Organic alcohol sparks new cocktail trend
By REBECCA BOONE
6 hours ago RIGBY, Idaho (AP)
Call it hedonistic environmentalism. Or maybe just eco-conscious imbibing.
Either way, those who want their dirty martini to be a little cleaner are increasingly pouring organic spirits into their glass.
"I was shopping at the farmers market, using fresh produce in my cocktails and really loving that high-end cocktail experience," said Allison Evanow, who in 2005 created one of the nation's first entirely organic spirits, Square One vodka. "But that whole organic kitchen philosophy hadn't really ever gotten to the bar. Once I had the idea in my head and did a little bit of research, I finally said, "This looks like it's an unmet need."
So far, the market has agreed. At least three hotel chains Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Kimpton Hotels now carry organic beverages in their bars. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay offers Square One cocktails at his newest restaurant.
To be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an organic alcohol, the spirit must be made of ingredients grown on certified organic farms and processed in a certified organic distillery. That means no pesticides and fertilizers on the grains and no nitrogen or other chemicals in the distilling process. Organic distilleries even have strict rules about what types of pest control they can use to keep rodents or bugs out of grain warehouses.
"We try to tread lightly on the earth, if you will," Evanow said. "I'm not super-uber green, but I try to do what I can. Being organic means that we're being nicer to the earth. And to be certified, you can't fake it by putting citric acid or glycerine in that bottle to mask that off flavor. There's a lot of quality involved in being organic." Most drinkers have already been exposed to organic beer or wine, said Matthew Von Ertfelda, vice president for restaurants and bars for Marriott International Inc. Organic spirits are the next step.
"On an annual basis we survey market trends and try to identify any emerging trends that we feel that we should be aware of," Ertfelda said. "The whole organic, greening trend is so widespread now, and guests are increasingly aware of it when it comes to their beverages."
Cocktails have always been susceptible to trends. Think of the legions who ordered their martini shaken, not stirred, after James Bond made his famous utterance, or the women who ask for cosmopolitans, thanks to Carrie Bradshaw.
Vodka, which is essentially flavorless compared to many other hard liquors, has been at the center of many alcohol trends, said Gray Ottley, director of Distilled Resources Inc., an organic distillery in Rigby, Idaho.
He cited the introduction of Absolut, which made vodka a stylish choice for young urban professionals. Then came Skyy Spirits, which claimed a purity that would help avoid a post-drinking headache, Ottley said. "Then we had a brief movement of the next five to seven years of different raw materials (making) a difference in your flavor," he said. "The final movement, currently now, is edging on organics."
The United States has been relatively slow in joining the trend. Juniper Green Organic London Dry Gin from the United Kingdom claims to be the first organic London dry gin, while UK5 organic vodka claims to be the world's first certified organic of its kind.
Both are products of The Organic Spirits Company, as is Highland Harvest Organic Scotch Whisky, Papagayo Organic White Rum and Papagayo Organic Spiced Rum.
Maison Jomere President Paul Davis imports the spirits into the United States from his office in Plaistow, N.H. Though organic spirits are "the new growth sector" now, he said, it hasn't been easy breaking into the niche market.
"Number one, we're small. And number two, from a retail point of view, there's no category. We're just not going after the people who drink all these fancy-schmancy vodkas in fancy-schmancy packages," he said. "We're attractive to vegans too, and people who want an excellent cocktail who are just thrilled there's an environmental option. The potential is just huge."
Anna Jovancicevic, a spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Council, said drinkers are taking more of an interest in classic cocktails, with many making homemade bitters and infusions out of locally bought organic produce.
"People associate organic with higher quality. Some people think it's healthier to consume things made with no artificial flavors. Even non-organic spirit companies are infusing with natural flavors now," Jovancicevic said. "All these things have been happening over the last four or five years, but really now we're seeing organics trying to gain some market share. We're only seeing it in the liquor industry in the last year or two."
On the Net:
Square One Organic Vodka: http://www.squareonevodka.com
Maison Jomere, Ltd.: http://www.maisonjomere.com
Distilled Resources Inc.: http://www.waytogoidaho.com
Distilled Spirits Council of the United States: http://www.discus.org
USDA organic certification program: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0
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New Richmond distillery produces 'elegant' vodka
By Audrey Fessler and Jeff Vahlbusch Special to the Leader-Telegram

