Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/869846
46 / the tasting panel / september 2017 Khortytsa Vodka If there is any spirit most associated with Ukraine, it is vodka. Chernyak built one of the largest facilities in Ukraine, located in the southwestern manufacturing hub of Zaporizhia, producing an astounding 500,000 bottles daily. What's striking about Khortytsa, aside from its size, is the complete cleanliness of the massive facility. Their vodka is grain- based, and they purchase neutral spirits from 52 different distilleries throughout Ukraine, then rectify it at their facility, every step monitored day and night. Even their water, which is from Zaporizhia, incorporates a multi-stage filtration system, including sand filtration and reverse osmosis to make it as pure as possible. Chernyak hired distiller Vira Morshna, a veteran of the industry for 45 years who has developed and patented 177 titles of vodka and liquors at Khortytsa over the last 14 years. And with hard work comes rewards; in 2014, New York International Spirits Competition awarded Khortytsa "Ukraine Distillery of the Year." Their vodka is currently available in 87 countries, and there are four vodkas available in the U.S., including a honey pepper and the premium offering Deluxe. As I taste with Chernyak, I mention that these vodkas are clean, pure and flavorful enough to sip neat. Chernyak almost registers a smile through his stoic exterior. "My dream was that vodka would be consumed alone. All the major brands have the technology to make vodka, but we are not monolithic; we put our souls into our vodka and I'm proud that it represents Ukraine." EUROPEAN SPIRITS Marketing Ukraine to the U.S. It's one thing to make great tasting vodka and brandy, but to get people in the U.S. to purchase product from Ukraine is another matter. So how will Global Spirits capture the American market? "Khortytsa is a Millennials' dream brand because it over- delivers on quality at a very affordable price," says CEO Max Dubossarsky. Currently 20 percent of Khortytsa is on- premise and 80 percent of the product is off-premise sales. The company built a sales team in the four key regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and Western) then added ten distributors, including Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC, for South Carolina; Royal Wine in New York; and Young's Market Company in California and Arizona, thereby expanding the company's footprint to 18 markets. Khortytsa is sold in 36 Total Wine & Spirits stores, BevMo and CVS on the West Coast, while Odessa is thriving in the South, primarily with indepen- dent distribution. To help with marketing and brand compre- hension for their 6.4 million cases of vodka, Khortytsa will be shortening its U.S label to simply "Khor", starting in the fourth quarter of 2017. They are planning a full trade marketing campaign and collateral to support that transition. Stripping the potent pep- pers for the honey pepper vodka at the Khortytsa distillery.