The bottle is sleek and rounded smooth to the touch, a piece of art glass, really, with a silver-embossed sealing tape securing the cool, clean spirit inside. The steely, blueeyed gaze of an artic fox on the label beckons you further as the idea of quality refreshment has you reaching for your wallet. Ice Fox Vodka’s attractive bottle will catch your eye, but it’s the crisp, subtle sweetness of this handcrafted spirit that will keep you coming back for more. It’s a taste derived not from potatoes or other neutral grains, but from high-quality American corn. And it’s a taste that has already garnered high-ranking awards – it’s #2 on the 10bestvodka.com list – and that’s after meeting well-pleased customers in just 10 U.S. markets. “Its smooth flavor and incredible bottle design has allowed Ice Fox Vodka to stand out from the competition,” says Nick Chen, chief of staff for Branded Spirits, the spirit’s creator. “We source our corn from some of the longest-standing family farms in the United States, and we are highly selective of both the quality of our produce and the integrity of our suppliers.” Ice Fox Vodka goes through a unique distillation process which gives it the distinct flavor and smooth pour that has made this label renowned in the world of vodka. The premium quality corn is carefully transported to the company’s Northern California distillery, where the fermentation and distillation process begins. According to Chen, the Ice Fox master distiller then puts the liquid through several processes, removing the “heads” and “tails” to keep only the heart of each distillate. This portion has the highest quality of each batch, and it is used to create the final Master Blend. “The Master Blend is then combined with the sweet corn spirit and water from the pristine Sierra Mountain range in California,” Chen said. “We only use the purest water to make Ice Fox to ensure a clean and crisp taste. We test each production run before bottling this premium liquid into our elegant Ice Fox bottles. The result is vodka of the highest quality, created with care and an unending attention to detail.”
Ice Fox Vodka is now available in Kentucky through Branded Spirit’s new partnership with Kentucky Eagle Inc. The company also produces several high quality spirits including Motu Rum, Hana Gin, HM King Scotch and two expressions of cognac — Majeste’ XO and Majeste’ VSOP. Branded Spirits’ management team entered the production market after 25 years as a distributor in China, where leadership helped to build such brands as Evian Water and Heineken beer. The new business model provided the family-owned business with more stability and support “over the long-haul.” “We’ve been able to nurture this part of the business at our own pace,” he said. “And it’s something that no one can take away from us. These products are our very own.” All Branded Spirits products are made in the U.S. or Europe, Chen said, with the company’s main headquarters in Hong Kong and its U.S. base of operation in San Francisco.
Branded Spirits focuses on four main premises: packaging (“It was to look inviting. We want you to feel intrigued by it. To pick the bottle up. To take a look.”); taste (“All of our spirits are craft spirits. That’s high quality juice inside those bottles.”); pricing (“All of our products are premium, but they are priced accessibly and very competitively.”); and support for products from the parent company (“Because of our base in China, we are able to work with companies to produce a lot of high-end, premium, point of sale materials to support our products, like extravagant gift boxes or Ray Ban style sunglasses that double as a beer bottle opener.”)
As for Ice Fox Vodka, Chen says, “we hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoy making it.”
For more information on Ice Fox Vodka and Branded Spirits, visit brandedspiritsusa. com. For more information on Kentucky Eagle, Inc., visit www.kyeagle.net or call (859) 252-3434.
By Amy Carman