Microbreweries Inspire PA Potato Vodka Distillery

Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka (PLCB No. 005936, 80 proof; $29.49) – made with central PA potatoes at the first* vodka distillery in PA since Prohibition – is now available in south-central PA!

According to a report by KDKA, Prentiss Orr was inspired by the craft beer industry, and paired with pharmacist Barry Young to formulate this product, which is named after Mr. Young’s late father-in-law, James Boyd Rafferty, and Mr. Orr’s great-grandfather, William Wightman Blair (details on these two characters can be found on the Boyd & Blair website.)

The distillery is located in Shaler, PA in the former Glenshaw Glass warehouse, and the completely hand-crafted product comes in clear 750 ml bottles sealed in black wax.

Orr and Young’s company, Pennsylvania Pure Distilleries LLC, fulfilled an initial order of 240 cases with the PLCB in an 18-month trial run. It will be sold at Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits stores throughout the Commonwealth, with the exception of the Philadelphia area, and expansion plans will take them into Ohio.

The potatoes are from Keystone Potato Products in Hegins, making this a true Pennsylvania product. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, this is the third potato vodka distillery in the United States. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives a great explanation of how the hand-crafted process is carried out, and why the choice of potato vodka is such a good one.

* I read somewhere that Philadelphia Distilling, the first craft distillery in the state of Pennsylvania since Prohibition (maker of Bluecoat American Dry Gin) will soon be creating vodka and absinthe. The American Distilling Institute also names Keystone Distilling in Media as maker of Black Rose Vodka, which makes me question the label Sarah Bozich and others have put on Blair & Boyd as “the first”, but I also can’t find further evidence of the distillery or the vodka at Keystone. Can anyone out there confirm?

Going back to the title of this post, it was interesting to learn that Robert Cassell of Philadelphia Distilling came from a microbrewing background with Victory and Harpoon under his belt.

Since it’s stopped raining (for now), I might just go out and get me a bottle. If you do, take a word from Jan Szyrocki, founder and former conductor of the Szczecin Polytechnic Choir – my potato vodka mentor – serve it cold and have a shot for each leg! (I’m thankful he didn’t teach me “”God likes a Trinity”, “a good table has four legs” or “see you under the table”!)

Na zdrowie!

Whiskey Older than Me

Let me state right upfront that I’m not suggesting I am old, nor that I am a whiskey drinker. It’s not something I have much experience with, other than tossing out all of the Wild Turkey my grandfather stashed around his trailer and a tour of Jim Beam (no tasting allowed!) with my grandmother. Maybe a few shots here and there over the years, and a bottle of Maker’s Mark unopened in my basement, but truly very little experience.

On the 5th of July, we celebrated my cousin Jim’s engagement with a long-standing tradition of passing a bottle of Crown Royal Special Reserve, and I was surprised at how very wonderful I thought it was. It was the first time I had a whiskey drink that I really found appealing.

Relaying this story to my friends, Brandi spoke up and told the story of how she acquired a 51-year old bottle of Crown Royal. It was stored in an appropriate place, and she recently gained ownership of it (I won’t tell the story, but suffice to say, don’t cross this girl – she’s got a feisty side!)

Now, if you do a search on Crown Royal from 1957, the advice seems to be “drink it!”

And at Ffej of July – an annual party with food, bands and beer (and featuring Herbie) – she broke it out! It was amazing how beautiful and smooth this was. And most amazing that it was older than all of us.

I’ll stick to beer and wine, but I won’t shy away if this opportunity ever presents itself again!

Giving Thanks

Many blessings fill our lives, and we use this time of year to recognize those gifts and give thanks for what we’ve been given. 

I’m sure many of you reading this have some of the same things to be thankful for that I do, so you probably aren’t interested in hearing about mundane (yet very meaningful) things I am thankful for.  So here are two very new things that have come into my life, for which I am very thankful!

  1) My Mayflower Martini

After we got the dressing and sides made, the turkey in the oven and the table set up (it was so lovely, we ate outside!), I decided to get my shower.  Finishing up, there was a knock on the door…”Mayflower Martini?!?!”  My sister found this fabulous recipe, and treated us all to a most wonderful holiday beverage. 

I am not a fan of gin, but the juniper is balanced by the sweet white cranberry and/or the vermouth.  The flavor is earthy and gentle – the beverage is smooth and easy to drink.  I liked it so much I’m going to post the recipe here in case the link ever dies…

2 teaspoons sweet vermouth
Ice cubes
1 part gin
2 parts white cranberry juice
Whole cranberries on toothpicks, to garnish

Pour 1 teaspoon of sweet vermouth into each martini glass; swirl glass to coat and pour out excess. Set aside.

Fill a martini shaker with ice cubes.

Pour 1 part gin and 2 parts white cranberry juice. Shake vigorously. Pour into martini glasses.

Serve chilled with a garnish of whole cranberries.

Thanks to my sister for this wonderful discovery.  Perhaps it’s a new holiday tradition? 

My big surprise of the night was D showing up!  He was working, and not supposed to be at our Thanksgiving, but he traveled for almost two hours (round trip) before going in to work the night shift, and it wasn’t just for the stuffing…  The first in a series of growler trades arrived on Wednesday night, and he was so thoughtful to bring it to share with me.

  2) Hollister Hip Hop DIPA  

This was an easy-drinking beer for 8.9% ABV.  It came out of a beautiful rounded glass growler and poured an orange-golden color (side-by-side with Hop Wallop, they were the same hue!)  It had a bright flowery nose and a piney citrus flavor.  This was a lovely IPA, and I was sad to see the last drops pour.

Thanks, again, to D for making such an effort to share it.  True – I wouldn’t have known what I was missing, but now I have even more to be thankful for!