I had the extreme pleasure of tasting four of the products from Bendistillery, 3 vodkas and a gin. I tasted all 4 warm and then chilled. The 3 vodkas were Crater Lake Vodka, Crater Lake Reserve Vodka and Crater Lake Pepper Vodka (infused with pepper.) On the warm tasting the Reserve was so good I almost didn’t want to chill it because I was afraid the taste would change too much. It was so smooth with absolutely no after taste, that was warm. When I chilled it, the Reserve was every bit as good cold as it was warm. To me the surprising thing was how much I enjoyed the regular vodka. Both warm and cold, the Crater Lake Vodka was smooth and very tasty. I like these style of Vodka no after taste and very smooth. Bendistillery distills their vodka 10 times, if that is what it takes to make a great vodka, more people should be doing it that way.
I also had the Pepper infused vodka that truly has pepper. I am using it right now for a bloody mary. I think it taste great but my wife feels the bloody is missing that horseradish spices. I felt the pepper was just the right amount, not too hot that it took away all flavors, nor to weak that it tasted like a watered down pepper drink.
The Cascade Mountain gin was very good. Even though I think gin has lost it place at the bar, mostly due to the heavily juniper style gins. The Cascade Mountain Gin has hand picked junipers that creates a more subtle aroma and flavor that gins this gin a very soft flavor, making a martini with this will bring back the gin martini.
We will be bringing these into the store once I find them a distributor.
