In 1992, after a lifetime of inventing products, American entrepreneur Maurice Kanbar decided to create something truly revolutionary—the world’s first premium American quadruple-distilled and triple-filtered vodka. Unsatisfied with his neighborhood martinis in San Francisco, Kanbar tinkered with distillation processes for years, eventually hitting on SKYY, a groundbreaking new vodka that broke all rules, proving quality vodka didn’t have to come from overseas. “I wasn’t just exacting about naming SKYY,” he states in his 2001 autobiography. “It also took me months to come up with a better way to say ‘Made in America’—I wanted to let people know that my vodka wasn’t Russian or Swedish.” Born to immigrants in Brooklyn in 1930, Kanbar invented his way to a new life. He built toys for himself as a young boy, graduated with an engineering degree from Philadelphia University, and then struck upon his first big idea. In 1951, Kanbar was resting against a concrete wall when he noticed how it caught a piece of fuzz from his sweater. Copying the grooves of the concrete into a small handheld device, he sunk all his money into crafting his first invention: the D-Fuzz-It sweater comb. His family and friends said he was crazy, but Kanbar made more than $200,000 in his first year with the invention. He was 21. “We live in a really great country,” he says. “In most countries around the world, I could not have done this.” Building on his newfound success, Kanbar went on to create an array of groundbreaking new inventions, accumulating more than 50 patents. He built one of the first multiplex movie theaters in New York City, invented Zip Notes—sticky notes on a roll that feed through an electronic dispenser, allowing for custom-sized notations—and created a cryogenic cataract remover, making surgery safer for patients. In each instance, Kanbar followed his instinct, looking at an existing product and figuring out how it could be better. So, after moving to San Francisco in 1984 and finding the local cocktails wanting, he decided to create his greatest invention yet: the world’s first quadruple-distilled American vodka. “Chemical junk,” Kanbar later recalled of vodkas of the era in a 2015 interview. “I thought if anyone would make a dependably pure alcohol, that’s what I would drink.” At the time, creating a quality American vodka seemed an impossible task. In addition to inventing a new distillation process, Kanbar would have to defeat overwhelming competition from Russian-made vodkas and a prevailing notion that any U.S. version would be inferior. But deciding to buck all Cold War conventions anyway, Kanbar set to work in his makeshift laboratory in the San Francisco hills, tweaking and trying out different distillation processes for the next four years. Finally, he achieved success by quadruple distilling the vodka with American grains, triple filtering it with the last filter being through California limestone and combining it with deionized water. The resulting vodka was incredibly smooth, one that made the perfect martini. Now all Kanbar needed was a name. Looking out his eighth-floor window at the San Francisco Bay, he immediately christened his creation SKYY. “‘What an incredible sky,’” he recalls saying. “Zap! It hit me. That’s the name—SKYY Vodka.” Kanbar continued to oversee every aspect of SKYY’s launch, even designing its distinctive cobalt-blue bottle. “I chose an extremely simple, slim bottle with sloped shoulders,” he states in his autobiography. “SKYY is a direct, honest product—the bottle needed to reflect that simple elegance.” He set up a manufacturing operation in a Midwestern distillery, convinced his 27-year-old nephew to join him in business, and then, from his apartment in San Francisco, launched SKYY as a three-man operation, personally pitching its purities to bartenders and customers around the world and growing it into a modern iconic brand. Now, 25 years later, Kanbar still walks the hills of San Francisco, looking for new ideas, but he isn’t seeking the perfect martini anymore. “It really is the finest vodka in the world,” he says, smiling. “There’s no better vodka for sure.”
GLUTEN FREE CONFIDENCE SCORE: 5/10 Skyy Vodka is made from wheat, which means they source ingredients that are not gluten-free. However, there is some controversy as to whether or not this type of vodka is gluten-free. In a nutshell, the distillation process supposedly removes gluten proteins from any wheat-based vodka, but many people report feeling the effects of gluten contamination after consuming vodka (and yes they claim it’s not just the hangover). Some people swear the Skyy vodka is safe on a gluten-free diet, others don’t. Luckily, there’s good news! If you consume a non-wheat-based vodka (made from grapes, potatoes or corn), chances are you should be ok. Please read the ingredient and nutrition label carefully. Need help in understanding what to look for on those labels? We have a guide - check it out!
Bottle size: 70cl
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Product of: Italy
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Maurice Kanbar, a San Francisco entrepreneur, suffered when he drank alcohol and attributed this to congeners (impurities) in spirits. Thus began his quest to create the purest vodka possible - he launched Skyy, which in 1991 he once claimed had the "fewest impurities" of any vodka (at 0.8mg/l).
Skyy is made from wheat using four-column distillation and filtered through calcium carbonate, cellulose plates and granular carbon.
Clean with white pepper spirit and very faint coffee bean and vanilla notes.
Very slight sweetness and creamy mouthfeel. Subtle grainy notes and black pepper spirit with faint liquorice and mocha coffee.
Clean peppery finish with faint mocha coffee.
