Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
PHOTO: JEREMY BALL As lovers of Washington State wines, followers of Glass Vodka (SRP $40) will be thrilled to know that this Seattle-crafted spirit is made from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes harvested in the Pacific Northwest. Founder Ian G. MacNeil is a patron of the arts and is on the Board for Tacoma's Museum of Glass, devoted to the art of glassmaking. The area, also known for its renowned artist, Dale Chihuly, inspired MacNeil, but the name— Glass—also refers to a textural Ian MacNeil, and visual aspect when it comes Founder of to vodka. Glass Vodka. "It sounds clean, not arrogant, " MacNeil tells THE TASTING PANEL. "Glass Vodka is an artistic impression of what vodka can be. With a floral nose that covers honeysuckle " to lilac, the vodka itself owns up to its glassy clarity, with a creamed silk density and a sweet marshmallow middle. —M.M. www.glassvodka.com Lachselian Wine and Spirits Willa Vodka PHOTO: JEREMY BALL Our last luxurious tour de force is Imperia Russian Vodka (SRP $22) from St. Petersburg. The small batch vodka is made according to the original 1894 recipe and distilled from glacial water and select winter wheat grown in the black soil of the Russian Steppes. Following distillation, the spirit is filtered slowly through charcoal and twice again through quartz crystals sourced from the Ural Mountains. Imperia is an archetypal Russian vodka marketed at a value price. Glass Vodka Here's a twist: Willa Vodka (SRP $29) is made in Nantucket, but obtains its distillate from organic Italian semolina wheat. Why? "Because we think that is the finest ingredient, says co-founder Chris " Doubek. The water comes from a pristine aquifer more than a thousand feet beneath Nantucket. Named after American author Willa Cather, the lower-alcohol (70 proof) craft vodka's profile is aimed squarely at the vodka enthusiast who enjoys a spirited, active lifestyle. There is a glide to the liquid: creamy and vanilla-wheat cleanness; a statement to the luxury category in which it belongs. —M. M. www.willavodka.com Free Spirits Brands june 2013 / the tasting panel / 145 TP0613_120-156.indd 145 5/23/13 4:56 PM