Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/148134
BRAND INTRODUCTION Star Lone Star AUSTIN'S OWN DEEP EDDY VODKA DOES THINGS ITS OWN WAY by Anthony Head I t's rare to find anyone who doesn't have some connection to Austin, the freewheeling city in the heart of the Lone Star State. From a world-class music scene to a thriving cocktail culture and much more, Austin lives large and has an influence well beyond its relatively modest borders. But that Austin is home to several distilleries may be a surprise even to those who know the place well. One of them in particular—Deep Eddy, named for a historic and popular swimming pool in town—is making a splash with bartenders, retail buyers and consumers both in Austin and across the country. In fact, Deep Eddy has been so successful that Clayton Christopher, one of the brand's founders, says not only have they had to triple the distillery space in order to accommodate their new Deep Eddy Ruby Red Grapefruit expression, but after recently adding a second shift to keep up with production demands they're now considering adding a third shift. "We're just running hard here to keep up with production," Christopher says. "We could be dusting bottles, but that's not the case. In fact, we are about to break ground on another distillery outside of Austin. We've actually outgrown our current space." The "we" at Deep Eddy includes co-founder Chad Auler, who also produces Savvy Vodka (also produced in Austin). Christopher used to have a bottled, organic iced tea company called Sweet Leaf Tea, and he used to do some co-promoting of products with Auler and Savvy. In 2010, they officially combined forces, created the Deep Eddy brand and released Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka—the product that put the brand on the map—followed by Deep Eddy Vodka. Deep Eddy Sweet Tea, made with real tea leaves and real honey, has been a huge part of the brand's success, and Deep Eddy Vodka was also already very popular when the august 2013 / the tasting panel / 63 TP0813_034-65.indd 63 7/24/13 9:48 PM