Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Detailed Description

Tito’s Handmade Vodka was founded by Bert “Tito” Beveridge II in 1997, and is produced in Austin, Texas. Tito’s lays claim to the distinction of being the first legal micro-distillery in Texas since Prohibition. Tito’s Handmade Vodka is made from yellow corn, instead of the more traditionally used wheat or potatoes. The resultant spirit has a mildly sweet aftertaste. It is distilled six times because according to Beveridge, “…five times isn’t enough, and the seventh time doesn’t make a difference.” This distillation method yields an ultra-premium spirit, putting Tito’s Vodka in a class of its own.

Nose: Clean aromas of corn and spices

Palate: Sweet with a creamy mouthfeel and more notes of spices and corn

Finish: Peppery with a lingering nuttiness

Distillery Information

Tito’s Handmade Vodka is distilled and bottled by Fifth Generation Inc. in Austin, Texas on the very same land where the whole venture started. When Tito set out to learn how to distill, there wasn’t any information readily available, and it almost seemed as though there had been a book burning at the library on any subject matter related to spirits and distilling. Eventually, through his research, Tito uncovered a bunch of pictures of old moonshiners and prohibition-era busts. He started building stills based on photos using copper pipe and a simple outdoor fryer for heat and started cooking. He just kept messing with the still and the recipe until he found a process and a recipe that his friends seemed to like. “I basically just kind of kept working at it and working at it. We bought every vodka that was on the shelf, we put them in little mason jars and tasted all of them and came up with the two best ones. When mine consistently beat those two then I figured that I had my formula right.” It took the company more than eight years to really find its legs. Today, Tito’s Handmade Vodka is one of the most successful distilleries out there and remains one of the cleanest spirits available. Tito unknowingly started a revolution and has stayed true to those upstart roots even today.