By
George Brozowski
I
always knew that Sicily was famous for exporting
olives, pizza and the mafia, but never in my wildest dreams
did I imagine that they would also distill and export vodka.
In Europe, you kind of expect that sort of thing from Poland
and Russia, and lately France, but Sicily, really? Well, it
must be so because a few days ago a bottle of Bivi,
Sicilian vodka showed up at my door delivered by
a mafia looking type of Fed Ex guy who warned me politely
that I better like this stuff or he'd be back to make sure
I changed my mind, if I knew what he was talking about, wink,
wink.
Whether
I will rant or rave is yet to be seen, but it sounds like
they just might be making a decent spirit. Starting in an
old world artisan distillery in Messina, Sicily, they bring
together Semolina wheat and pristine Sicilian water, and then
fire up the stills, using Sicilian fruitwoods from blood orange
trees and lemon trees. Their brand partner is "A Bronx
Tale" star and Sicilian Chaz Palminteri. As the legend
goes, Chaz and Frank Sinatra were finishing their martinis
one night when Sinatra offered Chaz one of the two olives
that were in his drink as a symbol of their friendship. Chaz
was deeply honored by this gesture upon learning that it was
a Rat-Pack tradition. And that is why there are two olives
in the Bivi logo on the bottle.
Okay,
enough talk of olives and martinis and Sicily and Frank Sinatra;
let's get into this vodka and see what we see. The bottle
is clear with the Bivi logo standing out in red and green,
and at the bottom of the bottle, there is a green, white and
red bar symbolizing the Sicilian colors. The nose is a true
super premium nose with no ethanol vapors and almost no aromas
or odors of virtually any kind. If I really concentrate, I
might just get the slightest hint of wheat, but otherwise,
it is clean and clear. On the palate, I finally pick up a
touch of smoke, a bit of the wheat and an ever so slight citrus
note, but again, this spirit really adheres to that classic
definition of vodka being a tasteless, odorless spirit. Oh,
and less I forget, it's smooth, very smooth with no bite,
no sting, no tingle, nothing. The finish is clean as well,
just barely leaving an earthy tone and a bit of warmth. This
is one of the finest vodkas I have tasted to date. It really
defines super-premium in every way possible. I dare to say
that it is better than some of those Polish, Russian and French
vodkas that sell for much more. If you love vodka like I do,
you really should get yourself a bottle of Bivi Vodka. I can
guarantee you, you won't be disappointed.
Bivi
is 40% ABV and is priced anywhere from $24.99 to $32.99 per
750ML bottle.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.infusevodkas.com/