Review: LA Vodka
LA Vodka was launched September 2022 in California. Co-Founder and CEO Yasar Chaudhary worked with the most experienced and knowledgeable Master Distillers handcrafting LA Vodka. It is made in California from 100% winter wheat and double distilled on a custom copper pot still made in France. The spirit is minimally carbon filtered before bottling. While a specific distillery is not mentioned I know one in Ukiah California that has been crafting spirits since 1983 with a custom copper pot still made in France. Read more 
Review: Nueveuno Tequila Blanco
Nueveuno Tequila Blanco is traditionally crafted with select organic agave from the Amatitan Valley Jalisco, by Master Distiller Nohemi Partida at Agaveros Unidos De Amatitan. Nueveuno was created as an homage to the family’s head, their late grandfather who instilled his love of growing agave and making tequila the historical way to the entire family. Agaveros Unidos De Amatitan is a small distillery that only produces 5 tequila brands. Azunia is probably the best known. Cabo Wabo was previously produced here. The agave is slow cooked in brick ovens, fermented in open air stainless steel tanks and double distilled in stainless pot stills. Read more
Review: White Claw Vodka + Soda
White Claw Vodka + Soda was just released. White Claw still dominates the hard seltzer market, but the hard seltzer market shrunk 17% in 2022. Vodka seltzer brand leader High Noon doubled their sales in 2022, selling over 16 million cases. Truly got the message, and Truly Vodka Seltzer was introduced October 2022. Now its White Claw’s turn. Mark Anthony Brands launched White Claw Vodka last month and the vodka, made from 100% American Corn, is distilled 5 times and filtered 3 times using pressure equal to a 30 foot wave. This is the vodka base for White Claw Vodka + Soda. Real Fruit Juice, natural flavors and sparkling water are blended with the vodka. Each 12 ounce slim can weighs in with 4.5% alcohol, 100 calories, and 2 carbs. White Claw Vodka + Soda is sold in individual flavor 4 packs and a 4 flavor 8 can variety pack. Read more
Review: Black Band Vodka
Black Band Vodka is crafted at Black Band Distillery in Peoria Illinois. They also produce a Gin, Bourbon, Rye, Whiskey and Coffee Liqueur. Peoria was once hailed the whiskey capital of the world. Prohibition ended that. Peoria native and principal distiller Chris Ober began studying Peoria’s history of distilling and researching different distillation and fermentation processes in 2006. He acquired a century old building in the historic warehouse district of Peoria in 2017. Construction began in 2018. In 2020 whiskey production began. Black Band Distillery opened their doors the Spring of 2021 and now includes a farm to table restaurant and cocktail bar. Along the way Chris attended courses on distillation at Kothe Distillationstechnik, and Siebel Institute of Technology for Craft Distilling. He also worked a one on one apprenticeship with Master Distiller Robert Birnecker at Kovel Distillery in Chicago. Black Band Vodka is crafted from 100% Warthog wheat on a 5000L Kothe Hybrid Still. Read more
Review: Truly Wonderworld Hard Seltzer
Truly Wonderworld was just released. It has been 4 months since Truly has released a new mix pack. In hard seltzer years that’s equal to about one year. A quick glance at the Truly web page shows this is one of nine Truly brand, 4 flavor Mix Packs. The others include Truly Berry, Citrus, Tropical, Lemonade, Iced Tea, Punch, Margarita, and Vodka Seltzer. Each of the four new flavors are a two fruit blend made with filtered water, alcohol from cane sugar, less than 2% real fruit juice from concentrate, and natural flavors. Truly and White Claw continue to dominate the hard seltzer market but sales have slowed and they have both introduced flavored vodka’s. Truly also released Truly Vodka Seltzer. Truly Wonderworld shows Truly has not forgotten that hard seltzer helped carry Boston Beer Company for several years as sales of some of their other brands including Sam Adams slowed. Read more
Review: White Claw Mango Vodka
