St. Louis Distillery Releases America’s First Starka Vodka

ST. LOUIS - Aug. 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Local micro distillery, St. Louis Distillery,discovered that, like most things, their Cardinal Sin premium vodka just gets better with age. The distillery is ready to launch Cardinal Sin Starka and make history as America’s first starka vodka.

“Obviously, we’re excited to bring this product to market. There is such great tradition and story behind the process,” said Greg Deters, distiller.

Starka is a traditional Eastern European spirit. The custom of aging vodka dates back to the 15^th century to celebrate the arrival of a new baby. In fact, the word starka comes from the Lithuanian word starkus which means stork.  Family or friends would put vodka in an oak barrel, seal it and bury it. The barrel would be dug up and opened to celebrate at that child’s wedding. Starka is currently only produced in Poland, Russia and some parts of Lithuania. Cardinal Sin Starka will be the first on the market in the United States.

St. Louis Distillery introduced Cardinal Sin Vodka in the St. Louis market in 2012. The vodka is now distributed in Missouri, Illinois and Georgia with plans to expand distribution later this year. Cardinal Sin is a four-time gold medal winner for taste, recognized in the exceptional category for its unique flavor characteristics and has received high praise from local retailers and mixologists.

“Cardinal Sin Vodka has received such great recognition that we can’t wait to see what Cardinal Sin Starka does,” said Steve Heberholt, distiller.

Cardinal Sin Starka uses only the finest American grains – specifically two-row malted barley and corn. The spirit is distilled in the same manner as their award winning vodka then it is slow filtered and placed in new Missouri White Oak Bourbon barrels. The aging process takes six months and the end result is an amber spirit with an enhanced flavor profile with notes of vanilla, toffee, banana and pepper. Cardinal Sin Starka is all-natural – no added colorings, flavorings or sugars. The oak barrels are completely responsible for the change in color and flavor.

“Bourbon ages because it has to. We age our vodka because we wanted to,” said Distiller William Schroer.

Cardinal Sin Starka will hit store shelves and back bars in early September.

About St. Louis Distillery

St. Louis Distillery is a micro distiller focused on creating world-class vodka that pushes the envelope of artisan distilling. The result is an ultra-pure vodka that maintains the character and sweetness of its premium ingredients.