NEFt vodka
April 2021
NEFT Vodka – Redefining the Premium Vodka Experience
Look at the shelves containing spirits these days and it seems like all the beverage companies are going for the cheap thrills, making punch out of vodka like every day is spring break and we’re all 22-years old again. With so much focus on the quick fix, it’s great to see a vodka brand emerge that travels in the diametrically opposite direction, a brand that you sip rather than shoot, prefer neat over masking the taste in other liquids, and still enjoy in your favorite cocktail.
NEFT Vodka is leading a new movement to sipping vodkas, and people are starting to notice. The NEFT story is hardly a start-up's tale, however. From its origin in Austria’s Rhaetian Alps, NEFT’s narrative is formed from a series of sources perfectly distilled using a triple copper pot distillation combined with a proprietary filtration process.
The vodka inside the NEFT barrel made quite a splash when it arrived on American shores in 2017. In 2018, NEFT was declared “Best Vodka,“ trumping a class containing 170+ vodkas at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The newcomer also landed a Double Gold, a rare feat that indicates a consensus Gold rating among the judges. 2019 yielded another rare accolade, one of only two vodkas to receive a Double Gold medal for the second consecutive year. The Tasting Panel, the highly respected trade journal, gives NEFT a 98-point rating.
With a myriad of choices on the shelf at most grocers, what makes this particular vodka worthy of such acclaim? It begins with the water, which is fed into a gravity-fed natural filtration system that courses through slate and granite, crystalline rock that removes impurities as it has for geologic time. While other vodkas claim natural spring water, most brands aggressively filter out impurities, removing the signature taste by demineralizing the source. NEFT celebrates distinctive taste.
Though not stretching back to geologic time, the grains NEFT distills do originate from four ancient rye species. These strains, Rasant, Amato, Pollino, and Askari, meld together in a proprietary blend that proportions each grain depending upon the harvest season. The result from this merger of lower Saxony grains produces a sipping vodka that is at once rich and smooth on the discerning palate.
As an ultra-premium brand, NEFT Vodka is uninterested in mass-producing vast quantities of product via slick automation. Distilling distinctive rye blends with locally sourced, naturally filtrated water in a traditional copper still takes time, an expanse of moments one can practically taste. This dependence on unique sourcing also leads to variability and no two harvests are the same. Much like a vintner tunes a fine wine, the grains are never mixed equally but are proportionally strengthened in the meal according to the conditions of the previous growing season. Each year’s vintage of rye brings the potential of new flavors, so this “adjustment to nature,” as the award-winning distiller calls it, enables NEFT to achieve the same ultra-premium flavor every time.
Just two ingredients: four non-GMO ancient rye grains, and spring water filtered far below the Austrian Alps."
NEFT also stands out with its uncommon view on distilling. With few exceptions, the majority of today’s vodka brands tout the high number of distillations employed, despite the reality that the number of distillations required is a reflection on the quality of the ingredients. Unlike these brands, NEFT rejects the concept of over-filtering, instead choosing to use only the purest, cleanest ingredients such that only three total distillations at the well are needed. The result is a superior tasting vodka that has preserved the character and texture of the alpine spring water as well as the sweetness of the rye. As Mahony likes to say, “Anything more than a few distillations and maybe you need to rethink your ingredients.”
Though blended from ancient grains and water filtered by the geology of the Austrian Alps, NEFT’s commitment to environmental standards is decidedly modern. The four ryes are sourced from small producers, the water supply is protected. The aluminum and tin used in the distinctive barrel packaging are highly recyclable.
“We distill and package in Austria, a world leader in agri-environmental programs,” says Mahony. “This location was selected not only for its famously pure Alps spring water and proximity to our purposefully chosen ancient rye grains, but also for its commitment to organic and sustainable production methods. And, our distillery is powered by low-carbon natural gas and moving towards 100% renewables.”
NEFT entered the Bay Area market at precisely the right time, as craft distilling established a new aesthetic and consumers, according to Jeff Mahony, “evolved from focusing on what the vodka goes into, to what goes into the vodka.”
NEFT continues to grow at a triple-digit pace while expanding to new markets across the U.S. Now available at Safeway, Draeger’s, Epicurian Trader and other fine retailers, NEFT can also be purchased online or by texting NEFT to 926-848. Visit the NEFT Vodka website to learn more and see for yourself that a new era of sipping vodka has arrived.
