The Tasting Panel magazine

November 2018

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48  /  the tasting panel  /  november 2018 VODKA G uillotine Heritage founder and CEO Paul Berkmann can hardly contain his enthusiasm for the growing suc- cess of his vodka brand, which he affectionately describes as his "baby." Born from his goal to spark "a revolution in the spirits industry," Guillotine Heritage owes its exis- tence to a revelation Berkmann had while attending a conference for global spirits. As the event progressed, he real- ized each spirit category was being lauded for its aging regimes—all, that is, except vodka. Its traditional production practices have long limited vodka's ability to age in accordance with the same methods other spirits follow, but Berkmann wasn't deterred by the challenge of venturing into largely uncharted territory. "I realized, 'This is what I want to do: I want to create an aged vodka,'" he says. "With all the French know-how that we have in the spirits industry, I'm pretty sure that we can create something wonderful. I think that we achieved that." Disparate reaches of the coun- tryside unify under the tricolor banner of Guillotine Heritage, stamping Berkmann's creation as indisputably French. Heritage ages its distilled grapes, sourced from the Champagne region, in Paris using Cognac foudres (barrels) made with wood from the Limousin forests. According to Berkmann, he and his team recognized these elements, particularly the grape source, as the best materials to complement Heritage's aging process. "We're Forging Ahead GUILLOTINE HERITAGE VENTURES INTO UNCHARTERED TERRITORY WITH ITS AGED VODKA by Kyle Billings / photos by Tameka Jacobs Fashion Forward Created by Ryan Hill ◗ 2 oz. Guillotine Heritage Aged Vodka ◗ ½ oz. orange peel–infused simple syrup ◗ 3 dashes Scrappy's Orange Bitters ◗ 2 dashes Scrappy's Aromatic Bitters ◗ 1 barspoon Amarena cherry syrup Garnish with an orange peel and Amarena cherry. Ryan Hill, General Manager of Porta Via in Los Angeles, created a riff on an Old Fashioned that utilizes Guillotine Heritage Aged Vodka as its base.

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