February 2024 126

Unicorn Distillery’s Butterfly Pea Vodka begins its journey as a vibrant blue shade, but undergoes a change to purple and then to pink as acid is introduced.

This unique color-changing cocktail steered a sales executive away from the software industry and reignited his interest in the alcohol business.

During a vacation in Victoria, Canada, Rick Hewitt and his now-wife Alaina were welcomed by bartenders with a gin cocktail. “The experience was memorable, and I vividly remember telling myself that this special ingredient needs to find its way in a vodka since not everyone drinks gin,” says Hewitt.

This was back in the autumn of 2018, and upon his return, he began his research into butterfly pea tea, the key ingredient in Empress Gin that caused the cocktail’s color to change.

Hewitt quickly understood that even though Empress and other color changing gins were legally available in the United States, the FDA had not approved butterfly pea tea as an ingredient. A St. Louis-based natural food coloring company, Sensient Food Colors, was petitioning the FDA to permit the usage of this tea for food and drinks. “It has been used for centuries, if not millennia, in the east and was legal to utilize in the U.K., Canada, and other locations, so I knew it would be a question of when, not if, it was approved,” he remarks.

Hewitt continued to experiment with vodka and butterfly pea tea flower, leading to the final approval of butterfly pea tea as an ingredient in September 2021. He then launched Unicorn Distillery in March of 2022. Hewitt characterizes the enterprise as “truly a pandemic project.”

Despite being in software sales when he established Unicorn Distillery, Hewitt had previously founded two craft alcohol brands: Emerald City Beer and Number 6 Cider.

“My passion has always been in beverages,” he says. “That’s why I was like ‘I’m going to be the guy to get this butterfly pea tea into other categories beyond gin.’”

These days, Unicorn Distillery is known for its vodka and tequila creations, uniquely flavored with butterfly pea tea, transforming their color to a vibrant shade of blue; however, with the introduction of acid, it evolves into shades of purple and ultimately, pink. “Unlike other brands that employ butterfly pea tea as mere additions to their gin or tequila, we are fundamentally different,” he adds.

Unicorn’s signature is the butterfly pea tea, marking us distinct from a tequila or gin brand, said the brand rep, emphasizing the novelty factor and intrigue of color-changing cocktails that their brand introduces to the consumer market.

Initially launched with distribution in Washington, Unicorn Distillery’s footprints have since expanded to Idaho, California, and Arizona. Future plans include making the product available to the markets of Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, following a productive round of talks with potential distributors.

Unicorn vodka and tequila are now available on Princess Cruises, and they are planning to extend their services to ships throughout the fleet. The color change effect seems to be a hit among consumers, enhancing the merriment for their guests. For a closer look at the enchanting Unicorn spirits, visit here.

Alaina, before the drink had a designated name, served it from transparent bottles to her close-knit group. The term ‘unicorn vodka’ was coined by her friend Mary. This spontaneous naming reaction was deemed significant as Mary represented their target audience.

Both Alaina and Hewitt found the unicorn label quite apt as they’ve had past experiences working with swiftly growing West Coast tech start-ups, also designated as ‘unicorns’. They were part of these companies before they went public and burgeoned into big brands. In Hewitt’s words, “‘Unicorn’ symbolizes embracing individuality and relentlessly pursuing one’s passions, undeterred by the prospect of altering the world. If we can bring about innovation in vodka and tequila performances, you can surely bring about transformation in your domain. We are determined to endorse innovation across the U.S.”

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Unicorn Distillery’s Butterfly Pea Vodka starts out as a bright blue color, but it changes to purple then pink as acid is added.

A color-changing cocktail led a sales executive out of the software industry and back into the alcohol business.

Rick Hewitt was on vacation with his now-wife Alaina in Victoria, Canada, and the bartenders welcomed them with a gin cocktail. “It was a really cool experience, and I can viscerally remember telling myself that this has got to get into a vodka because nobody drinks gin,” Hewitt says.

That was in the fall of 2018, and when he returned home, he started researching butterfly pea tea, which is the ingredient in Empress Gin that changed the color of the cocktail.

Hewitt swiftly discerned that despite the legal sale of color-changing gins like Empress in the United States, the FDA did not permit the use of butterfly pea tea as an ingredient. Sensient Food Colors, a natural food coloring business based in St. Louis, was lobbying the FDA to authorize butterfly pea tea for use in food and beverages. “It’s been used for centuries, if not millennia, in the East, and was legal for use in the UK, Canada, and elsewhere, so I knew it was a matter of when, not if, it would be approved,” he states.

Hewitt continued his experimentation with vodka and the butterfly pea tea flower, resulting in the FDA’s approval of butterfly pea tea as an ingredient in September 2021. Hewitt then opened the Unicorn Distillery in March 2022.

“It really was a pandemic project,” Hewitt comments.

Although he was working in software sales when he established Unicorn Distillery, Hewitt had previously launched both Emerald City Beer, a craft beer brand, and Number 6 Cider, a craft cider brand.

“My passion has always been in beverages,” he says. “That’s why I was like ‘I’m going to be the guy to get this butterfly pea tea into other categories beyond gin.'”

Today, Unicorn Distillery makes vodka and tequila with butterfly pea tea giving it a bright blue color that changes to purple and then pink with the addition of acid. “All of these other brands (that use butterfly pea tea) use it as an extension of their gin or tequila,” he says.

“What makes Unicorn different is we are a butterfly pea tea brand so when you bring our brand in, you’re not bringing in a gin brand. You’re brining in the category of color-changing cocktails,” he adds.

