6 replies to this topic

[bluestar]

Who else out there is making a honey-based spirit? Not honey flavored, but distilled from fermented honey? I am aware of Rumble from Balcones as an aged rum-like product, and Bee Vodka from Marsh and Comb Vodka from Still-the-One in the neutral spirits category. Others? We hope to launch our own products in this category at the end of the year.

I am also using the post to test the new forum, but I am seriously interested in comparing notes on working with honey-based ferment for distilled spirits.

[gabericharde]

I know this is a cold post, but if you're still interested in pure honey as a base you should check out Barr Hill out of Vermont. I had some of their cold fermented honey vodka while I was in New England this winter. Yum.

[atyourservicegal]

Hello there,

I am an ingredient supplier and would love to help you source any Honey product you are looking for? I have numberous suppliers for organic and conventional with all varities available. Please contact me at dena@foodguys.com or 503-404-0250.

[rhynorange]

We use honey to make vodka and we've been experimenting with using it as a base for some other products.  We also add honey to flavor our gin and elderberry cordial.  Honey is essentially the foundation of our distillery.  I'd love to hear what sort of honey spirits you're working with.  

-Ryan
Caledonia Spirits

[bluestar]

rhynorange, on 24 May 2012 - 11:01 AM, said:

We use honey to make vodka and we've been experimenting with using it as a base for some other products.  We also add honey to flavor our gin and elderberry cordial.  Honey is essentially the foundation of our distillery.  I'd love to hear what sort of honey spirits you're working with.  
-Ryan
Caledonia Spirits

Hi, Ryan. Well, we are reasonably underway with some of our honey-based or augmented spirits. In addition to a base "eau de vie" or "rum" or pure honey spirit (truly we are trying to determine what to call it for a final label), we are working on using this base for an absinthe and a gin. We also are making eau de vie or brandy from melomels, wines of fruit and honey. We just finished distilling a very rare and expensive example made from wild-gathered American persimmons. It is lovely, unique flavor profile for an eau de vie, perhaps closest to quince, but with definite tannic overtones you would normally get from a grape. The only bad part about it is the expense, and we will probably have to sell 375ml exclusively out of the distillery for over $45 to ensure we recover costs.

[stevea]

With stories like this in abundance ....  I think it would be good marketing to advertise the source of the honey.

I'm no health nut, but it seems a good working assumption that 3rd world honey is at least tainted and possibly fake.
If you don't know the provenance you don't know what you are fermenting.

Quote

Much of the honey made in China isn’t honey at all, Schneider reports:

Another favorite con among Chinese brokers was to mix sugar water, malt sweeteners, corn or rice syrup, jaggery, barley malt sweetener or other additives with a bit of actual honey. In recent years, many shippers have eliminated the honey completely and just use thickened, colored, natural or chemical sweeteners labeled as honey.

http://healthland.ti...-store-shelves/

[bluestar]

stevea, on 18 March 2013 - 05:02 PM, said:

With stories like this in abundance ....  I think it would be good marketing to advertise the source of the honey.
I'm no health nut, but it seems a good working assumption that 3rd world honey is at least tainted and possibly fake.
If you don't know the provenance you don't know what you are fermenting.

And we do. The final label for Prairie Sunshine TM had "Wildflower Honey Spirit" as the fanciful name, and our back label text specifically points out that we use wildflower honey gathered from Marengo, IL, in our local region. We are all about provenance for our products. We are working now on bringing out Prairie Moonshine, which is a "Corn and Honey Spirit" inspired by corn and sugar 'shines. Again, local wildflower honey with locally produced and stone milled organic corn.