Description

“The Vodka That Dares to Have Taste”

In the mid 2000’s Cariel’s Master Blender, Peter Carlson, noticed something happening in the world of vodka. Brands seemed to be competing more and more in terms of ‘purity’. In essence this meant ‘distilled and/or filtered more” = “better”. This also meant that vodkas had less and less taste.

He noticed something else. Friends and who mainly drank cognac or premium whisky, were becoming attracted to the concept of vodka (it’s cleanliness, crispness etc.) but in practice were disappointed by its blandness. At the same time, long time vodka drinkers, who over time had added things like complex red wine to their repertoire were beginning to find their favourite vodka a little ‘unchallenging’. Or bland even.

This was the inspiration for Cariel Batch Blended Vodka. The best vodkas are grain-based. In an ‘honest’ vodka, Peter believed, these origins should be reflected in it’s character.

The Batch Blending Process

He took finest Swedish Winter Wheat from farms certified by the Swedish Farmer’s Association (SFA) in Västergötland , in south-west Sweden and made the first distillate. He uses the incredibly pure water from Lake Vättern, which derives from glacial springs and meltwater.

He then selected, very small quantities of SFA barley. The barley is crushed and then blended with the wheat distillate and water according according to a precise recipe. The barley is then left to steep for 7-10 days. The liquid is then separated from the barley and distilled once more.

Finally the barley distillate is blended with the pure wheat distillate and Vättern water according to the Batch Blending Process which gives Cariel Batch Blended Vodka its full bodied character and a subtle sweetness.

Indeed in 2010 internationally-renowned drinks writer and educator Philip Duff described it as “the vodka that dares to have taste”.

Bottled with a white gloss finish reminiscent of the snow under which our wheat grows, Cariel was voted best tasting vodka in Sweden by trade magazine Apéritif in March 2009.