BEE VODKA: IRRESISTIBLY SMOOTH

AWARDS

Double Gold Medal & Best of Class
BEE Vodka
New York State Fair, 2011

91 Points, "Highly Reccommended" rating
Maple Liqueur
Ultimate Spirits Challenge, 2011

81 Points, "Reccommended" rating
Bee Vodka
Ultimate Spirits Challenge, 2011

Gold Medal
Maple Liqueur
New York Wine & Food Classic, 2010

Gold Medal & "Exceptional" rating 91 points
Maple Liqueur
Beverage Testing Institute, 2010

Gold Medal & Best of Class
Queen's Flight
Indy Int'l, 2009

Silver Medal
88 Points "Highly Recommended"
International Review of Spirits
Chicago - September 2008

BEE Vodka
Clear. Mild earthy honey, custard and nutshell aromas follow through on a soft, satiny entryto a dry light-to-medium body with touch of siltand a flat texture. Breezy, peppery finish. Interesting.

REVIEWS

Spirits Review
by Chris Carlsson

Maple Liqueur
Made from 100% locally sourced New York maple syrup and using the "farm to bottle" green/environmental approach working with local people and resources.

First Impression:  Maple, caramel, hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.

Appearance:  Slightly pale gold like of course, maple syrup.  Very thin coating on glass. Slowly goes from scalloped edgeline to legs, then droplets.

Taste:  Thick body and entry to it. Nice maple flavor wihtout being overdone or tasting sickly sweet.

Drinks:  Works well with rum. Swap out orgeat syrup in Tiki drinks for an interesting spin on a cocktail. Could be substituted for St Germain in many drinks calling for it. Also think about using it instead of an Amaretto for a maple rather than almond flavor. Excellent over pastries or ice cream also.

Bottle:  Clear glass, cylindrical eau de vie type bottle. Metallic paper label, black plastic neckwrap with pull top cork closure.

Final Thoughts:  Nicely done liqueur. A touch pricey compared to somoe but excellent quality and innovative.
 

Spirits Review
by Chris Carlsson

Raspberry Liqueur
First Impression:  Raspberry in a slightly woody, natural way - not some overamped fake chemical way.

Appearance:  Raspberry red in a natural appearing way - not a neon colored fake. Very thin coating on glass. Slowly goes from scalloped edgeline to legs then droplets.

Taste:  Slightly thick body and entry to it. Nicely authentic flavor to it without being over sweetened. Nice berry and slight seedy/acidic notes to it.

Drinks:  Works well with rum. Swap out grenadine syrup or cherry heering in drinks for a somewhat drier interesting spin on a cocktail. Could be substituted for St Germain in many drinks calling for it. Excellent over pastries or ice cream also.

Bottle:  Clear glass, cylindrical eau de vie type bottle. Metallic paper label, black plastic neckwrap with pull top cork closure make it a atractive package.

Spirits Review
by Chris Carlsson

BEE Vodka
First Impression:  At first whiff you can immediately tell this is not a grain vodka, and certainly not a potato either. A blind taste test guess would probably be a eau de vie of some sort. Honey and slight floral notes.

Taste:  No nasty grain/rubbing alcohol scents to it, good body to it. Very nice smooth taste to it with a hint of honey, citrus, dry not sweet. Slight and very pleasant warming finish to it with a echo of a dry honey at finish.

Appearance:  Crystal clear, no sediment whatsoever. On swirling, it leaves a thin clear coat on the inside of the glass with crenellated edge line (meniscus) then quickly dissolves to droplets. Wonderful bright appearance.

Final Thoughts:  I was actually quite impressed with it. Altogether very nicely done and deadly smooth. Highly recommend. The only vodka we know of made entirely from honey (not a rectified alcohol and honey vodka mix), making a vodka made from one of the most expensive base materials around (maple syrup in Vermont Gold being a close second). While it is pricey, it is by far one of the best vodkas in the Ultra Premium Category and given the price of raw materials costs a lot more than the others to produce so the price is more justified. If you intend to spend around $50 for a bottle of vodka and want real quality rather than a name and flash-buy this one and enjoy it.
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Spirits Review
by Chris Carlsson

Apple Brandy
First Impression: Subtle apple and vanilla scents and undertones of oak, pepper and hints of leather, tobacco, from the wood aging.

Taste: Apples,vanilla and lingering notes of tobacco, char, leather that develop after a bit. As it is only aged for 1 year it still tastes and smells strongly of apples (in a nice way) the wood has not overwhelmed the apple tastes but is extremely smooth. A lot of calvados this age tastes like it would take the paint off a car.

Appearance: Straw colored, a trace more yellow than a cognac of similar age: very small particles/sediment - but you have to look hard. Light coating on the glass when you swirl it, a crenellated edge on swirling with long thin legs developing after a bit.

Final Thoughts: This is a very nice and subtle apple brandy, especially for one that is only a year old.
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Spirit Journal
June 2009

BEE Vodka
Limpid, pewter/tarnished silver color; impeccable purity.  Opening aroma is gently sweet and, no shock, honeyed; the depth of the honey aromatic base deepens broadly with seven minutes of further exposure to air and turns alluringly succulent.  Entry is sap-like and delicately sweet, with side flavors of vanilla bean and cocoa; midpalate is long, more bittersweet than honey sweet, and chalky in texture.  Finishes bittersweet, bean-like, and a bit gravelly/sandpapery in texture.  I liked it and found it interesting. 3 out of 5 star rating "Recommended"

ARTICLES

"Spirits take root in Finger Lakes, Micro-Distilleries"
The Post Standard - June 2009
"Distilling really is the next big thing around here," says Bill Martin, who makes wines and distills spirits at his family's business, Montezuma Winery/Hidden Marsh Distillery in Seneca Falls. "Spirits are the next big artisanal farm product." 

The mini-boom was spurred by changes in state law two years ago that allowed small distillers to make and sell their products on the same site (much as the wineries do), and which also offered benefits like lower fees to distillers who use New York-grown source products.
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"Montezuma Winery's Buzzin' Along; Winery Expands, Releases Sweet Liqueurs"
Finger Lakes Times - January 2009

Montezuma Winery, on Routes 5&20 near the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, produces a new line of distilled spirits and approximately 30 products made from grapes, fruits and honey.
 

Despite the highly sophisticated equipment involved, it is still an art that requires skilled human input, and Bill Martin oversees the production of these small batches of artisan-distilled vodka and brandies.
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"New distillery boasts unique concoction:  honey vodka"
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle - October 2008
A new buzz brought dozens of wine trail tourists to Montezuma Winery's back production room Saturday as co-owner and winemaker Bill Martin unveiled his
newest product.

Bee Vodka, distilled entirely from New York state honey, was released to the public, and Martin joined center stage with state Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, Seneca County, to cut the ribbon on Montezuma's new sister operation, Hidden Marsh Distillery.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

VIDEO

Finger Lakes Wine Show featuring Montezuma Winery & Hidden Marsh Distillery
June 2009

CLICK HERE to view this video of Bill Martin, the distiller at Montezuma Winery and Hidden Marsh Distillery discuss the process of making Apple Brandy, Bee Vodka and Queen’s Flight Honey Brandy. 
June 2009