Catskill Distillery Brings Home Double Gold

Aug. 24, 2012 - PRLog -- America has been distilling spirits for centuries, but there has clearly been a resurgence with an influx of hand-crafted, artisanal vodka. Practically every state in the country now hosts micro-distillers that produce vodka. There are no less than eight states boasting five or more craft vodka distilleries, including: California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. And their numbers continue to grow.

Much like craft brewers and vintners, the highly entrepreneurial master distillers proudly use local grains (or potatoes, corn, grapes, honey, apples) and water to produce their small batch craft vodkas. These "homegrown" ingredients impart distinctive character and flavors to the finished products.

The expertise and dedication of American distillers is inspiring, and their local craft approach has proven successful. Even though most of the domestic vodka brands are available only within their home states, the carefully limited inventories usually sell out. If we're lucky, national distribution will introduce these craft vodkas to the enjoyment of aficionados everywhere.

The Tasting:
The Fifty Best held a “blind” tasting of 20 small batch handcrafted American vodkas with 18 pre-qualified judges. Strict tasting rules were applied. The order of service was established beforehand by lottery. Each of the vodkas were poured into fresh glasses from new sealed bottles, and served at slightly above room temperature. Only ice water and neutral unflavored crackers, unsalted nuts and bar snacks were available to cleanse the palate. The judges tasted through two flights of 7 vodkas and one flight of 6 vodkas.

The judges wrote down their impressions of each product on score sheets. The scoring was done on a 5-point system, with 5 as the best. Double-Gold, Gold and Silver medals are awarded based on a set range of final point scores received from the judges.

DOUBLE-GOLD MEDAL WINNER
Peace
Bethel ,New York
Locally grown whole wheat, pure Catskill Mountain water

Notes from the judges
Nose:Hint of chocolate, cola, vanilla ice cream, pastry dough, creamy, rye, peppery. Palate: Vanilla, butterscotch, cream, caramel, herbal, grassy, almond oil, nutty, pepper, nicely layered, very smooth, enjoyable. Finish: Buttery, vanilla, clean, fresh, pleasant, perfect.

The Catskill Distilling Company is located in Bethel, NY and is open for tours and tastings.  Other recent distilled spirits from Catskill Distillery include Curious Gin, Big Bethel Bourbon and Wicked White Whiskey.