Spirit of Slovenia
As Night Club and Bar Magazine so eloquently put it; “In a country that loves throaty V-8s, barbeque and bone-crunching sports, how did a spirit as delicate and nuanced as vodka so thoroughly dominate the limelight? For most consumers the draw is its purity, for others it is vodkas’ enormous diversity. While some are gloriously neutral, others are profoundly personable and laced with flavor.” If you fit into one of these categories you are helping to boost the ever-growing popularity of vodka in the US.
Cocktail trend expert Donna Hood Crecca, Technomic Inc. senior director of the adult beverage resource group, states that vodka accounts for 30 percent of all on-premise spirits. Consumption of it, both on- and off-premise, grew by nearly 6 percent in 2012, she said. Even further, the trend for consumers to switch from local spirits to international “status symbols” is inherent to many markets around the world, imported vodka is trending to grow by 18.5M cases by 2018 (IWSR).
The popularity of vodka means that some new and interesting brands will be entering the market; the one we’ve uncovered is from Slovenia and bears the same name. Eric Asimov, New York Times, recently did a piece on Slovenia’s rich wine heritage paying homage to the ancient hills, the people, and their passion, the “wine and regional identity transcends politics.” He put together a sampling panel to revisit the wines of the region. What does this have to do with vodka? His delve into the processes and what makes them different from other wines is the important parallel here; “while unlike modern white wines, in which the grape juice is almost immediately separated from the skins for lightness and clarity, in these wines the juice and the skins are left to macerate together. This gives the texture and often pleasing tannic rasp and the wine a rosy, sometimes amber, hue sometimes called “orange wine.”
It is this attention to process; the passion to do things differently that has translated over to their Slovenia Vodka. The smoothness comes from buckwheat. Although only a small amount, it is responsible for the uncommon smoothness. The crystal clear water is sourced at the foot of the Julian Alps in Slovenia. And last but certainly not least a consuming passion, for the finest quality, the most wonderful culinary tastes, and the creativity that drives the brand.
It’s that same passion that drives the three men backing the brand. First and foremost Chef Peter X. Kelly, Celebrities Mikhail Baryshnikov and Bill Murray, both of whom are dear friends, and both well versed in the enjoyment of a great cocktail. Their participation brings a level of authenticity and serious fun to a category of spirits in need of both, they state on the website.
So vodka, spirit of Slovenia or you could say Slovenian spirit, you can’t really have one without the other.
