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Kástra Elión vodka is made from a blend of olives and wheat

Vodka has a reputation for being flavorless and neutral, and yet its popularity persists. Much of the marketing that drives the category is focused on lifestyle cachet, rather than aroma and taste. But this reputation is mostly outdated. Because while some brands, even a few of the best regarded, are distilled to the point of flavorlessness and lean into their neutrality, others are packing flavor and texture into each bottle. Some are even experimenting with base ingredients that go beyond the usual grains and potatoes.

Kástra Elión falls into this new crop of vodkas. It hails from Greece, where it’s made from a blend of Greek olives and wheat. It’s named for the ancient castle that stands guard over the hills and olive groves of Nafpaktos, the ancestral home to the vodka and the family that created it.

The brand was founded by master blender and certified flavor chemist Frank Mihalopoulos, who’s spent nearly four decades in product development for companies like Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts and Kahlua, and has also consulted for spirits brands including Absolut and Stoli. He’s joined by co-founder and son-in-law, Mike Camello, who serves as the company’s president.

“We were vodka drinkers and interested in some of the European vodkas made using malted barley and rye, and those who were getting good texture in their vodkas,” says Camello. They thought: Why not try making a vodka from olives?

It took about a year for Mihalopoulos to make it work. He set up a lab and acquired distillation equipment, and began testing olive varieties from all over the world. “I didn’t want to be sentimentally attached to the story, but we settled on a three-variety blend that happens to come from the same region in Greece that I’m from.”

Kástra Martini |

It’s a craft process, and the yield loss is much higher than what most vodka distillers see, but Mihalopoulos explains that tight distillation cuts are necessary to eliminate all the heads and volatile compounds introduced by the olives.

Olives don’t contain a lot of sugar, so the ethanol in vodka comes from the grains. Mihalopoulos explains that the olives enhance the pre-existing qualities in the grain. They do not contribute any flavor to the vodka, and the company had no intentions of creating olive-flavored vodka. Instead, olives add to the vodka’s characteristic mouthfeel and smoothness. Before it is bottled, the distilled spirit is mixed with spring water from the mineral-rich Mount Taygetus in Greece.

The Kástra Elión vodka has a very clean smell, free from any chemical odors or strong alcohol sting. Its aroma is sweet and savory, with predominant scents of vanilla and butterscotch. The taste includes mild fruit notes, citrus, and a slight hint of pepper. The flavors linger on your tongue and stimulate the salivary glands, developing into stronger tastes of butterscotch, vanilla, and toasted bread.

Camello enjoys drinking Kástra Elión straight with olives, though he understands that not everyone prefers to sip vodka. Thankfully, it can be served well in Martinis. When presenting the vodka to bartenders, the brand hopes that they keep the drinks focused on the spirit and don’t overload it with sugar. “We want the vodka to shine and preserve its mouthfeel,” Camello expresses.

Kástra Elión recently launched its own olive brine and cocktail olives. They are available as individual items or in a kit with a bottle of vodka, designed to create the ultimate Dirty Martini. Both the brine and olives come from the same Nafpaktos region where the vodka is produced, enabling one to enjoy a full Greek, olive-centric take on the traditional cocktail.

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If you’ve heard Chris Stapleton‘s smooth rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey,” it might not be surprising that established whiskey brand Buffalo Trace has tapped the Grammy-winning crooner for a collab. Leave it to the genius of Buffalo Trace’s Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley, to match Stapleton’s soulful tunes with an equally captivating whiskey. Traveller Whiskey, a newly launched premium blend that celebrates the alliance between the singer and the award-winning whiskey brand, is such a sipper.

“Some things just make total sense — and this is definitely one of those things,” Stapleton said of the dream project in a press release shared with Tasting Table. Traveller, also the name of Stapleton’s 2015 Grammy-winning solo debut, is a fitting name for the liquid product. After careful experimentation and multiple taste tests, the celebrity and whiskey label mash-up has culminated in an oaky, 90-proof whiskey blend that delivers subtle undertones of leather and sweet maple.

The blend has a nose of vanilla and a buttery, sweet taste that’s followed by a spicy, toasted finish that will leave drinkers reaching for the bottle. “When making art — and we really do think that both Chris’ music and the whiskey we make at Buffalo Trace is art — you experiment, test, adjust, and don’t give up until you’ve got it right,” Wheatley said, estimating that over 50 blends were tasted before deciding upon the final combination that would be used to make Traveller Whiskey.

