How Is Vodka Made
As a relatively straightforward spirit, vodka can be distilled from virtually anything. Its mostly produced by fermenting potatoes or cereal grains like wheat or rye. The majority of plain vodkas and almost all Russian vodkas are created with wheat, while Polish vodka favors rye and Finnish vodka goes for barley. When vodka is produced using something other than potato or cereal grain, like Ciroc, which is made using grapes, it must legally be declared on the bottle.
To make vodka, the potato or grain is heated to form a mash before being mixed with yeast to produce ethanol. This fermentation process can take anything from one day to two weeks before the liquid is purified to remove any odors or off-notes. Then, its distilled in column stills or pot stills to reach its desired purity.
The vodka, at 95.6 percent, is then diluted to around 50% with purified or spring water before being distilled again, at which point infusions can be added. The spirit is finished in the pot before common additives like honey or sugar are added. Before the final step, every bottle of vodka goes through a particle filter before its chilled and sold.
The Fruit Flavors Come From Actual Fruit
Grey Goose, like most major commercial vodka producers, has brand extensions beyond their classic formula, namely four fruit varieties: orange, pear, lemon, and black cherry. In this case, the fruit flavors infused into the basic vodka actually come from fruit The lemons come from Menton, in the south the pears hail from the Loire Valley and the black cherries are sourced from the village of Itzassou in French Basque country.
The whole fruits are delivered to a parfumerie in Grasse , where the flavors and aromas are extracted and shipped back to Grey Goose in Cognac as essential oils that are then blended with the classic formula.
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Dedication You Can Taste
It all comes together beautifully. We oversee our entire process, which is 100% traceable from our farmer partnerships, through milling, mashing, fermentation, distillation, blending with spring water and final bottling.
The result is a great-tasting vodka that elevates any cocktail you make or its flavor can be enjoyed on its own. The universally appealing taste of Grey Goose is based on the quality and natural brilliance of our ingredients, process and people. So why not try Grey Goose yourself?
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Who Is Sidney Frank
Sidney Frank is an American businessman who sold luxury liquors to the public. The first alcoholic beverage he sold under his company Sidney Frank Importing Co was Gekkeikan Sake, sold in sushi restaurants in the US. He became more famous when he started importing the German elixir Jagermeister.
He was 77 years old when he decided to pair with French Cellar Master François Thibault. They produced Grey Goose, a luxury vodka drink intended for US clientele. This marketing genius died at the age of 86 in 2006.
Billionaire Sidney Frank Dies
Sidney Frank, the maverick booze baron who started the super-premium liquor revolution with Grey Goose vodka, died yesterday in San Diego. He was 86. The cause was heart failure, according to his publicist, Sarah Zeiler. Frank was ranked No. 164 on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list in October, with a net worth of $1.8 billion.
Throughout his career, Frank was known as a creative and tireless brand builder. After working for Pratt & Whitney during World War II, Frank got his start in the liquor business selling Dewars White Label and Ancient Age for Schenley Distillers. He made himself famous in late 1970s slinging German liqueur Jägermeister to the college set .
When he was 77, Frank created Grey Goose, one of the first super-premium vodkas. Billed as The Worlds Best Tasting Vodka and sold for $30 per bottle, the buzz around Grey Goose created new-found interest in vodka among drinkers of all ages and spawned several competitors, including Kettle One and Level.
Rarely seen without a custom-made Davidoff cigar in his mouth, Frank became a billionaire in 2004 when he sold Grey Goose to Bacardi for $2.3 billionthe highest price ever paid for a single liquor brand. Since the sale, Frank had leveraged his success with an ever-growing empire that included a new line of Italian wines, tequilas, energy drinks and luxury-lifestyle magazines. He was preparing to launch his new whiskey, Michael Collins, in March.
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Kors Vodka 24k George V Limited Edition $24500
Kors combines delicious vodka and history in its bottles. Each bottle is handmade out of crystal and its recipe is an ancient one ordered by Russias Czar Nicholas II. Its thought that the Czar created it as the perfect-tasting vodka using a complex method involving solid gold pipes and infusing it with diamonds. Its limited edition label comes from the fact that only 250 bottles of this vodka were ever released.
Grey Goose Wants To Bust The Mythical Correlation Between Distillation And Quality
Grey Goose undergoes a single distillation process and claims that contrary to popular belief, the amount of times vodka is distilled has no effect on its purity or quality rather, its the source of the ingredients that have more of an effect on the taste. Were happy to report that thats right the amount of times vodka is distilled does not matter, despite what you might see being boasted on a premium vodka label.
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Bacardi In The United States
In 1964, Bacardi opened new US offices in , . Exiled Cuban architect Enrique Gutierrez created a building that was hurricane-proof, using a system of steel cables and pulleys which allow the building to move slightly in the event of a strong shock. The steel cables are anchored into the bedrock and extend through marble-covered shafts up to the top floor, where they are led over large pulleys. Outside, on both sides of the eight-story building, more than 28,000 tiles painted and fired by Brazilian artist , depicting abstract blue flowers, were placed on the walls according to the artist’s exact specifications.