Unicorn started with distribution in Washington, but today it is distributed in Idaho, California and Arizona. Hewitt is in talks to expand distribution to Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Unicorn vodka and tequila are now being offered on Princess Cruises, expanding to vessels across the entire fleet. The visual colour change of these unique drinks is delightful to many. It serves as a fun method to light up the spirit of their passengers. Watch the Unicorn drinks being served here.

Before the drink was named, Alaina used to serve it from transparent bottles to her acquaintances. There was a time when her friend Mary spontaneously called it ‘unicorn vodka’. This was essentially her instinctive response, she was precisely our intended consumer.

The term ‘unicorn’ struck a chord with both of them since they had each been a part of growing start-up tech firms on the West Coast which eventually transformed into considerable brands. They each had their experience working with pre-IPO unicorns evolving into massive corporations. According to them, the Unicorn brand stands for individual uniqueness, encouraging everyone to pursue their passions, without the fear of making a change. If innovation can be brought into vodka and tequila, it can be achieved anywhere. They are imposing a significant push for innovation across the U.S.

York Distillery hopes new expansion plan will be approved after concerns over “whiskey fungus” nixed initial plan

For many years, Chattanooga Whiskey has been a brand that has consistently caught my attention without becoming a permanent fixture in my mind. Despite hearing positive reviews for some of their products, especially in the recent past, I never really took the time to delve deeper into the brand and understand its unique nature. You see, this is a Tennessee distillery that is more interested in bourbon than the somewhat vague category of “Tennessee whiskey”. What’s more, they have their own unique style of bourbon whiskey, which they call “Tennessee high malt”. This involves the use of a greater variety of not only malted barley, but other special malted grains typically overlooked by the larger bourbon industry. My interest was instantly piqued after trying their new Chattanooga Whiskey White Port Cask Finished Bourbon. To be honest, their approach might just be pure genius, or maybe I’m just extremely impressed and pleasantly surprised by this bottle. By the way, this bottle costs a fair $60.

Founded back in 2011, Chattanooga Whiskey, like many other brands, sourced its bourbon from MGP of Indiana’s large distilleries during its initial years. This was primarily due to the fact that distillation was not legally permitted in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, TN at the time. However, thanks to the efforts of the distillers, distillation was legalized in the county in 2013, after which the company set up its first experimental distillery and began refining its Tennessee high malt style.

The Chattanooga Whiskey White Port Cask Finished Bourbon is part of the annual Barrel Finishing Series. This series focuses on a dynamic assortment of barrel finishes, which over the years has included Tawny Port, Cabernet, and Islay Scotch variants. This year’s offering involves subtle white port casks, obtained from the Carrazeda de Ansiães region in Portugal. This whiskey combines different Chattanooga Whiskey high malt mash bills. Although it includes both rye bourbons and two wheated bourbons, the product incorporates varietal mash bills ranging from “dark malted wheat” and “oak-smoked malted wheat” to malted rye and “green malted barley”. The brand certainly aims for a complex malt profile with this whiskey. Initially aged for a relatively short three years, the whiskey then matured for an additional two years in port casks. This is rather long for a younger bourbon. The result is a whiskey that underwent a complete transformation, and this change is definitely a positive feature in this case.

Having shared this background, let’s delve into the tasting of this captivating, port-finished bourbon.

This dram offers a deep, rich caramel aroma that is instantly captivating. You’ll also detect a sweet, slightly syrupy malt, along with plums, aromatic cinnamon and spicy oak. The near absence of ethanol allows for a thorough nosing experience. The enticing toastiness, with biscuit-like tones blending into brown butter and vanilla, also sprinkled with allspice, is impressively accessible thanks to well-integrated alcohol, which is remarkable given its young age.

Once you take a sip, the dark fruitiness and stone fruit flavors immediately take center stage, featuring caramelized plum and peach mingling with toasted oak and sprinkled with cinnamon brown sugar. The malty sweetness amplifies waves of ripe red fruit and wine-like notes, balanced with spice and an end note of pepperiness. Additional subtle undertones consist of earthiness and a hint of smoke. Its overall vibe is gratifyingly rich without coming off as undeservedly sweet or overly sugary. I believe this brilliantly mirrors the best qualities the cask had to offer.

Personally, I find this release tremendously remarkable, it’s one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had lately. It indeed sparks my interest to sample more from the customary Chattanooga Whiskey collection, even though I question if any of them could compare with the beautiful blend presented here. Moreover, it’s an impressive bargain for an annual cask-finished release. If I saw it locally for $60, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab it.

Distillery: Chattanooga Whiskey

City: Chattanooga, TN

Style: Straight bourbon whiskey

ABV: 47.5% (95 proof)

Availability: Limited, 750ml bottles, $60 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.

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Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik doused the order he received from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in vodka, according to a video he published on X on Feb. 21.

Dodik can be seen pouring alcohol into a glass containing the award, crossing himself, drinking, and then passing the glass around.

“In Kazan, we traditionally celebrated in the Russian way the awarding of the Order of Alexander Nevsky, which was presented to me today by Russian President Vladimir Putin,” he wrote.

Dodik met with Putin in Kazan on Feb. 21. At the end of the talks, the Russian dictator presented the leader of the Bosnian Serbs with the Order of Alexander Nevsky for “strengthening the partnership” between Russia and Republika Srpska, Politico reported.

Dodik awarded Putin a state order in absentia in January 2023, which the EU called an “unfortunate mistake.” In the summer of the same year, despite the EU’s warnings, he visited the dictator in Moscow.

Read also: Cameroon withdraws from football friendly with Russia

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