I first heard about Valentine Vodka (imported from Detroit) at the Wine & Food festival last fall. Then, I was reminded of it as I stood at Art of the Table trying to find a last minute Valentine’s Day gift. (I bought the husband a bottle). Although I’m not a huge vodka drinker, it was very smooth. Now, I hear they won an award!
From their press release:
Michigan-Made Valentine Vodka Awarded Double-Gold from TheFiftyBest.com
(FERNDALE, Mich) – TheFiftyBest.com has awarded Michigan-made Valentine Vodka with a Double-Gold during its 2011 “Best Domestic Vodka” tasting, held recently at Beacon Restaurant & Bar in New York City.
As one of the first distilleries in the world to use a triple-grain recipe – a unique blend of barley, red Michigan wheat and corn, Valentine Vodka displays “vanilla, nutmeg, butterscotch, honey, toffee, creamy, buttery, grain, mineral, smooth, velvety, delicate, dry, nice, clean, peppermint, mellow, light sweet finish,” according to the judges.
As Detroit’s first micro distilled spirit since Prohibition, the award-winning Valentine Vodka is well on its way to setting the standard for ultra-premium hand-crafted vodka with its clean, crisp and uniquely flavorful taste.
Go Michigan! According to the press release, ours is among only eight states that boast five or more craft vodka distilleries. So that got me wondering, who are those distilleries? A little Google searching turned up the blog Spirits of Michigan. A little more digging and I discover it is by our own Dianna Higgs Stampfler from Promote Michigan. So I’m pretty sure I can trust the list I found there:
- Black Star Farms Distillery (Leelanau Peninsula; I’ve had some in their tasting room. Awesome, just like their wine.)
- Civilized Spirits (Traverse City, associated with North Peak)
- DiVine Vodka (Baroda, from the folks who bring us Free Run Cellars)
- Fruit House Winery & Distillery (Uncle John’s in St. Johns)
- Ghost Vodka (Detroit)
- Grand Traverse Distillery (Traverse City)
- Hard Luck Vodka (Detroit)
- Incentive Vodka (Sturgis)
- Journeyman Distillery (Three Oaks, opening this fall)
- Michigan Spirits (Webberville)
- New Holland Artisan Spirits (Holland)
- St. Julian Fruit Brandies & Spirits (Paw Paw)
- Valentine Vodka (Detroit)
Greetings!
Thanks so much for including Incentive Vodka in your blog – - we appreciate your support! I am the Brand Mixologist for Incentive Vodka, an artisan-crafted vodka produced in Sturgis, MI from Michigan-grown corn and GLUTEN-FREE. I was raised in Kalamazoo, MI and began my bar career in Michigan over 15 years ago.
Feel free to contact me if you would like a few “Michigan-inspired” cocktail recipes!
Thanks again for your support!
Cheers,
Angie Jackson
Brand Mixologist
Incentive Vodka
http://www.IncentiveVodka.com
Email: Ultimate-Elixirs@comcast.net
Personal Website: http://www.Ultimate-Elixirs.com
You’re welcome! And, I do hope to make it to your tasting room one of these days!!!
[...] For a listing of Michigan Distillers, click here. [...]
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