Read more: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked

Traveller Whiskey doesn’t mark the first collaboration between the singer and the distillery. Chris Stapleton was raised near the Kentucky distillery which has contributed towards several of his charitable endeavors. The main aim behind this whiskey production was to devise a mixture that would be appreciated by everyone, from individuals new to whiskey to aficionados and collectors. “This whiskey is designed for everyone, irrespective if you have been sampling different whiskies for years or are new to the taste,” stated Harlen Wheatley in the press release.

The celebrated singer and distiller aimed to craft a whiskey that could be not only savored at the end of a tiresome day but that could also be an ingredient in recipes, such as an old fashioned cocktail, resulting in beverages that are easy to enjoy. Traveller Whiskey was made available to bartenders and retailers from January 1, 2024, hence keen customers can anticipate seeing this blend in stores soon. At a suggested price of $39.99, it’s a bottle unlikely to shatter any New Year’s financial resolutions.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

Kástra Elión vodka is made from a blend of olives and wheat

Vodka often carries an expectation of having a rather flavorless and neutral element, yet it conserves its popularity. It seems that its status is not about how it tastes or smells, but the lifestyle it represents. However, this image is mostly passé. There are brands, some even among the highly esteemed, that distil their product to the point of flavorlessness, basking in their neutrality. While several others thoroughly infuse aroma and texture into each bottle, more daring ones toy with unconventional base ingredients, extending beyond the common grains and potatoes.

Kástra Elión is a part of this innovative group of vodka brands. Originating from Greece, this vodka is a blend of Greek olives and wheat. Named after an ancient castle, which stands sentinel over the hills and olive orchards of Nafpaktos— the ancestral residence of the vodka and its founding family.

The brand’s inception was spearheaded by master blender and certified flavor chemist Frank Mihalopoulos. He has accumulated nearly forty years of experience in product development for companies like Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts, and Kahlua. Moreover, he served as a consultant for spirits brands such as Absolut and Stoli. His co-founder and son-in-law, Mike Camello, serves as the president of the company.

“We were enthusiasts of vodka, particularly the European varieties fashioned from malted barley and rye, noted for their exquisite textures,” shares Camello. They pondered the possibility: Can vodka be produced from olives?

Mihalopoulos invested a year in realising this concept. He arranged for a lab and procured distillation apparatus, embarking on tests with various global olive types. “I consciously detached sentimentality from the narrative, but coincidentally, we opted for a combination of three varieties that conveniently stem from my own home region in Greece.”

Kástra Martini |

The entire procedure is artisanal in nature, and it logs a higher yield loss than most vodka producers face. However, Mihalopoulos clarifies that conducting precise distillation cuts are imperative to filter out the heads and unstable compounds that are introduced by the olives.

There’s not a lot of sugar in olives, so the ethanol comes from the grains. Mihalopoulos is quick to point out that the olives lift up what already exists in the grain. There’s no flavor contribution from the olives, and the company never set out to make olive-flavored vodka; instead, the olives contribute the vodka’s trademark mouthfeel and smoothness. Before bottling, the distilled spirit is blended with spring water from Greece’s mineral-rich Mount Taygetus.

Kástra Elión vodka has a very clean nose, free of any off-putting chemical notes or exaggerated alcohol burn. Aromas are sweet and savory, with vanilla and butterscotch leading the way. The palate brings mild fruit notes, citrus and a hint of pepper. It sits on the tongue and stays with you, activating the salivary glands as flavors build to more butterscotch and vanilla and some toasted bread.

Camello likes to drink Kástra Elión on the rocks with olives in it, but he acknowledges that not everyone wants to sip vodka. Fortunately, it’s well-suited to Martinis. When introducing the vodka to bartenders, the brand hopes they keep drinks spirit-driven and don’t go too crazy with sugar. “We want the vodka to shine and keep its mouthfeel,” says Camello.

Kástra Elión recently launched its own olive brine and cocktail olives, available individually or in a kit alongside a bottle of vodka, that are meant to create the ultimate Dirty Martini. The brine and olives both hail from the same Nafpaktos region where the vodka is made, so one can enlist the full trio for a very Greek, very olive-focused take on the traditional cocktail.

There’s no wrong way to enjoy a single measure of good rum. You can have it straight, mix it with water or cocktails, or savor it on the rocks with ice. The latter option is perfect for newcomers or those seeking a milder taste, as it tempers the sharpness while letting you relish the sweet, nectar-like flavor without an overwhelming alcohol punch.

