Review: Civic Vodka
Civic Vodka is crafted from 100% North American grown Eastern Sweet Corn. Once distilled the spirit is charcoal polished 2300 times through a meter of activated charcoal. Civic is on of four spirits produced and bottled at Republic Restoratives Distillery in the Ivy City neighborhood of Washington DC. The others include Borough Bourbon, Chapmans Apple Brandy, and Purpose Rye. The distillery is women owned and crowd funded. Founders Pia Carusone and Rachel Gardner worked in politics and policy before building the distillery. Read more 
Review: Shady Vodka Recount 2020
Shady Vodka Recount 2020 is a limited edition spirit designed to pay tribute to Florida’s history of close elections. It is made from 100% corn and is small batch distilled six times prior to a seventh distillation in a 1000 liter, 264 gallon Dragon double copper pot still with a pot head, 4 plate column and 11 plate side column. A 10 time proprietary filtration process follows prior to bottling. Recount 2020 was released 2 weeks after the launch of Shady Vodka and the opening of Shady Distillery. Each vodka is prepared the same, Recount 2020 is bottled at 81 proof instead of 80. The Shady Distillery is located in the Historic Sistrunk District of Fort Lauderdale, and the 20,000 square foot distillery is located in the Sistrunk Marketplace. Both are named in honor of pioneering black Physician Dr. James Franklin Sistrunk the founder of Provident Hospital, Broward Counties first black hospital. Master Distiller Jonny VerPlanck has also crafted 12 Mile White Rum. The 12 Mile name pays tribute to the edge of International waters during prohibition where rum runners met to transfer booze made in the Bahamas for delivery to Florida’s Southern coast. 12 Mile Dark rum is currently barrel aging and several more 12 Mile branded rums will follow. Read more
Review: E11EVEN Vodka
E11EVEN Vodka was launched in October by CEO Nikki Simkins. The E11EVEN brand is a lifestyle. Created as a 24/7 Ultra Club in Downtown Miami in 2014, E11EVEN Miami is the worlds highest grossing nightclub per square foot. Hundreds of taste tests were completed before selecting a vodka deserving the E11EVEN name. E11EVEN Vodka is crafted in Miami from 100% Florida grown NON-GMO corn. It is 6 times distilled in copper stills. A proprietary 7 step filtration follows, before hand bottled. Since launch E11EVEN has out sold the second most popular vodka at E11EVEN Miami by a 4 to 1 margin. Read more
Review: Big Machine Vodka
Big Machine Vodka is crafted at Tenn South Distillery in Lynnville Tennesse and Big Machine Distillery in Nashville Tennessee. Music Mogul Scott Borchetta acquired Tenn South Distillery in 2015. He later built Big Machine Distillery in Nashville. Scott got his start in the music industry in 1985 with MTM Record. He later worked for MCA Records, DreamWorks Nashville, and Universal Music before starting his own independent record label Big Machine Records in 2005. His first client was Taylor Swift. She was 15 at the time. Scott later signed dozens of superstar artists including Florida Georgia Line, Lady A, Rascal Flats, Sugarland, Tim McGraw, and Thomas Rhett. Upon acquiring Tenn South Distillery, Scotts first order of business was to create a world class vodka. Big Machine Vodka is a true grain to glass spirit as the process starts with Giles County white corn and pure Tennessee limestone water. The corn is ground, mashed, fermented, distilled, filtered, bottled and hand labeled at the distillery. Big Machine is small batch distilled 25 times and filtered 3 times through platinum beads. Read more
Review: Skeptic Vodka
Skeptic Vodka is crafted in Melrose Park Illinois at Skeptic Distillery Company. They also make Skeptic Gin and Skeptic Ginquila. Skeptic Whiskey is currently barrel aging. Karl Loepke the Founder and Head Distiller of Skeptic Distillery was an avid home brewer and craft beer enthusiast with a dream of opening a brewery one day. Years later Karl was introduced to vacuum distillation through his former gig as a part owner of a specialty cleaning solvent company. One day he imagined what a spirit would taste like if it was distilled in such a manner. Skeptic Vodka is distilled from corn at cold temperatures using a cold vacuum still. This unique custom designed still allow them to distill continuously at 50 degrees which preserves delicate flavors. The spirit is carbon filtered four times in a proprietary blend of ultrapure carbon developed from exhaustive research and development. Each label contains the hand written batch and bottle number. Read more