Paul Werni makes his 45th Parallel Vodka in New Richmond using local grain and water, European know-how, and time.
His corn is grown by Arlen and John Strate, father and son, on their farm in Roberts.
His yeast, specially formulated for vodka, comes from Belgium.
His small still, a traditional pot still - the main distillation vessel - was custom-made by the Christian Carl company of G<0x00F6>ppingen, Germany's oldest fabricator of distilling equipment.
Werni and his two employees create each batch of 45th Parallel from absolute scratch: mashing the corn and fermenting the resulting sugars, distilling three times, and then carefully filtering the spirit through charcoal before finally cutting it with water, bottling it and packaging it.
After repeated tastings, we say: Werni's vodka is a well-behaved, elegant spirit that mixes well but has more than enough character to stand alone.
Tasting notes: Neat. Straight from 10 hours in our freezer, a sip of 45th Parallel offered no aroma but was sweet and almost creamy on tongue tip and sides, with dryness at midpalate and a modest alcoholic warmth at the end of the swallow.
At refrigerator temperature, around 40 degrees, and after fierce swirling of the glass, the aroma promised vanilla sugar and maybe faint citrus or mint. A long sip was clean, sweet and smooth enough to mellow the pleasant alcoholic spiciness at the back of the tongue.
At 55 degrees - cellar temperature - repeated deep sniffs hinted subtly at grain, rock candy and aromatic alcohol. The sip was somewhat numbing with a gentle vodka afterburn.
Tasting notes: On the rocks. Splashed over ice cubes in a small wineglass and stirred gently, the vodka blossomed. Meltwater made the sip marshmallow sweet and soft and the alcohol especially warm and vibrant - think complex cream soda for adults.
This turned out to be our favorite way to drink 45th Parallel. To increase balance and complexity, add a twist of lemon.
Main Course, the Leader-Telegram's restaurant review column, runs the fourth Sunday of the month. Diners' Notebook, a sampling of favorite restaurant offerings, runs the second Tuesday of the month.
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Photo above from Locke's Distillery Museum
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Traveling to Europe?
Visit Belgium: Hasselt
National Gin Museum

An amazing museum in the former capital of Belgian Genever distilling. A large museum with an exhaustive display and a working distillery where gin is made during the city's Genever Festival (where the fountains run with Genever also) Web Page is a little hard to get to as there is no direct link. Follow these links: http://www.hasselt.be/index.php?id=6&rO=1 then click on the en in the bottom right corner " Culture " then " Museums "then , finally, "National Genever Museum " the English translation however has less information than the Flemish or French so they are worth a look also.

Caribbean :
In the Caribbean Basin there are two museums both in Martinique. One is Musée du Rhum connected to the St James Distillery. And the other is Maison de la Canne which has displays about both Sugar and Rum neither has a direct webpage link but more information on them can be found at :
http://www.martinique.org/about/rums.htm

France:
Bandol (Provence area near Toulon)
Universelle des Vins et Spiritueux
One of the newer museums is the Exposition in Bandol (Provence areas near Toulon) founded by the Ricard family (of Pernod Ricard). http://www.euvs.org/

Cognac :
Cognac Museum
http://www.cocktailtimes.com/gallery/cognac_museum/
Another link worth exploring is:
http://www.cognac-world.com/article.php3?id_article=536
Which is a guide to visiting the various Cognac House (which usually have a small museum and displays)

Palais Bénédictine
110 rue Alexandre Le Grand
BP 192
76400 Fécamp
Tel.: (+33) 2 35 10 26 10
Fax: (+33) 2 35 28 50 81

Wambrechies (Northern France near Belgium)
La Distillerie de Wambrechies
The World's oldest distilling museum.
http://www.wambrechies.com

Holland
Amsterdam
House of Bols (Gin Center)
Across from the Van Gogh Museum
http://www.houseofbols.com/index.asp

Hilvarenbeek
Nationaal Likeur and Fris Museum
Varkensmarkt 22 Hilvarenbeek Nederland 5081 CP
http://www.likeur-frismuseum.nl/

Schiedam:
Distilling museum in (home of a number of distilleries also)
http://www.gedistilleerdmuseum.nl/

