I swear you can take just about anything with some sugar content and distill it into vodka. I’m really surprised someone hasn’t already tried to make vodka out of watermelons! And so here we have vodka distilled from sweet potatoes and according to the Souza family of the San Joaquin Valley in sunny California that produces this vodka named after their son, Corbin. It takes 10 pounds of sweet potatoes just to make one bottle.

Not surprisingly, potato vodka has ruled the super premium category for quite a while. I’m referring to the humble, plain old regular potato, so sweet potatoes wouldn’t really be that big a stretch. Lately, I’ve been enjoying some vodka made from grapes, and I must admit I like it. Coincidentally, distillers all over America are producing some darn fine vodkas these days made from all sorts of grains and fruits and vegetables, as well as vodkas flavored with just about every fruit and vegetable out there, and the one thing they all have in common is that they are getting really good at the science and art of distillation and are producing very smooth and tasty vodkas. Not only that, they are pricing their products well below those Polish, Russian and French super-premium vodkas and making quite an in-road into the market place.

CorbinVodka_hi rez

 

OK, so let’s see where this sweet potato vodka stacks up! It comes in a tall transparent bottle with the name Corbin in black letters done in a fancy old French style font containing serifs and spikes. The bottom of the bottle has small pressed glass bumps that finish off that rather regal look. The nose is clean and crisp with a touch of sweetness and a bit of earthiness but absolutely no ethanol vapors. Those flavor profiles continue on the palate. There is that hint of sweetness and that touch of earthiness accompanied by a bit of white pepper. The finish is also sweet and smooth with a hint of almonds and the barest taste of smokiness and is slightly spicy and lasts a short time. This is a very pleasant sipping vodka that really does not require a chaser or even ice for that matter.

At around $30.00 per 750ML bottle and 40% ABV, it’s certainly right up there with the other super premiums, right where it belongs.

By George Brozowski

image004