Organic Vodka and Scotch Whiskey

Organic liquors are the next step in greening your alcoholic beverages. With so few choices in the hard alcohol department, it is refreshing to see these new offerings from Maison Jomere. I was lucky to receive a bottle of each to sample and review before their debut.

While I think their bottle presentation is a bit lacking (as is their website), it is apparent where their true focus is – what’s inside the bottle. While I am not a huge drinker, I do enjoy a quality beverage. I decided to take the bottles to a small gathering of scotch and vodka loving friends to get a variety of opinions.

Utkins UK5 Organic Vodka is made from 100% Organic German rye. The rye used in this vodka has been grown organically on the same farm for over 30 years.

What makes this vodka unique is not only that it is organic, but it is also the only unfiltered vodka currently on the market. Being unfiltered allows the true flavor and essences of the vodka to shine and reflects the lack of impurities found in conventional Vodkas. This is evident in the vodkas aroma- there are hints of fruit esters with very little alcohol smell. I would compare this vodka to an Absolut or Sky vodka in quality and flavor, a great mixing vodka that gives your drink a unique flavor and was enjoyed by all.

Highland Harvest Organic Scotch Whiskey is aged in oak barrels for 4 years and blended in Scotland from three organic grain malts.

It is a young and very smooth scotch, with hints of peat and oak. If you are just starting out with trying scotches, or are just looking for something smooth and easy to drink, you will enjoy this. It lacks the complex flavors which entice veteran scotch drinkers, but which tend to turn off recreational scotch drinkers. It is a scotch you can drink all night and not tire of. Having been awarded an 89 rating and a Silver medal from the prestigious Beverage Institute Testing Panel in Chicago, and a 3 star Recommended Best Buy from the September 2008 issue of Spirit Journal, we aren’t the only ones who enjoyed it.

While the bottle design and labels could be updated, the product itself is very good. My recommendation is to pour the liquor into a recycled glass decanter or recycled wine bottle carafe and store it that way. It looks much classier and displays the organic alcohol in its beautiful simplicity. If you can’t find them at your local liquor store, be sure to inform the store owner or contact your local distributor.