Organic Vodkas

The organic liquor market is growing and there are now many brands available that pride themselves on their dedication to being green. To fill the eco-friendly and organic niche and to compete in their overly competitive market, vodkas seem to be the most prevalent spirits that are going organic. Every one of these all-natural vodkas that I've tasted are excellent and can easily compete with their not-so-natural counterparts.

Charbay is still at the top of my vodka list and their spectacular Meyer Lemon, Blood Orange and Pomegranate flavors are infused with organic fruits that produce a noticeably fresher, more natural tasting vodka. Another great organic infusion that stands alone in branding is the little-known Orange V. This one is rich with natural orange flavor against a 100% organic, neutral grain base.

One of the newer unflavored vodkas is Prairie Organic -in fact, it is probably the newest as it was just released in May. I like this one because the corn base adds an ultra-smooth and unique profile to the flavor. 360 and Square One are two more vodkas that focus on being as green as they can get. Square One can easily be poised at the top of the super-premium, organic vodka list because it's superiorly smooth, clean and crisp profile embodies great the idea of great rye vodka. All three of these clear vodkas implement production techniques that reduce the environmental impact including alternative energy to run the distillery, recycled bottling and shipping material, some starting off with locally grown grains that reduce fuel usage and others donating to environmental causes or promoting special recycling programs.

The good news for all of us is that the focus on saving the environment is reaching the distilled spirits industry. Although these particular brands are wholeheartedly focused on reducing their impact, we should see more efforts in the future from the entire industry as companies look at ways to reduce, reuse and renew. Happy Green Sipping!