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.