% Abruzzi Rye, 28% Corn, and 6% Malted Rye. It is crafted in column and pot stills, then charcoal and chill filtered before bottling. The rye is sourced exclusively from Culpepper Virginia. Not far from the farms once owned by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. The aroma leads with rye bread, malted grain, vanilla, banana peel, and black pepper. The sweet vanilla and rye bread entry is joined by lemon pastry. Ripe banana arrives building to a bright lemon, malt cereal, and banana bread peak. It fades with creamy banana yogurt, and citrus, finishing dry, with spicy rye, lemon, banana peel, and black pepper, leaving anise, mineral, and a long peppery sting. If you are looking for an odorless, tasteless smooth finishing vodka look away. District Made is one of the most flavorful, unflavored vodka’s made to date. It does finish a bit peppery.
Made in Washington DC
40% Alcohol
Score: 92
Award: Gold Medal