In 1973, the company commissioned the square building in the plaza. Architect Ignacio Carrera-Justiz used cantilevered construction, a style invented by . Wright observed how well trees with taproots withstood hurricane-force winds. The building, raised 47 feet off the ground around a central core, features four massive walls, made of sections of inch-thick hammered glass mural tapestries, designed and manufactured in France. The striking design of the annex, affectionately known as the ‘Jewel Box’ building, came from a painting by German artist Johannes M. Dietz.
In 2006, Bacardi USA leased a 15-story headquarters complex in . Bacardi had employees in seven buildings across at the time.
How To Drink Vodka
There are many ways to enjoy vodka but the main thing to ensure is that its enjoyed ice cold. Before drinking vodka or preparing any vodka-based cocktails, store the bottle in the freezer for a few hours.
As alcohol has a much lower freezing point than vodka, theres no need to worry about it getting too cold. Freezing the vodka will remove any harsh flavors and soften the aroma and taste.
If sipping vodka, pour it into a small tumbler for optimum flavor. Swirl it in the glass and take a small sip as the flavors rest on your palate.
There are plenty of popular vodka-based cocktails to enjoy. Some common favorites are Cosmopolitan, Martini, Bloody Mary, Gimlet, and White Russian. Or, keep it simple in a highball glass with a vodka soda or vodka tonic.
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It Was A Pioneer In The Super
Grey Goose is the brainchild of spirits entrepreneur Sidney Frank, who’d already found success in the alcohol industry with his brand Jägermeister. In the 1990s, there was little competition to Russian vodka beside the Swedish vodka, Absolut, so Frank wanted to introduce a classy competitor from a new region with a reputation for haute goods and luxury wining and dining France. He could have brought his envisioned drink head-to-head with lone lux vodka Absolut, but instead decided the Goose brand should soar higher and dubbed it an elite “super-premium” vodka.
The Grey Goose brand swooped onto the market in 1997 for roughly $30 per bottle, pricier than the $17 price tag for the comparative Absolut . Frank then needed to establish his high-end brand in high-end crowds the vodka was carefully name-dropped on the hit show Sex & the City, where the characters ordered it in the hottest NYC bars. Grey Goose was strategically donated to elite charity events. Luxury vodka was an emerging phenomenon in America, and consumers were flocking to the brand in droves. By 2004, Frank’s brand was selling 1.5 million cases per year, according to Spencer Brenneman.
Four years later, in 2008, the Grey Goose name was known wide and far in luxury circles, and Frank sold his brand to Bacardi for $2 billion. Even with the change in hands, the sales continued to rise, with nearly 4 million cases sold in 2016.
Belvedere Is One Of Our Top Three Picks
If you’re a “I’m going to buy this vodka because I like the label” kind of person, then we’ll be surprised if you’ve never picked up a bottle of Belvedere before. The name itself just sounds fancy, and, as noted by Drizly, the vodka itself is excellent. Belvedere markets itself as the “true expression of luxury vodka,” and is the result of a 600-year vodka-making tradition originally from Poland. It is made with Polish Dankowski Rye and is distilled four times in order to “create the perfect balance of character and purity.” It also doesn’t have any added glycerin, sugar, or additives, so you know you’re getting the good stuff.
Belvedere is a fantastic choice as well, because it is not only great for sipping, but it makes the perfect martini . The only slight downside to Belvedere, as you may have guessed, is the cost. For a 1L bottle, you’re looking at dropping about $40, which isn’t exactly the most budget-friendly idea. But if you have a bit to spare, Belvedere is absolutely the right choice.
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What Is Titos Vodka
Titos handmade vodka is not only for marketing. The founder started making this drink single-handedly with self-built pot stills in 1997.
However, after two decades of making handmade liquor, Fifth Generation now manufactures their spirits.
As mentioned above, yellow corn is used in the manufacturing process of their vodkas. The maize leads to a particular saccharine taste.
Each bottle of vodka is distilled six times for a smooth finish. Some even say that this brand provides the best value at a very affordable price.
The Levecke Corp: Who Are They
LeVecke Corp. has the only label approval from TTB to produce and supply the Costco Vodka.
The company has a humble beginning as a family business that started distributing beer in 1949.
After many years of hard work and business partnerships, LeVecke Corp made distilled spirits and wine for retailers such as Supervalu, Safeway, Kroger, and Costco.
Among the products of LeVecke Corp is the PAU Maui Vodka, which is the worlds only pineapple vodka.
They also teamed up with musician and businessman Jesse James Dupree to produce Americas Outlaw Bourbon Whiskey.
