Expanding Your Horizons (to Poland)

I just got off the phone with our Belvedere/Hennessy rep and (YAY) we get to try some cool new products!

Let's step away from gin for a moment and get serious about craft vodka. And by craft, I don't mean some tiny batch, marketing ploy with dubious quality control and a funky hipster label with a dog on it. I mean a brand trying to create something cool and different and INTERESTING. Sometimes cocktails are about relaxing and unwinding and sometimes they're about discovery and educational fun. I'm hoping these will be super engaging.

Everyone talks about terroir as related to wine.

ter·roir

/terˈwär/

noun

1. the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate.

• the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced.

But can this apply to a spirit too? I bet a lot of us Caribbean dwellers would argue that rum does, but can a VODKA!?

I'm certainly not the most well versed on terroir but I am excited to try some new products we'll be featuring this year during Cayman Cocktail Week. They are two Single Estate Rye vodkas, created by Belvedere vodka in Poland. (I've even found a video - fingers crossed it works on here as I'm not 100% convinced).

The two vodkas are apparently made from rye produced in two VERY different terroirs in Poland. One is robust, bold and savoury while the other is structured, elegant and balanced, with a subtle sweetness.

I wouldn't say I'm a big vodka drinker but I am excited to try something as different as these and from a top producer like Belvedere. Let's face it, we get a lot of sample bottles in our office and not all of them are good!

While we will mostly be catering to bartenders this October, we're also hoping to do a small tasting/cocktail experience on October 28th, hosted by a Belvedere ambassador. If you're interested, please email me at joaustin@jacquesscott.com as these things tend to go pretty quickly!