Italy:
Bassano (Northwest of Venice):
Poli Museo Della Grappa Museum of Grappa
http://www.poligrappa.com/geografia_eng.html

Russia: St Petersburg
Museum of Russian Vodka
http://www.rus-tours.com/vodka.html

Scotland:
Dallas Dhu Historic Distillery
Mannachie Road
Forres, SCOTLAND
011 1309 676548
The last distillery to be built in the nineteenth century. Audio-visual theatre, exhibition, gift shop, picnic area

United States:
Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History
Mary Ellen Hamilton
114 North Fifth Street
Bardstown, KY 40004
502-348-2999
Open daily.
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Locke's Distillery Museum
More museum than distillery but this stop is worthwhile none-the-less. Yes, Locke's is a museum, the distillery was established in 1757 and claims title as the oldest licensed distillery in the world. Unfortunately they ceased production over 5 decades ago and it's really not fair to count the small 1,600 liter pot still they recently put back in service.
Although primarily a warehouse for various Cooley brands produced elsewhere including Kilbeggan, Tyrconnel and Connemara, Locke's has the smell and feel of a genuine working distillery. Not a computer operated automated giant but one where real people went to work every day to make real whiskey, whiskey they were proud of. Indeed the whole community was involved in one way or another which is evident by a rather substantial bronze bell placed high on the wall of a cut stone building. It's the distillery bell and they called it the "6 AM bell". They rang it every working day at 6. 6 AM to wake the town, to start the fires for breakfast and to make sure the distillery workers arrived by 7 AM.
Even with the bell silent, you can feel a sense of purpose here at Locke's. Certainly it's more than what you'd expect to find in a museum and although they're not making much in the way of whiskey, there's life here.
They made real whiskey for real people. Not surprisingly given their location on the Brusna River, they used a water wheel to power a massive assemblage of moving shafts and gears, gears which once powered pumps, mash rakes, blowers and grindstones and it's simply amazing to think that it all still works, yes, the water wheel still works. It's all for show but you can feel the vibrations in the floor, in the walls; in just about anything you touch. A little cleaning up of the old mash tuns and fermentation vats and you have to believe you'd be making whiskey once again. Indeed with a pair of 50,000 liter vats already in place and maybe some new piping for the three old copper stills is it wishful thinking?
They've put up a few casks from their small pot still but there's no fermenting done on site. It's all trucked in but token or not, it's a step in the right direction. With renewable energy on everyone's mind, there's potential here to resurrect something purposeful. Even the old steam engine, they told me how old it was but frankly I've forgotten. It was certainly built to last for well over 100 years and Locke's staff keeps it ready to run as though waiting for management to tell them any day now to start it all up once again. The river powers the wheel and there's another spot upstream where they once generated electricity for both the distillery and a few village homes. Perhaps they can do the same once again.
Distillery manager Brian Quinn talked with passion about rebuilding a river-powered water pump which once moved water not only to the 3rd level of the distillery and surrounding homes but which is capable of piping river water for distances up to 5 kilometers. This wasn't just a distillery tour, but also a lesson in sustainability and perhaps a glimpse of where we as craft/artisan distillers might take a responsible place in the future.
As an aside, like any good distillery tour we ended with a tasting, a fine glass of Kilbeggan and it was perfect to cut through the chill of a cold and misty Irish morning.
A trip to Locke's Distillery Museum highly recommended.
Sláinte
Tom Lix
mail@lix.org
P.S.
Getting there is easy, only about 50 miles as the crow flies west from Dublin but stay off the main highways and enjoy the country side. Stop for fish and chips with a pint of Guinness or Smithwicks Ale (pronounced 'smith-icks') along the way. If you haven't yet tried Bulmer's "vintage" Irish Cider I'd strongly recommend it as well. None of the sweetness we American's associate with hard cider and certainly a tasteful alternative if Guinness is simply too bold for your palate or heavy on your stomach.
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Bay Area chefs and restaurateurs took home three top prizes in Sunday night's James Beard Foundation Awards in New York, including best chef in the Pacific region. The awards, given annually, are considered the
Oscars of the food world.
Craig Stoll, chef and co-owner of Delfina in San Francisco, beat stiff competition that included three other Bay Area chefs and was named the best chef in California and Hawaii, one of 10 such regional awards. Stoll and his wife, Annie, also operate the adjoining Pizzeria Delfina. The award goes to a chef who has been working in that job for at least five years and has set consistent standards of excellence.
Another major prize, the Outstanding Pastry Chef award, went to Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, owners of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, as the best pastry chefs or bakers in America. The award designates a chef or baker who serves as a national standard-bearer of excellence. The couple also own Bar Tartine, a restaurant a few blocks away on Valencia Street. Nicole Plue, pastry chef at Redd in Yountville, was one of the five nominees in the pastry category.
In addition, Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing Co. and Anchor Distilling Co., both in San Francisco, a pioneer in the American micro-brew and artisan spirits industries, received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Maytag also produces high-quality blue cheese at his family's Maytag Dairy Farms in Iowa, and is a leader in the resurgent American artisan cheese industry. Stoll's competition this year included three other Bay Area chefs - Douglas Keane of Cyrus in Healdsburg, David Kinch of Manresa in Los Gatos and Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco. Los Angeles chef David Myers was also nominated in the category. As with all James Beard awards, a chef can win the category just once. Terra, the restaurant in St. Helena owned by chef Hiro Sone and his wife, Lissa Doumani, took the award for the nation's best restaurant service. Sone and Doumani also own Ame in the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. Other Bay Area nominees in various categories included Nate Appleman of A16 and SPQR in San Francisco, as Rising Star Chef of the Year, for chefs under the age of 30. The award went to Gavin Kaysen of Cafe Boulud in New York. Boulevard in San Francisco was nominated for restaurant of the year, awarded to an outstanding restaurant that has been in business 10 years or more. This year, that honor went to Gramercy Tavern in New York. The awards were handed out in a ceremony attended by more than 1,800 food and wine professionals. The James Beard Foundation, headquartered in New York, was named after the late teacher and cookbook author who championed American cuisine. It is dedicated to preserving and nurturing American culinary diversity and tradition, and supporting excellence in the field.
====================