Review: Vavoom Vodka
After years of development and product design Liquor Entrepreneur Luke Battiloro has released Vavoom Vodka to the US market. The signature bottle evokes the figure of a beautiful young woman stretching skyward. It is handcrafted by Bruni Glass in Milan Italy . Priced at $169.99 Vavoom Vodka is the most expensive vodka I’ve had the pleasure of sampling and reviewing. While the price tag may seem a little high, each of us spends more on a per ounce basis for much lower quality vodka each time we order a vodka cocktail at our favorite night club, restaurant, or bar. $169.99 is also a bargain when compared to several top of the line bottles of tequila, whiskey, and wine on the market today. Vavoom is made from 100% corn, distilled five times, and finished 3 times through a coconut activated carbon filtering process. The carbon activated from coconut shells boasts tiny pores which are perfectly sized to trap and filter out the contaminant molecules. While no specific source is given for where Vavoom is crafted, still images provide clues hinting at a distillery in Nova Scotia Canada. Read more
Review: The Art of The Still Vodka
The Art of The Still Vodka is one of three private label brands of vodka sold at Trader Joe’s. The other two are Trader Joes Versatile Spirit Vodka, and Vodka of the Gods. While more expensive per ounce than the other two brands The Art of the Still is hardly a premium priced vodka. It is made from single vintage organic yellow corn. The vodka is distilled 4 times at US Distilled Products in Princeton Minnesota. US Distilled Products is one of the largest blenders and bottlers of alcoholic beverages in the US. They produce hundreds of Private Label and Contract Manufactured brands. A couple of the vodkas produced there include UV, and Prairie Organic Vodka. Read more
Review: Silo Vodka;
Silo Vodka is made from 100% Non GMO Vermont corn grown in North Clarendon Vermont at Grembowicz Farm. The Good Food Foundation has awarded Silo Vodka a 2020 Good Food Award for Spirits. Everything is done from grain to glass including milling, mashing, distilling and bottling in the Barn Distillery that was built in 2013 by Peter Jillson and Anne Marie Delaney in Windsor Vermont. The spirit is distilled on a custom build stainless steel and copper Carl Still built in Germany. Silo’s process aims to be as sustainable as possible. They recycle the water they use throughout the process and ship spent grains to local farmers to use for feed. Read more
Review: Armont Vodka
Armont Vodka is crafted at Young and Yonder Spirits in Sonoma County California with Non GMO corn. It is distilled six times, proofed with four stage filtered water, and filtered seven times. Armont is distilled in a 150 gallon 20-plate. The Husband and Wife team of Joshua and Sarah Opatz formed the company in 2013 in a small warehouse in Cloverdale California. In 2017 they moved the distillery to Downtown Healdsburg California. Joshua is the son of a winemaker and viticulturist. After a decade in Banking and Finance Josh shifted his career interest and started Young & Yonder. Sarah’s background is in PR, Advertising, and Design. She is also a distiller and creates the packaging for all of their spirits. Young and Yonder Spirits also makes H.O.B.S. Gin, Fellows and Foragers Absinte, Stave Robber Bourbon, and Y/Y Distillers Series Lime Vodka. Read more
Review: Five Wives Vodka
Five Wives Vodka is made from 100% corn and Utah mountain spring water sourced from a spring inaccessible by vehicle. The water is hiked out five gallons at a time. The spirit is distilled in stainless steel column stills at Ogden’s Own Distillery in Ogden Utah. Five Wives Vodka was launched in 2011. The distillery also produces Five Wives Sinful, cinnamon, and Five Wives Heavenly, vanilla flavored vodka. Their spirits portfolio also includes a gin, several whiskies, and fruit liqueurs. Read more