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Turku Distillery: Enthusiasts on the way to an ideal vodka

Two engineers, Tapio Järvenpää and Jari Varjo, came up with the idea of their own vodka as they were sailing through the Turku archipelago. They felt that there were not enough handcrafted vodkas and that the market was going in the wrong direction with more and more filtering methods. They wanted a vodka where they could easily say what it consisted of and how it was made. “Charcoal belongs to the barbecue, sand to the beach, silver to the table, platinum to the catalytic converter and diamonds to jewellery. None of these are required for making vodka, unless mistakes are made in the selection of raw materials or in the production process.” With the engineers’ love of precision, the bar was raised high. Along with acquaintances from various professions – Pasi Kuronen, a foodstuffs and marketing professional, Sami Halinen, an IT and process technician, and Petteri Rosenberg, a gastronomy expert and retailer – they founded the company in 2020.

Kaiho Single Estate Organic Vodka is a handcrafted, unsweetened, unfiltered organic vodka from the southwest of Finland. The entire production takes place within their own facilities. From the outset, their own vodka with a 96% basis was produced: SSWB (Spirit of Southwest Breeze) made of local organic winter wheat, ground on-site, mashed and fermented, and then distilled in a high-quality 20-step column still. It is diluted to 40.2 percentage by volume with crystal clear water from a natural spring 50 kilometres away. Production is climate-neutral; with emission-free electricity, heating through an organic power plant and the processing of by-products to organic energy.

At the World Spirits Award, silver was awarded to Kaiho Single Estate Organic Vodka.

Tradition Mexico – Tequila without compromises

The friends behind Padre azul, the new tequila in the premium segment, stand united on one matter: their passion for Mexico. “We appreciate high quality tequila, and with Padre azul we are bringing an exclusive product to Europe. We searched for the perfect distillery for a long time. At Tres Mujeres in Jalisco in the highlands of Mexico we found what we were looking for.” 100% Mexico – 100% handcraft – 100% agave.

These requirements and quality criteria apply to the whole production process, which is why each bottle also wears the sought-after quality seal from the Mexican authorities, “Consejo Regulador del Tequila” (CRT). There were no compromises when it came to the design of the bottles: they are made by hand and adorned with a 270g skull which represents the skull culture of Mexico.

Padre azul is available in three grades of maturity, depending on the length of storage. The Añejo usually spends eighteen months in French oak barrels to achieve a mature, full-bodied taste. The Reposado needs at least eight months in barrels for its subtle vanilla tone. The Blanco is a clear tequila which is bottled straight after distillation – it is soft and mild in taste. None of the three need salt or lemon – you can enjoy them neat. True to the motto: no compromises.

At the World Spirits Award, the trio was very successful: there was double gold for Super Premium Tequila Padre azul anejo, gold for Super Premium Tequila Padre azul reposado, and silver for Super Premium Tequila Padre azul blanco.