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There Is A Connection To France Within The Vodkas Production
The wheat for Grey Goose is grown in Picardy and distilled there, before being sent to Cognac for filtration. And then theres the fact that the water its made with is filtered through limestone from the Champagne region. Even the fruit used to make Grey Gooses fruit flavors Le Melon, Cherry Noir, and La Poire, for example are grown in France. If Frank wanted a French luxury brand he could charge almost double the normal price for, at least the process is faithfully French. This excludes the LOrange flavor, however, which is made using oranges from Florida.
Bacardi And Cuba Today
Bacardi drinks are not easily found in Cuba today. The main brand of rum in Cuba is , produced by a company that was confiscated and nationalized by the government following the revolution. Bacardi later bought the brand from the original owners, the Arechabala family. The Cuban government, in partnership with the French company , sells its Havana Club products internationally, except in the United States and its territories. Bacardi created the Real Havana Club rum based on the original recipe from the Arechabala family, manufactures it in Puerto Rico, and sells it in the United States. Bacardi continues to fight in the courts, attempting to legalize their own trademark outside the United States.
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The Origins Of Grey Goose
THE GREY GOOSE STORY
GREY GOOSE was created in 1997 by Sidney Frank and the brands Maître de Chai , Francois Thibault. It was acquired by Bacardi in 2004.
Francois was inspired by his training as a cognac cellar master and created a vodka designed to express the true taste and character of the ingredients. He still oversees every step of the unique journey from field to bottle.
GREY GOOSE vodka is distilled in the gastronomy capital of the world, France, using the traditions of the Maître de Chai with only two ingredients single-origin Picardie winter wheat and natural spring water.
What Is Grey Goose Vodka Made From
GREY GOOSE® Vodka is made from just two ingredients: soft single-origin winter wheat from Picardy, France, and spring water from Gensac-La-Pallue in France. Only GREY GOOSE® Vodka ever touches the inside of a GREY GOOSE® bottle. Learn more about the story of GREY GOOSE® from crop to cork, and how to taste vodka to truly sharpen your vodka knowledge.
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What Are The Different Types Of Vodka
There are three types of vodka on the market, and the main difference between the three simply boils down to whats been included during the infusion process or whats been added after the distillation process.
Plain vodka
High-quality vodkas are 96.5 percent alcohol, while lower quality bottles are 95 percent. A bottle of plain vodka involves only two ingredients ethanol and water, at 60 percent and 40 percent respectively. Plain vodka is the most popular cocktail spirit in the world due to its lack of flavor and any strong aromas or tastes come from the distilling process rather than the spirit itself.
Infused vodka
Infusing vodka with fruits or herbs lengthens the creation process by around three weeks. These vodkas have much stronger flavor profiles than plain vodka and can be found on the market in different colors with varying aromas. Its a similar process to whats done when producing gin and results in any number of different varieties.
Flavoured vodka
The skys the limit when it comes to flavored vodka a spirit thats ever-growing in popularity as brands and distilleries discover new combinations and exciting flavor profiles. Its possible to flavor vodka with almost anything, ranging from more traditional fruits to unique and creative offerings like salted caramel, bacon, or chocolate.
Why Did Sidney Frank Sell Grey Goose
Sidney Frank sold Grey Goose to Bacardi because he realized that his intent to be the only vodka above the $20 market is no longer the case. He projected the success of his luxury vodka, which happened. However, after seven years of success, Sidney Frank saw that the competition in the field had changed.
Luxurious vodka at a high price is no longer offered by his company alone. He made a smart move to sell Grey Goose and benefitted from that exponentially. His company moved on and started with a new liquor product to sell to the public.
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Who Really Owns It
Bacardi owns Grey Goose vodka and other top wines and spirits in the liquor industry. But before they acquired it, it was originally owned by Sidney Frank Importing Co . The CEO, Sidney Frank, partnered with a cognac François Thibault when they started with the intent to create a luxury vodka for the American market.
Grey Goose came out in 1997, and the year after, Beverage Testing Institute named it the best tasting vodka in the world. Apart from the original vodka, LOrange and Le Citron were released before Bacardi bought it.
Grey Goose Was A Brand Before It Was Vodka
Grey Goose founder Sidney Frank was eager to create a luxury brand of vodka, so eager that he woke up his right-hand man early one morning in an inspired frenzy with his newfound idea for the Grey Goose name, according to New York Magazine. There was just one small problem at that moment in 1996, Grey Goose was no more than its moniker Frank had no distillery, no bottle design, and no vodka recipe.
Frank putting the horse before the carriage is a testament to how important the new brand’s image was to him. The market vision came first, and the marketable product followed. Grey Goose was, after all, simultaneously defining and inventing “super-premium vodka.” From the moment Frank concocted the name of his latest spirit, carefully strategic branding was what lifted the vodka to success. Frank and his company were so strategic in constructing the Grey Goose image that they only used the colors of the French flag on its bottle, according to AdWeek. They also shipped the bottles in wooden crates as opposed to the cardboard used by competitors (via New York Magazine.
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