Fully reconditioned, 240 gallon pot still. Ideal still for whiskey or rum. I will offer limited consulting services. Price $70,000 or highest bid call
Bill Owens
510-886-7418











ADI's hands-on, five day course on How to Distill Whiskey now has a new date: December 1st - 6th. The course will be held at Sweetwater Distillery in Petaluma, CA. Students will actually distill whiskey as part of the learning experience. Cost will be $3000 for five days. For more information, contact Bill Owens: mailto:bill@distilling.com

====================

Consultant Available
Services include research, business planning, product formulation, plant design, product evaluation, et al backed by 16 years of experience. I can take you from idea to finished product with any level of service you require.
Keith K. Bodine
Consultant Distiller and Winemaker
347 Carroll Rd
Union ME 04862
207-785-3024
www.sweetgrasswinery.com
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Are you interested in getting in on the ground floor of a brand new microdistillery?
We are a farm distillery located on an apple orchard in upstate NY, less than half an hour from Albany. We currently distill one brand of vodka, but are looking to add several other spirits within the next year or so. We would like to hire someone who will be able to take over much of the distillation process and assist in our tasting room. We are looking for someone organized, eager and willing to learn and grow with us. No distilling experience is required. Please forward a letter of interest and your resume to
harvestspirits@gmail.com.
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Dear Mr. Owens
My name is Jeremiah Timm; I am interested in being an apprentice for a master distiller who is produces Rums Brandies Whiskeys, or Eau de Vies. I have had some experiences in the lab distilling wine to make extracts for analysis; to make up for this I have done research to understand the distilling process better. If you know of any one please let me know. I will be available after November, since I am working a crush at Koasta Brown in Sonoma this fall.
Jeremiah Timm
jeremiah_timm@yahoo.com
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Graduate ADI Membership
I'm a graduate with honours from the International Centre for Brewing Distilling and Malting at Heriot Watt University Edinburgh Scotland with experience from industry having worked with amongst others Glenfiddich, Balvenie. I'm Keen to gain further knowledge in Brewery, Distillery or related business. All offers considered.
Matthewpauley@hotmail.co.uk
===================br>Hello Bill
Hope you have been well - we are looking for a talented distillery consultant who can help us train our new distiller on washes, pot still use, cuts, etc - do you have a couple names you could recommend - also I am interested in using the photo of yours that hangs in my office in a dogfish ad - it's the one of a naked hippy walking in a concert crowd - an off-centered person for sure! - it would run in the beer mags and we can pay $200 for a high res version emailed to us - lemme know what you think - keep on truckin!!! Thanks for the help
sam@dogfish.com
====================

