Prentiss Orr wants to harness his
entrepreneurial spirit to create a more
tangible spirit -- vodka.
As chairman of the new Pennsylvania Pure
Distilleries, Prentiss Orr hopes sales of his
company's vodka take the same trajectory as
the 28-foot-tall metal tubing on the
company's still.
"We're looking at this as a wonderful
business model," Orr said. "We're a small
company that only really takes two people to
make what we're going to make. We're doing
everything on a local basis."
With a total investment of $1 million,
including a $165,000 grant from the
Pennsylvania Department of Community and
Economic Development, Pennsylvania Pure is
ready to raise a toast to celebrate being the
first vodka to be distilled and produced in
Pennsylvania and only the state's second new
distillery for any liquor to open since the
start of the Prohibition in 1920. The company
is leasing 6,000 square feet at the Glenshaw
Glass plant.
Orr hopes to start a tradition with
Pennsylvania Pure, launching his vodka in the
next few months with an expected initial run
of 200 cases of 750-milliliter bottles per
week with the hope of growing production to
30,000 cases annually in the next five years.
He hopes Pennsylvania Pure's vodka will find
shelf space in the stores of Pennsylvania
Wine and Spirits stores.
Orr is joined in the venture by Barry Young,
formerly the CEO of three
pharmaceutical-related nonprofit divisions at
the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
who serves as president and treasurer, and
Michele Meloy Burchfield, a beverage industry
sales consultant, as an investor.
Orr, former vice president of communications
for the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of
Commerce and principal of the advertising
firm Outlook Advertising, also has been
mentored by Rick Stafford, former president
of the Allegheny Conference on Community
Development, who now operates a farm in
Somerset County that grows potatoes, some of
which will be used in Pennsylvania Pure's
vodka.
After three years of getting started and
meeting regulatory approvals, Orr received
federal and state licensing in the past two
weeks.
The vodka -- priced at $27.95 for a
750-milliliter bottle -- will be made
entirely with Pennsylvania-grown potatoes and
take advantage of artisan trends that
emphasize higher-quality products made with
local ingredients.
=================
Venerated Spirit Bible Names Maine Vodka
Among Top 50 Spirits in the World
FREEPORT, Maine - Cold River Vodka, a
triple-distilled small batch vodka made from
Maine potatoes, has been rated the best
domestic vodka and 47th among the world's top
111 spirits in "Kindred Spirits 2" by F. Paul
Pacult. He is widely regarded as the foremost
expert on distilled spirits in the industry.
Chris Dowe, Cold River Vodka's head
distiller, said, "We are always happy to hear
someone loves our product but this level of
recognition confirms we are doing it right.
It is gratifying to know that the industry
recognizes we are producing a world-class
product here in Maine, and it drives us to
continue to do the best job we can."
In addition to being ranked among the top 50
spirits across the globe, Cold River Vodka is
one of only five unflavored vodkas to receive
Pacult's highest rating of five stars. In his
review, Pacult writes that Cold River Vodka
is "smooth as silk yet complex and
layered, a coming superstar."
D. Dean Williams, president and CEO of Maine
Beverage, LLC and Martignetti Companies of
New Hampshire, the distributor of the vodka
in Maine and New Hampshire, said, "Tasting
Cold River Vodka from the very first
bottling, I was confident that this vodka
would find a place in the top fifty ranking.
The native Maine potatoes produce a
delightful undertone of vanilla and a
beautiful silky mouth feel, supported by a
super clean finish."
The book, released this month, is a
compilation of the 2400-plus reviews of white
spirits, liqueurs, whiskeys and brandies
Pacult has published in his newsletter over
the past seven years. During that time
period, only 111 received five stars which,
according to Pacult, denotes "that rare,
highly distinguished, distinctive, and
classical distilled spirit or fortified wine
which represents a benchmark within its
category, a product of extraordinary quality,
scope and character which transcends price."
Wayne Webb, manager of the McCormick &
Schmick's Seafood Restaurant in Providence,
R.I., said, "Cold River Vodka has a true,
crisp taste that is pure and natural. Unlike
all other vodkas, Cold River stands on its
own. Our customers really do love it."
Maine Distilleries LLC, the maker of Cold
River Vodka, is the only vodka company in the
world to oversee the entire production
process, from planting the potatoes to
bottling the vodka. Cold River Vodka is
produced in small batches with each batch
hand-numbered to ensure excellence. The
vodka, made with water from Maine's pristine
Cold River aquifer, is 100 percent gluten
free. It retails for approximately $35 a
bottle and can be purchased in the six states
of New England, Delaware, Florida, Indiana,
Kentucky, Maryland, South Carolina,
Washington D.C., and London, England.
For
more information, please call
(207)
865-4828
or visit www.coldrivervodka.com.
==================
The idea for Cold River Vodka, first botteled
in November 2005, began with Lee and Donnie
Thibodeau, brothers who grew up in the heart
of Maine potato country on their family farm.
Industry factors along with the Atkins Diet
motivated Don to look for alternative uses
for his potatoes and vodka seemed to be a
natural choice.
Pacult is a wine, beer and spirits
journalist, author, educator and consultant.
He is publisher and editor of F. Paul
Pacult's Spirit Journal, special projects
editor for the New York Times, and spirits
tasting director for the Wine Enthusiast. He
has contributed to numerous publications and
hosted two syndicated radio shows. Pacult is
also the author of four books including
"Kindred Spirits", the predecessor to
"Kindred Spirits 2" published in 1997. He is
the only journalist in the world to
concurrently be a life member of the
exclusive Keepers of the Quaich whiskey
society of Edinburgh, Scotland.
