Notes: Leyline is a fledgling distillery housed in an economic development center (read old canning factory like many such centers it seems). A family run operation they use local fruit and grains to ferment, distill, and bottle on site. They use small stainless steel pot column hybrid stills with a lot of copper in the columns to get that critical interaction ( particularly with fruit) that makes a huge difference in the final product.

They currently produce two versions of a  hard red winter wheat vodka, this one their mixing vodka, which was conceived and created to maximize its mixing qualities for cocktails and the red label sipping vodka, which was created a  vodka to be sipped and savored on its own. Leyline also produces  a cherry eau de vie and a peach brandy (more specifically/technically an eau de vie also) with plans to develop more products as they grow their market,

Appearance: Stunningly clear,silvery in appearance swirling it display a nice viscosity with an even coating on the glass (something I always look for, as something that separates can point to additives such as glycerine or other thickeners, chemicals you see in some of the bigger brands attempts to tweak an inferior product).After a bit large drops start to form on the edge line then retreat to leave small droplets/beads.

First Impression: Wheat germ and grain and slightly fruity notes almost like grain cereal and blackberries with touches of cinnamon and honey

Taste: Slightly sweet, oily entry, with a firm graininess and wheat/cereal notes.Very smooth with a little warmth but no burn and a pleasant finish that leaves a nice clean grain taste with just a touch of sweetness and oily nuts in the fade.

Drinks: This vodka unlike the American Style ( as defined by the TTB definition of “without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color”) was conceived and realized as a European style  vodka with distinctive character, aroma, and taste to add and enhance all those characteristics ( and some body – not just dilution of other ingredients and act as an ethanol delivery vehicle).

With this in mind the vodka works well add subtle touches, depth and flavor. to a lot of your favorite cocktails

Bottle: Clear cylindrical bottle with nicely weighted decanter bottom makes for a nice presentation and harder to type over.It also shows the clarity of the vodka to good effect and is thankfully not frosted unlike a sea of other vodka bottles. Angled labels of white with black printing and graphics give the bottle a slightly rakish look and further allows it to stand out on a shelf or bar.

Other:  A link to some photos of the distillery with our friend Zamir Gotta of “No Reservations ” fame 

Final Thoughts: If you want a nicely done small batch wheat vodka ( and if you are in New York State a locavore product) we can recommend it. Yes, it is a touch expensive compared to mass produced brands, but if you want handcrafted, small batch products of any kind, that premium is worth the difference. You get what you pay for.

Website: http://leylinedistillery.com/

Nicely laid out site but not a lot of info or pictures yet.