Last Updated on August 9, 2022 by Lydia Martin The creator of Skyy Vodka claims that his vodka has no congeners — the stuff in alcohol that causes hangovers — due to its quadruple distillation process. Skyy Vodka is made from 100 percent American ingredients — homegrown American grains and water — and is filtered up to three times, resulting in a spirit so clean it takes on the scent of vanilla, citrus, and spice. Check out the Skyy price list here and more. What is Skyy Vodka?Although Skyy Vodka is now owned by Campari Group, a big group of beverages — the Skyy Vodka had quite the humble history. USA entrepreneur Maurice Kanbar founded Skyy Vodka in 1992. While sampling different martinis in bars, he discovered the dismal availability of good-quality vodka. He wanted the “perfect martini.” Maurice Kanbar has one of the highest IQs in the world and has patented various products at 90 years old, including the D-Fuzz-It comb for sweaters, Tangoes Puzzle Game, and Zip Notes. His innovative mind led him to imagine better ways to make vodka. How It’s MadeIn time, Kanbar discovered the magic of the number seven: four times distilled, thrice filtered. This process removed all impurities and congeners in the final product. American-grown wheat and Pacific minerals-enriched water from San Francisco, California, are the core ingredients to this innovative, smooth vodka. The Skyy Brand is also a proud supporter of the LGBT community — it sponsored many different pride parades in various states and LGBT film exhibitions. When LGBT marriage was first legalized in Australia, they released limited-edition Skyy Yyes in cans — a refreshing vodka soda drink. Skyy Vodka PricesAlthough it is marketed as a premium vodka brand, Skyy Vodka does not have an extremely premium price point. Some bottles of vodka range average about $30 for 750ml — and we think that’s just excessive. While Skyy Vodka is not the cheapest — many vodka bottles have prices less than $10 for 750ml — we believe it’s reasonably priced for its quality. Popular ProductsClassic Vodka SkyyThe Classic Skyy is the original recipe that Kanbar whipped up in 1992. It is distilled four times in a four-column distiller and filtered thrice with the help of calcium carbonate, cellulose plates, and granular carbon. The intensive distillation method ensures a crisp, clean spirit with notes of vanilla and liquorice, and an overall creamy mouthfeel. Skyy BarcraftSkyy Barcraft is a line of cocktail-inspired vodkas. There are currently three variants: Watermelon Fresca, Margarita Lime, and White Sangria. Skyy Vodka claims that the authentic flavors of your favorite fresca, margarita, and sangria are present in each bottle — no need to measure. Just combine your favorite mixer in, and you’re good to go. Skyy InfusionsThe Skyy Infusions line is Skyy’s response to the hype around fruit-flavored vodka. This line claims the title “true to fruit,” meaning they derive their flavors from the actual essences of the fruits. Flavors include Texas Grapefruit, Georgia Peach, Citrus, Cherry, Passion Fruit, Raspberry, Pineapple, and Grape. Read: Peach-Flavored Vodka Brands Common Skyy Vodka Prices
Vodka & CaloriesVodka is the lowest calorie booze option if you’re planning to cut back on calories, as opposed to wine or beer. The calories in alcohol come from the alcohol itself. It means that the more alcohol content there is in a liquor bottle, the more calories present. For every 1 ½ ounces (roughly about a shot) of an 80 proof vodka (which is the standard in the market), it has about 96 calories [1]. However, if you opt for sugary mixers in your cocktails, this will spike up the calorie content of your drink. Compared To Other Vodka Brands PricesDeep Eddy Texas-born Deep Eddy is made with locally sourced corn and spring water. This handcrafted vodka boasts of a ten-time distillation method and is subsequently charcoal-filtered four times to thoroughly remove all impurities. Deep Eddy has pricing starting at roughly $14 in stores. Pinnacle Pinnacle is distilled and filtered in France but flavored in the United States. You can tell that the brand has an American twist to it — quirky yet fun flavors like Chocolate Whipped, Kiwi Strawberry, and Double Espresso are present in its line of flavored vodka. Pinnacle is also impressively inexpensive — a 750ml bottle is roughly at $9 in pricing at your favorite liquor store. Stoli Stoli is Russia’s testament to how much they adore their vodkas. Stolichnaya is one of the leading Russian brands in the entire vodka industry with its classically clean taste. It is filtered with the help of quartz, charcoal, and even cloth. Stoli roughly costs about $15 for a 750ml bottle in stores, which is just a bit more expensive than the other brands we’ve mentioned. Popular Skyy Vodka Cocktail RecipesSkyy has become a favorite of bartenders ever since its release in 1992. Aside from using it to make a mean martini, here are two recipes you can try: Apricot ‘75The French ‘75 — a famous cocktail drink first made in the first World War — gets an apricot twist. Ingredients:
Directions: This recipe calls for the use of simple syrup (which we’re assuming you already have. If not, it’s heating a simple mixture of equal parts water and sugar until it forms a semi-thick consistency). To make the drink, combine everything in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain and pour into a chilled champagne glass and garnish with the thin fruit peel. Golden GatePrepare to be blown away by the majestic taste of this simple recipe, just like the iconic landmark it’s named after. Ingredients:
Directions: Combine the vodka, syrup, and juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain and pour into a tall glass filled with ice and top off with all the soda. Garnish with an orange slice. FAQsIs Skyy Vodka real vodka? Yes, Skyy Vodka is real vodka. It is wheat-based with a 40 percent ABV (or 80 vodka proof) and was created for the purpose of making the perfect martini. Is Skyy vodka better than Smirnoff? It depends. Skyy Vodka and Smirnoff are great brands with a similar price range, and your choice of “better value” ultimately depends on personal preference. Skyy is US-based while Smirnoff is proudly British, and both have extensive lines of flavored vodkas. The difference between the two is their ABV — Skyy is more potent at 40 percent ABV versus Smirnoff’s 35 percent. In ConclusionIf you’re looking for vodka that’s as innovative as its founder, look no further than Skyy Vodka. From its iconic metallic blue bottle to its quirky flavors and variants, this brand has no shortage of surprises! Reference:
Lydia Martin hails from Redmond, Washington, where you’ll find some of the best cocktail bars and distilleries that offer a great mix of local drinks. She used to work as a bar manager in Paris and is a self-taught mixologist whose passion for crafting unique cocktails led her to create Liquor Laboratory. Lydia can whip up a mean Margarita in seconds! Contact at [email protected] or learn more about us here. |