Hawaii has experienced a bit of a distilling boom in recent years, with a number of spirits now produced on the island. So that makes Ocean Vodka, launched in 2006, a grizzled veteran of the Hawaii distilling scene. It’s the official vodka of the Aloha state, and it holds another distinction as well, being one of only a handful of vodkas produced from organic sugar cane.
After distillation, Ocean Vodka is blended with mineral-rich deep ocean water (desalinated, of course) before bottling. The result is a spirit that’s clean and mild on the nose. Drink up and you’ll find a pleasant sugar cane sweetness, plus a touch of bitter/earthy minerals to round things out. Ocean has significantly more flavor than many vodkas on the market. To us, that’s a good thing. To vodka drinkers looking for something damn-near tasteless, that may actually be off putting.
Either way, Ocean Vodka has plenty of application for mixed drinks, and that sugar cane base offers a welcome change of pace from wheat and potato vodkas. If you’re in the market for a new vodka, this one’s worth checking out.
Stats:
– 40% Alcohol by Volume
– $32.99
CE Rating: ★★★
Call me crazy, but if its distilled from sugarcane doesn’t that make it a rum or derivative of? What makes it a vodka and not a filtered rum with ocean water added? Thanks