Grizzly Growler

Flathead Vodka with Meyer lemons

Take your pick, barley, wheat, potato, sugar beats, chances are you’ll find a vodka on the shelves made from any one of several traditional and not-so-traditional products these days. Especially from around our little corner of the northwestern United States. Between Idaho, Washington and now Montana, micro distilleries are popping up like microbreweries have in the last two decades.

And not always in the most urban or hip settings. Take Eureka, Montana for instance, home of Flathead Distillers, makers of Flathead Vodka. The state’s third active distillery has a brand, an image and a product, and if you like good vodka at a competitive price, a following. Albeit small.

I managed to get my hands on a bottle of Flathead Vodka this week, thanks to the help of vodka makers David and Nancy Lehenky and the folks at Grizzly Liquor in Missoula.

As per my usual routine with new vodkas, I put the bottle in the freezer and promptly forgot about it for about 2.5 hours. After which I poured a small amount in a modified vodka glass. (a glass made for cordials, but which actually reduces the heat of the alcohol through its flute-like shape)

On my first taste, I noted that this vodka has a clean, peppery sensation to it, and I use sensation rather than taste, because good vodka shouldn’t have any really perceivable taste. The one thing good vodka should not have is a medicinal or vegetal taste to it. And I didn’t taste anything remotely vegetal. The peppery sensation comes from a strong liquor bite that is perhaps a tad more prevalent than in other vodkas, though it doesn’t take away from this particular vodka’s appeal.

Sipped on the rocks, this vodka is smooth and clean and like velvet on the palate.

For a second round, I mixed up a couple of lemon drops with Meyer lemons for the wife and I. Usually I like to see what a particular spirit will do when it’s mixed with other elements, particularly citrus. Meyer lemons offer a perfect compliment to this vodka, as the strength of the finish, along with that peppery sensation, seem to meld into the sweet floral nature of the lemon.

I don’t add any sugar, just two-ounces of vodka, a half-ounce of Cointreau and a whole meyer lemon squeezed into a shaker. I served it up in a martini glass, and the drink was absolutely delightful and refreshing. Whether summer or winter, a nice vodka-based citrus drink is hard to beat.

Another selling point is that this vodka is made from sugar beets, so it is gluten free. There are not too many other than those made from potatoes or sugar beets, that can claim to be gluten free.

Perhaps the best point about Flathead Vodka is its price. If you want well vodka, you’ll pay less certainly, but to have a really good vodka retail for less than $25 is brilliant. Way too many of the new micro distilleries are overpricing their drinks hoping to appeal to some kind of liquor snob. But most people today want quality for less price. This vodka is not only a very tasty, but it’s priced to be competitive with many of the major brands that do not put as much passion into the making of their product.

I’m told Flathead Vodka will be a Montana vodka for Montanans, and I like that attitude.

You can buy your bottle of Flathead Vodka at Grizzly Liquor or at bars and other stores in Kalispell and Whitefish.

за ваше здоровье,

GG