White Claw, the worlds best selling hard seltzer is now available as a vodka. No not a vodka seltzer, not yet anyway, but a vodka that is available four ways. Unflavored and in three flavor varieties. Mango is said to be the second most popular hard seltzer flavor so it’s no surprise one of White Claws flavored vodka’s is Mango. White Claw Mango Seltzer was introduced to the world in it’s own individual flavor pack when White Claw only had five flavors. The other four were sold together in White Claws first variety pack. Before long White Claw added a second variety pack and Mango was included as one of the four flavors. Mango was also included in White Claw’s third variety pack. Passion Fruit recently replaced Mango in Variety Pack 2. Peach the 13th and newest White Claw flavor is only available in a single flavor six pack. Does this mean a 4th White Claw Variety Pack is on the horizon? Fingers Crossed. White Claw Mango is made from a 100% American Corn vodka base. It is distilled five times and filtered three times through charred coconut shells at a pressure of 6000 pounds per square foot. This is the same power exerted by a 30 foot ocean wave. Natural mango flavor is infused before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Acre Largo Tequila Blanco
Acre Largo Tequila Blanco was launched in 2022 by Portland Oregon natives Seth and Zac Longaker. The brothers attended college in San Diego and fell in love with Mexico. After college they opened Odd Ball Shoes in Portland 1997 selling shoes size 14 and over. The pair both over 6 foot 6 found it hard to find shoes to fit their feet. On a visit to source leather dress shoes in Mexico they came up with the idea to launch their own tequila brand. After several trips to Mexico visiting distilleries, agave farms, and estates they connected with the Lopez sisters and their mother at Destileria Hacienda La Esperanza. This 5th generation family owned distillery just outside Jesus Maria Mexico currently produces tequila for 7 brands including Herencia Mexicana, and U4RIK. Acre Largo in Spanish translates to Long Acre, in case you were wondering how the Longaker brothers came up with their tequila’s name. Acre Largo is made from agave sourced from the distilleries 3000 acre estate and natural spring water. The spirit is open air fermented and double distilled in stainless steel stills. The tequila rests in stainless steel tanks before bottling. Read more
Review: Copper Crow Whey Vodka
Copper Crow Whey Vodka is crafted at Copper Crow Distillers in Bayfield Wisconsin. Copper Crow is the first native American owned distillery in the US. The distillery was established 2016 by Linda and Curt Basina. Both are members of the Red Cliff band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Curt a retired Wisconsin State Trooper is the distiller. He also makes a wheat vodka, gin, and rum. Copper Crow Whey Vodka is made through a partnership between the University of Wisconsin Stout in Menominee and Copper Crow Distillery. It is made from Wisconsin whey, a by-product of the cheese making industry. The whey is sourced from Burnett Dairy in Grantsburg Wisconsin. It is distilled in small batches and then continuously filtered for 24 hours. The spirit is cut with well water from a Lake Superior aquifer. Read more
Review: Bare Bone Vodka
Bare Bone Vodka was founded by Justin McColgan who was a president of a Napa Winery for over ten years. One day he challenged his friends that he could make the best vodka in America. Eighteen months and 82 batches later Bare Bones was launched. Inspired by bourbon, Bare Bone is made from a two grain mash bill of Texas grown corn and wheat. The corn spirit is distilled six times and the wheat spirit three times. The spirits are blended and reduced to proof with locally sourced triple distilled water then triple charcoal filtered before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Los Arango Tequila Blanco
Los Arango Tequila Blanco was originally crafted and gifted by an agave field worker to Pancho Villa after he helped defeat the ruling class in the Mexican Revolution. Pancho was so impressed with the quality of the tequila he asked the Master Distiller to put his family name on the bottle. Pancho Villa was born Jose Doroteo Arango. Infinium Spirits revived the brand in 2018. It is one of three tequilas crafted at Tequilera Corralejo. Corralejo and Quinta Penas are the other two. Los Arango is made from 100% blue weber agave harvested after 8-10 years of growth in Guanajuato Mexico. The trimmed pinas are slow cooked for 38 hours in adobe clay ovens followed by a 12 hour rest. The juice is fermented with a specifically formulated yeast developed in house. The spirit is double distilled in a Charentais still before hand bottling in a hand blown bottle. Read more