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 But this reputation is mostly outdated.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 concocted using malted barley and rye. Those who managed to attain an excellent texture in their vodkas intrigued us,” Camello narrates. The idea then struck them: why not attempt creating a vodka from olives?

The venture lasted about a year for Mihalopoulos to become adept. He initiated a lab, acquired distillation apparatus, and began exploring several olive varieties originating from across the globe. “Although I refrained from getting sentimentally connected to the narrative, we eventualized on a three-variety fusion that happens to be found in the same area of Greece that I hail from.”

Kástra Martini |

The process is artisanal, with the yield loss significantly higher than that experienced by most vodka distillers. However, Mihalopoulos emphasizes that meticulous distillation interventions are pivotal to the elimination of all the heads and mutable compounds introduced by the olives.

There’s not much sugar in olives, thus the ethanol comes from the grains. Mihalopoulos points out that the olives merely enhance what has already existed in the grain. The olives don’t contribute any flavor, and the company didn’t set out to make olive-flavored vodka. Instead, the olives give the vodka’s signature mouthfeel and smoothness. Prior to bottling, the distilled liquor is combined with spring water from Greece’s mineral-rich Mount Taygetus.

The aroma of Kástra Elión vodka is very pure, devoid of any off-putting chemical scents or over-emphasized alcohol burn. Aromas are a mix of sweet and savory, with vanilla and butterscotch taking the lead. The palate introduces subtle fruit notes, citrus, and a trace of pepper. It lingers on the tongue and stays with you, triggering the salivary glands as flavors build to more butterscotch and vanilla, rounded off by a hint of toasted bread.

Camello enjoys drinking Kástra Elión on the rocks with olives, but admits not everyone prefers sipping vodka. Luckily, it pairs perfectly with Martinis. When presenting the vodka to bartenders, the brand intends for them to maintain spirit-driven drinks, and not go overboard with sugar. “We want the vodka’s quality to be the highlight and maintain its mouthfeel,” Camello says.

Kástra Elión recently introduced its own olive brine and cocktail olives, available individually or in a kit along with a bottle of vodka, designed for the perfect Dirty Martini. The brine and olives are sourced from the same Nafpaktos region where the vodka is produced, allowing for a uniquely Greek, olive-centered take on the classic cocktail.