By
George Brozowski
Do
you know what Zebra Love is? If you guessed that
it's a National Geographic documentary on the mating habits
of zebras in the wild, you would be wrong - just like I was.
Here's the real scoop: it is a trademarked collection of works
in Optic Modernism created by New York based artist Blake
Emory. And just what in the hell does any of his have to do
with Emory Vodka? Well, here's a clue: the
last name of the artist is the same as the brand name of the
vodka.
There
seems to be a trend, these days, among distillers to engage
famous people as brand representatives, but I have rarely
heard of an artist actually creating a spirit as a brand extension
of their art. Well, that's what happened here. The marketing
team at Blue Vase, in partnership with Blake Emory have translated
the exotic, erotic Zebra Love concept onto frosted glass bottles
and released a limited edition premium vodka back in March
2015, aptly named "Emory Vodka." It is imported
and bottled by the newly formed Zebra Love, LLC parent company.
Emory's Zebra Love design is embossed onto the bottle, complete
with his trademark red stiletto. Emory Vodka marks the first
brand extension in the Zebra Love series and features Emory's
"Shauna1" design for the inaugural product adaptation.
A portion of proceeds from the sales of Emory Vodka will be
donated to the ASPCA to help prevent cruelty to animals.
So
is it worth all the fuss and bother? They label their vodka
"ultra premium." I suppose to differentiate it from
those lowly "super premium" brands flooding the
market. Its price, however, is right up there with the "super
premiums" at $29.99 per 750ML bottle. It is made from
corn, thus making it gluten free, and is distilled 6 times
and blended with spring water and filtered through limestone
to insure a smooth taste profile. So let's give it a try and
see if I come down with a case of zebra love.
Straight
up, the nose is quite clean and crisp with absolutely no trace
of ethanol vapors and virtually no other aromas as well, with
maybe the slightest trace of corn and the tiniest little smell
of citrus. Otherwise, it pretty much conforms to the classic
definition of vodka as being an odorless spirit. On the palate,
I get a taste of pepper accompanied by that bit of citrus,
but other than that, it continues to be very clean tasting.
The finish is very smooth, with a slight nod to the pepper,
but otherwise, it leaves a warm and pleasant feeling that
lasts a medium amount of time. This vodka is very tasty in
that it has very little taste, which in the vodka world is
really just about the highest praise. I would have to agree
with their positioning this vodka among the super or ultra
or hyper premium vodka brands.
On
the rocks, this Emory vodka becomes even
kinder and gentler. The nose becomes even more transparent;
the palate loses the pepper and becomes a true neutral spirit,
and the finish is simply warm and yummy. This vodka does not
require a chaser. As a matter of fact, this vodka needs nothing
but a bit of ice to make it quite nice.
As
a side note, hey, you marketing gurus and designers and artists,
how about replacing that little black circle with the red
"E" on the front of the bottle with a red stiletto.
It would tie the front and back of the bottle together and
sexy up the front - just a random thought.
This ultra premium vodka is priced at $29.99 per 750 ML bottle
and is 40% ABV or, if you're a traditionalist, 80 proof.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.emoryvodka.com/
