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: Unbroken Vodka
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nbroken Vodka is crafted at Stumpy’s Spirits in Columbia Illinois. Columbia is located near St. Louis Missouri. The distillery began operation in 2014. Husband and wife team Adam and Laura Stump opened for business July 2015, on ten acres of farm land they rent from Adam’s father and uncle. They run the 200 acre farm that has been in the family for 8 generations, dating back to when the family was deeded the 200 acre farm for $1. Adam and Laura also rent 50 acres of farm land to grow what is used in crafting their spirits. They currently produce a bourbon, several flavored whiskies, and several seasonal vodka varieties. Unbroken Vodka is made from 100% corn, grown on their land just outside the distillery. Pure fresh well water from a limestone aquifer is used to reduce to proof. They plant, harvest, mill, mash, ferment, and distill the corn from grain to glass. Only the heart of the heart makes the final cut. The spirit is then filtered through a custom blend of activated carbon before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Chicago Vodka
Chicago Vodka was first released July 2016. It is handcrafted in the heart of Chicago on Goose Island by the Chicago Vodka Company. They also produce Chicago Fire, a vodka infused with Bhut Jolokia Ghost peppers. They previously also produced Cool, a mint infused vodka. Chicago Vodka is made from wheat and is distilled five times and filtered nine times through a patent-pending filtration system that allows only 30 liters per hour of filtration flow. It takes five full days to filter one batch of 600 bottles. The vodka is then hand bottled and hand corked at 80 proof in a cylindrical shaped bottle that brings memories of Skyy 90. Read more
Review: Two Brothers Vodka
Two Brothers Vodka is crafted by Jim and Jason Ebel, the same two brothers who have been leading the craft beer movement for over 20 years with their Two Brother’s craft beers. If you haven’t tried their beers, I highly recommend them. Two Brothers Vodka is one of several craft spirits produced in Aurora Illinois in a former roundhouse that was constructed in 1856 to serve Aurora on the Chicago Aurora Railroad. Two Brothers Vodka is made from a 100% corn base. The spirit is distilled in a 300 gallon hybrid three column 20 plate still. The vodka runs through the still once, but achieves the same amount of purification as 20 times through a standard one plate still. Two Brothers Vodka is filtered once through a louse filter prior to bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Ceres Vodka
Ceres Vodka is one of two spirits launched with the opening of Chicago Distilling Company January 2014. Chicago Distilling Company is a female owned family operated craft distillery led by the wife and husband team of Noelle and Jay DiPrizio, and Jay’s brother Vic. The inspiration for opening the distillery came in the form of moonshining ancestors in the backwoods of Wisconsin. Chicago Distilling Company is located in the Logan Park neighborhood of Chicago Illinois. Ceres Vodka is named for the Roman Goddess of Grain and it is made from 100% Illinois Yellow corn and double distilled. The distillery currently also crafts Finns Gin, Finns Barrel Aged Gin, Several Single Malt Whiskeys, Blind Tiger Rye, Blind Tiger Bourbon, and Lanfrays Trigger Absinthe. Our initial post of Ceres Vodka mysteriously disappeared but I was able to save our reviewing notes which we have reposted below. Since our initial post they have added 2 lines of canned cocktails including Club 88 Vodka Spritzers and a line of 10% craft cocktails using Ceres Vodka and Finns Gin. Read more