Distiller Wanter
Rogue Spirits is Hiring
What: Distiller
Where: Portland, Oregon
Please send a written cover letter and resume to Gary Fleshman,
1339 NW Flanders, Portland, Or 97209
or email to: gary@rogue.com

Distiller Wanted
Distiller Wanter
30 year-old company in the beautiful Pacific Northwest seeking experienced distiller to establish a high-end whiskey distillery. Distiller must have experience and knowledge of the entire production process. Vodka and gin to be distilled, however, whiskey is the primary long-term goal. Responsibilities include selecting and ordering all ingredients and equipment, overseeing the preparation of the facility and producing the spirits. Applicant must possess a strong work ethic and be very detail oriented. Salary DOE / excellent benefits. Non-smoking environment. Contact
Jon Combs, PO Box 8000, Spokane, WA 99203.
(509) 534-9000.
jcombs@oldworldchristmas.com
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Hello Bill.
My name is John Paul Mereen.
A friend and I are looking into opening a small batch distillery in Connecticut.
We have been in contact with the folks in Idaho (DRinc.) for the raw product and hope to refine it into vodka and gin. Heidi thought you may be getting into some sort of consulting if an effort to help people like us move forward.
What I think we need at this point is a business plan for this sort endeavor.
Are there any temples for this available that you may be aware of? Or is this a service you can help us with? Any help or guidance you may be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerly, J.P. Mereen
home jpmereen@comcast.net
===================

Wrestling with the decision to invest in wash production and fermentation equipment?
Want to reduce the space required to launch or expand your distillery's capacity? We can offer a solution that avoids the substantial investment required to produce washes in house or to expand your present capacity. We can provide custom washes for virtually any need, pre-fermented and ready to charge your still.
Our washes also provide a major benefit allowing more yield per still charge since there will be virtually no solids to take up fill volumn a reduction of 30% in most cases.
Minimum volumes as low as 930 gallons. Shipping via totes or tanker FOB California.
Give us a call or e-mail us to discuss your needs.
eric@ststans.com or 209.606.2337
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Mardi S. A. was established in 1995 under permit # 101-64135-5 as a rum blender to produce any types of alcohol drinks.
We are a worldwide operating company located in the beautiful island of Dominican Republic. As blenders we could meet your product requirements to blend any type of rum. We handle bulk and any bottled products. To produce your specific type of rum, we let our master blender produce a sample to meet your specifications. We could also provide you with a list of suggestions that could accommodate your market needs. We offer the opportunity to market our own brand name as well. We do encourage our clients to visit our facilities for a tour and to enjoy the beautiful white sand beaches in our country.
Mardi S.A. Calle las Colinas #14 Sto. Dgo, Dominican Republic

lbeltremardi@codetel.net.do .
====================

A&J Whiskey Barrels l.l.c. selling freshly dumped Whiskey Barrels for production.Call office:513 -678- 9370 Cell:513-253-8591 anytime.
Website is ajwhiskeybarrels.net Committed to providing quality barrels for distilleries and breweries.
===============

Join the ADI forum. http://www.adiforums.com
===========================

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To read back issues of DISTILLER newsletter?
Go to:
http://distilling.com/backissues.html
====================

The link to DSP permits is: http://ttb.gov/foia/fri.shtml
Their are over 300 DSP licenses in the USA. Half are craft distilleries. (Nine are whiskey distilleries) The rest are super large industrial distilleries and importers. Check their websites to see if they really distill.
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===================
--To obtain a distilled spirits permit go to:
">http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/index.shtml

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--To obtain TTB list of DSPs go to: http://www.ttb.gov/foia//err.shtml

=====================
--To obtain TTB statistics on distilling go to: www.ttb.gov then scroll down to "spirits" and then the "year".
=====================
--To obtain Distilled Spirits Laws and Regulations go to: http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/spirits_regs.shtml

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--To obtain label regulations go to: http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam.shtml distilled spirits manual circular.
To print the Beverage Alcohol Manual: click (Manual)
======================