Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/348953
{ SOMMjournal.com } 107 W ith my mind's eye clouded by the image of cold, hard winters and steely vodka stills, I set off for Sweden to meet the man behind Purity Vodka, whose gaze from his photos, I might add, appeared just as frosty and intense as the common opinion of vodka itself. But in person, Thomas Kuuttanen is warm and personable, and his ardent blue eyes reflect not only the transparency of his business philosophy but also his perseverance to make vodka that meets his strict standard for perfection. Purity Vodka wasn't designed to become an exemplary model of a neutral, light- bodied spirit. For Kuuttanen, perfection has much more to do with maximizing character and body—a daring endeavor considering U.S. regulations define vodka as "odorless" and "tasteless." Here's how a whisky expert took ten years to create a vodka so elegant it stands alone. The Raw Materials Purity Vodka is produced from winter wheat and malted barley—the base for many a whisky. (Kuuttanen spent two decades as a whisky blender, so he knows these raw mate- rials well.) The winter wheat is planted in August then endures the rigors of the snow, leading to deeper flavor. More important, its higher starch content means no enzymes need to be added in the fermentation process. While so many vodka brands boast about their unique water source, the majority deionize the water. After it is treated, the chemistry of all water is the same. However, he found that using 100 percent mineral-rich, natural water produced sediment and rings around the neck of the bottle. Despite its fine taste, he knew that consumers would never accept the troubled appearance. He spent a year crafting the right combination of a very small portion of treated water, and took it to the test. A blind tasting seven years ago proved that his efforts had not been in vain: All somms chose Purity Vodka over the Purity's one-of-a-kind copper and 24k-gold vodka still system.