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- Jeff Mahony, CEO
“We make only the one pristine pure and sublimely smooth NEFT vodka," says Jeff Mahony, CEO. "Just two ingredients: four non-GMO ancient rye grains, and spring water filtered far below the Austrian Alps."
Crafted by a family with 130-years of experience creating small-batch liqueurs, even NEFT’s vessel, a distinctive barrel, tells a story. The insulated barrel will draw plenty of curious eyes on the patio over the weekend and stay cool during a hike to one’s favorite angling spot, ski slope, beach, or anywhere else.
“NEFT was conceived in Russia in 2012 by Ekaterina Kuzmina,” says Mahony. “With her family's roots in the oil industry and a deep understanding of the endurance and sacrifices of the Siberian oil workers, she put NEFT into a container shaped like a small oil drum, paying homage to her family's roots. “
NEFt vokda
March 2021
NEFT Vodka Brings Double Gold Medal & Standard to Spirit Market
Just two ingredients, four non-GMO ancient rye grains, and spring water filtered far below the Austrian Alps."
- Jeff Mahony, CEO
Look at the shelves containing spirits these days and it seems like all the beverage companies are going for the cheap thrills, making punch out of vodka like every day is spring break and we’re all 22-years old again. With so much focus on the quick fix, it’s great to see a vodka brand emerge that travels in the diametrically opposite direction, a brand that you sip rather than shoot, prefer neat over masking the taste in other liquids, and still enjoy in your favorite cocktail.
NEFT Vodka is leading a new movement to sipping vodkas, and people are starting to notice. The NEFT story is hardly a start-up's tale, however. From its origin in Austria’s Rhaetian Alps, NEFT’s narrative is formed from a series of sources perfectly distilled using a triple copper pot distillation combined with a proprietary filtration process.
“We make only the one pristine pure and sublimely smooth NEFT vodka," says Jeff Mahony, CEO. "Just two ingredients: four non-GMO ancient rye grains, and spring water filtered far below the Austrian Alps."
Crafted by a family with 130-years of experience creating small-batch liqueurs, even NEFT’s vessel, a distinctive barrel, tells a story. The insulated barrel will draw plenty of curious eyes on the patio over the weekend and stay cool during a hike to one’s favorite angling spot, ski slope, beach, or anywhere else.
“NEFT was conceived in Russia in 2012 by Ekaterina Kuzmina,” says Mahony. “With her family's roots in the oil industry and a deep understanding of the endurance and sacrifices of the Siberian oil workers, she put NEFT into a container shaped like a small oil drum, paying homage to her family's roots. “
The vodka inside the NEFT barrel made quite a splash when it arrived on American shores in 2017. In 2018, NEFT was declared “Best Vodka,“ trumping a class containing 170+ vodkas at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The newcomer also landed a Double Gold, a rare feat that indicates a consensus Gold rating among the judges. 2019 yielded another rare accolade, one of only two vodkas to receive a Double Gold medal for the second consecutive year. The Tasting Panel, the highly respected trade journal, gives NEFT a 98-point rating.
With a myriad of choices on the shelf at most grocers, what makes this particular vodka worthy of such acclaim? It begins with the water, which is fed into a gravity-fed natural filtration system that courses through slate and granite, crystalline rock that removes impurities as it has for geologic time. While other vodkas claim natural spring water, most brands aggressively filter out impurities, removing the signature taste by demineralizing the source. NEFT celebrates distinctive taste.
Though not stretching back to geologic time, the grains NEFT distills do originate from four ancient rye species. These strains, Rasant, Amato, Pollino, and Askari, meld together in a proprietary blend that proportions each grain depending upon the harvest season. The result from this merger of lower Saxony grains produces a sipping vodka that is at once rich and smooth on the discerning palate.
As an ultra-premium brand, NEFT Vodka is uninterested in mass-producing vast quantities of product via slick automation. Distilling distinctive rye blends with locally sourced, naturally filtrated water in a traditional copper still takes time, an expanse of moments one can practically taste. This dependence on unique sourcing also leads to variability and no two harvests are the same. Much like a vintner tunes a fine wine, the grains are never mixed equally but are proportionally strengthened in the meal according to the conditions of the previous growing season. Each year’s vintage of rye brings the potential of new flavors, so this “adjustment to nature,” as the award-winning distiller calls it, enables NEFT to achieve the same ultra-premium flavor every time.