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 