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: 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: 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: White Claw Vodka
White Claw Vodka was just released. It is made from 100% American corn. It is distilled five times and then filtered three times through charred coconut shells at a pressure of 6000 pounds per square foot. The equivalent power exerted by a 30 foot ocean wave. It is bottled in Bardstown Kentucky. They also released a Pineapple, Mango, and Black Cherry flavored vodka. Why has Mark Anthony Brands launched White Claw Vodka? Well there are several reasons why. First, this is not Mark Anthony’s first spirit brand. They already produce BEARFACE Canadian Whisky, Glendalough Irish Whiskey and Irish Gin, and they own Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers. With over 150 brands of hard seltzer on the market today White Claw has seen their market share reduced to 52% and the total market size is not growing like it used to. Finally market research found 50% of White Claw Hard Seltzer drinkers also drink vodka weekly, and 77% of them mix vodka with hard seltzer. So why not produce a vodka your core audience can enjoy mixed with their favorite ice cold can of White Claw. Read more
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. Read more
Review: White Claw Pineapple Vodka
White Claw Pineapple Vodka was just released along with White Claw Mango, Black Cherry, and White Claw Premium, unflavored vodka. This is not Mark Anthony Groups first spirit launch. They currently produce BEARFACE Whisky, Glendalough Irish Whiskey, and Irish Gin, and several spirits including a 100% rye vodka at Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers. White Claw vodka is made from 100% American corn distilled 5 times then filtered three times with charred coconut shells. The filtration process is pressurized to 6000 pounds per square foot to simulate the power exerted from a thirty foot wave. Natural pineapple flavor is infused by White Claw Spirits Master Blender and Ambassador Andres Faustinelli. Andres is also the Master Blender of BEARFACE Canadian Whisky. Read more
Review: Chief Greenland 260 Vodka
Chief Greenland 260 Vodka is crafted by Tall Ship Distillery and named in Memory of Greenland New Hampshire Police Chief Michael Maloney. He lost his life April 12 2012 in the line of duty, 8 days before his retirement. He was also the brother in law of Tall Ship owner John Pantelakos. Maloney wore badge #260. John opened the distillery August 2014 and named it after the Tall Ships that once brought liquor to the New Hampshire area. Master Distillery crafts five varieties of rum and Chief Greenland Vodka in a 250 gallon all copper still, hand built by owner John Pantelakos. CG 260 vodka is made from molasses and it is distilled four times. Read more
Review: Jackscrew Vodka
Jackscrew Vodka is crafted at Wolf Point Distilling in Chicago Illinois. Wolf Point takes its name from where the North, South, and Main branches of the Chicago River meet. After four years of planning Pavlos Dafnis and Victoria Polvino opened their distillery in the Industrial Kenzie Corridor November 2021. They currently also produce bourbon, gin, flavored vodka, and moonshine. Each is named for a Chicago Landmark or tale from the city’s past. Jackscrew Vodka is named for one of the boldest architectural and engineering feats of the 19th century. In the 1800’s Chicago’s elevation rested at the shores of Lake Michigan preventing natural drainage. Swamp like conditions developed and triggered a series of plagues that claimed the lives of roughly 6% of the population. In the 1850’s engineers established a city wide sewer and storm system that required the cities infrastructure to be physically lifted 4 to 14 feet higher requiring jackscrews to be synchronized in movement. By 1860 in just 5 days engineers raised more than half a city block using 6000 jackscrews. Jackscrew Vodka is produced from sourced GNS made from a blend of corn and wheat. A small head cut is made and the spirit is run through multiple charcoal filters before bottling. Read more
Review: Cathead Vodka
Cathead Vodka is distilled from corn in a 500 gallon still, and charcoal filtered six times. It is crafted at Cathead Distillery in Jackson Mississippi. The distillery was built and founded by friends and blues fans, Austin Evans, and Richard Patrick in 2010 in a 4000 square foot warehouse. In 2015 they moved to a 20,000 square foot facility in downtown Jackson. Cathead Vodka was their first product. They now produce 10 spirits including Cathead Honeysuckle and Cathead Bitter Orange Vodka, 3 gins, and 4 bourbons. At one time they also made Cathead Pecan Vodka. Cathead recently released a line of canned vodka cocktails in 8 different varieties. Cathead donates a portion of sales to non-profits that contribute to the regions arts and crafts. Read more