New Booze: Vodka DSP 162 from Craft Distillers
March 05, 2014
Craft Distillers Vodka DSP 162
Vodka DSP 162 is produced by infusing fruit from the fruit orchards of John Kirkpatrick in Exeter, Tulare County, CA in wheat vodka. The infusion is blended into the “straight” vodka. The residue of the fruit in the infusion gives a faint blush to the real-fruit vodkas.
The “straight” vodka is a blend of wheat vodka with a vodka distilled from muscat, riesling, & viognier grown in Mendocino County, CA. The grapes are vinified into a low-alcohol, high-acid distilling wine at local wineries; the wine receives a first distillation on the main Germain-Robin cognac still, which takes the distillate to about 29% abv. This intermediate distillate is then taken to 95% on a small Holstein potstill.
Before bottling, the vodka is cold-stabilized and given a slight (polishing) filtration. There may be slight sedimentation in the fruit-infused versions.
The vodka’s name comes from the resistration number of the original federal license obtained by Germain-Robin for its first distillery (1982) located on Eagle Rock Ranch west of Ukiah, DSP CA 162. That distillery and Jorg Rupf’s St George Spirits were the first small distilleries licensed since Prohibition, 1919.
Suggested retail prices are:
Citrus Hystrix – $38. LIME, from the leaves and fruit of the Malaysian limau purut.
Citrus Medica var Sarcodactylis – $38. CITRON, from Buddha’s Hand.
Citrus Reticulata var. Sunshine – $38. TANGERINE, from Sunshines and tangelo.
Straight Vodka – $38. Includes vodka distilled from wine grapes.
Using the term "Straight" on a vodka label is a farce. That word has legal meaning and the TTB approving this is a failure on their part. Of course, that same TTB just approved a 70 proof root beer flavored whiskey with "Bottled in Bond" on label.
Posted by: Wade Woodard | March 06, 2014 at 05:50 AM
Well, "straight" has legal meaning for American whiskey but not for vodka as far as I know. Not sure if I think that matters or not... I'm trying to think if there are other examples where a TTB term has meaning for one category and a different meaning for another but not coming up with anything offhand.
Posted by: Camper English | March 06, 2014 at 08:19 AM