However, there’s a reason why lots of folks recommend using whiskey stones instead of regular ice when enjoying rum on the rocks. Accidentally adding too much water can dilute the unique flavors and nuances within the rum (especially the pricy kinds), and it’s hard to get the balance just right when you’re dealing with varying-size ice cubes. But instead of whiskey stones, here’s an idea: coconut water ice cubes!

Made from coconut water instead of plain water, these ice cubes won’t dilute the rum’s flavors as they melt. Instead, they’ll enhance the taste of the liquor with a hint of coconut, giving neat rum a rather tasty and tropical coconut twist. They’re incredibly easy to make. Simply get some fresh coconut water — the fresher, the better — and pour it into a large whiskey ice cube mold. Pop them in the freezer, and in a couple of hours, you’ll get a trayful of coconut water ice cubes ready to go. Drop one into a neat measure of rum, sit back, and enjoy your rum on the rocks!

Read more: 23 Cocktails To Try If You Like Drinking Gin

These special ice cubes aren’t limited to just rum on the rocks; they’re a perfect addition to a wide range of tropical cocktails! Let’s start with the classic daiquiri. It’s a simple blend of rum, lime, and sugar, but you can elevate it by incorporating coconut cream and a few coconut water ice cubes while blending. The result is a sweet, nutty, and undeniably tropical creation that evokes the essence of a Caribbean sunset. It’s perfect for sipping whether you’re lounging on a palm-lined beach or enjoying it at your kitchen island.

These versatile ice cubes can also enhance a variety of chilled or blended tropical cocktails that feature rum. Take the Caribeño, for example, which already includes coconut water as a core ingredient. Adding coconut water ice cubes doesn’t dilute the taste; instead, it’ll amplify the drink’s signature equatorial flavor and give you a drink with a far more pronounced taste.

But while these coconut ice cubes work best in rum-based drinks, they can work with other liquors, too. If you’re a tequila enthusiast, consider fortifying a coconut margarita with these cubes. They’ll introduce a smooth, robust coconut essence that will bring this classic cocktail to a whole new level. And for an extra creamy touch, try adding coconut cream to the coconut water before freezing the cubes.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

Southern Comfort is an American staple responsible for various and sundry long nights and even longer mornings. It’s got a sweet kick and a little spice, perfect as a shooter for anyone who doesn’t enjoy the bite of traditional whiskeys. But, Southern Comfort is also something of a chameleon, slipping onto the whiskey shelves of liquor stores nationwide with very few of us the wiser. You see, Southern Comfort is no whiskey.

You can’t blame the good people for not knowing — the Southern Comfort marketing team has leaned hard into its fake identity. The back of the bottle describes the origins of Southern Comfort as a mix of whiskey with fruits and spices. While that may be true, it’s a bit misleading. The whole situation was even further complicated in 2016, when Sazerac purchased Southern Comfort from its previous owner, Brown-Forman.

Sazerac announced that Southern Comfort would once again be made using real whiskey starting in 2017. It turns out, the previous company had been using a neutral grain spirit (similar to vodka) as the base for decades. You may be wondering: Now that whiskey is once again the base spirit, is Southern Comfort whiskey? As a matter of fact, no, it’s not — it’s a liqueur.

Read more: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked

The boundaries that exist within the alcohol universe aren’t always crystal clear, yet they’re not wholly random. A liqueur involves the amplification of a base spirit with various spices and sweeteners. This base could comprise vodka, whiskey, a neutral grain spirit, rum etc. Southern Comfort, whose actual ingredients remain a well-guarded secret, is known to have whiskey as its base spirit, as announced by Sazerac. Following this, sugar and a fruit concentrate are incorporated, which land Southern Comfort its distinctive apricot-taste.

Therefore, although whiskey is one of the ingredients in Southern Comfort, it is more accurately a liqueur based on whiskey. For the regular Southern Comfort consumer, this is an insignificant detail. Whether it’s called flavored whiskey, spirit whiskey, or whiskey liqueur, most individuals acknowledge its difference from traditional bourbons or ryes.

A point of contention arises when we attempt to determine the exact moment whiskey switches over to something else. For instance, scotch has an added flavor from peat. The peat is smoked over the barley, not directly added to the drink, but the difference isn’t substantial. A feasible analogy could be this: a canned premixed Jack and Coke clearly isn’t whiskey, even if it comprises whiskey. If we regard Southern Comfort more as a premixed cocktail and less a single-barrel bourbon, we’re thinking in the right direction.

Check out the original article on Tasting Table.