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You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Beer Blogging / Spirits Blogging

Spirits Blogging

by Tom in Texas|  April 19, 20082:38 pm| 37 Comments

This post is in: Beer Blogging

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This is Tito Beveridge, carrying a bottle of the beverage that bears his name.

Tito Beveridge has been a fixture on the streets of Austin and Central Texas for years, nearly to the level of Leslie the transsexual mayoral candidate (image not safe for sensitive stomachs). He is a geologist and UT graduate who made flavored vodka as Christmas gifts for his friends. After having no luck finding financing, he leaped off the edge of a cliff in founding Texas’ first legal distillery, to the tune of $80,000 in debt, 12 maxed out credit cards, and two mortgages. In marketing his vodka, he took (and still takes, as far as I know) a very localized approach.

A geophysicist by trade, Beveridge’s idea of market research was to go into the nearest liquor store and ask them if they sold a lot of flavored vodka. “They told me they couldn’t give it away. They were going to throw rocks at the next guy who came in trying to sell them some.”

What Beveridge learned was that a high-quality vodka would sell much better than some candy-flavored knockoff.

He also learned to trust a woman’s taste:

“They told me that women are much more discriminating than men and that I should make something that would appeal to women.”

He began to see the wisdom in the advice when he noticed his female friends all drank either white wine or high-end vodka. “Women care more about quality than men. They don’t want to drink something that’s going to burn all the way down.”

Beveridge calls on his background as a geologist to explain the difference between men and women’s tastes. “I used to work in the oil fields and I’ve seen lots of guys sleeping on concrete. I’ve never seen a woman sleeping on concrete. Women will complain about the thread count in sheets. Guys are glad just to have sheets. So I thought there must be something to that. I decided that if I could make a vodka good enough for women, then it would certainly be good enough for men. That’s what I set out to do.”

Full disclosure. I have met Tito. I have toured his distillery and done a shot with him on separate occasions. That does nothing to discount the quality of his vodka. It is incredibly smooth, and one of the only vodkas I will drink straight. The advantage is it is about half the price of the other vodkas I consider in its class. If you don’t believe me, another (assumedly) impartial observer opines:

We’re going to go out on a limb and say Tito’s vodka is the smoothest we’ve ever tasted. That’s not to say there’s no better vodka out there, but between the taste and the price, which is an added bonus of a small company with low overhead and no importing costs, we’re Tito’s converts. We can’t think of any reason, barring two broken legs and a restraining order from the liquor store, why we won’t always have a bottle of Tito’s in our cabinet.

Tito’s won the double gold medal at the World Spirits Competition over 71 other vodkas after merely mailing a few bottles to the contest. A double gold is only presented when the spirit in question is the unanimous judges’ choice.

Texans love to support our own. Sometimes this stubbornness flies in the face of taste buds or common sense, but other times we get it right. When it comes to libations, we are doubly likely to prefer local. If you are in Texas, drink Tito’s with pride; if you hail from elsewhere and may have a couple of issues with Texans as a group, try not to hold that against Tito.

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Reader Interactions

37Comments

  1. 1.

    JGabriel

    April 19, 2008 at 2:48 pm

    Hmm, any distributors in Manhattan? Just wondering whether, and where, I could pick some up to try.

    .

  2. 2.

    Tom in Texas

    April 19, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Gabriel;

    I know it is available in 41 states (not sure about Canada, sadly). I would assume New York is one of those, though I’m not certain.

  3. 3.

    Martin

    April 19, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    Bevmo carries Tito’s.

    Tito’s Handmade Vodka (750 ML)
    Regular Price: $18.99 ClubBev: $16.99

  4. 4.

    Dennis - SGMM

    April 19, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    Well, hell. The nearest place I can get the stuff is over an hour away. In Texas, this kind of distance is known as “nearby” but in Southern California it’s known as a pain in the butt. Guess I’ll have to wait a bit to enjoy Tito’s.

  5. 5.

    taoless

    April 19, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    i’m a bartender in seattle whose bar stocks tito’s. it’s kind of on-trend at the moment (as they say in the trade mags), though we don’t move a whole whole lot of it. i’ve tasted it, of course, and it’s not half bad, especially at the price-point it’s at.
    anyway, i’m sure tom in texas will probably stick with his tito’s (and rightly should). but there are other vodkas of equal or superior quality and smoothness in the same price category, bottles that sit quietly on shelves in bars run or at least stocked by the bartenders, drunk mostly by them that knows, and that’ll get you a knowing smile for knowing to order them. the trifecta are finlandia, luksusowa, and monopolowa (that’s the one i stock at home). and then there’s also relska, which is a little bit rougher than the above, but is remarkably sippable, being that it costs less that $10 a bottle.
    just a little public service announcement.

  6. 6.

    empty

    April 19, 2008 at 3:17 pm

    So taoless what would you consider to be the best vodka(s) regardless of price?

  7. 7.

    Tom in Texas

    April 19, 2008 at 3:18 pm

    tao:

    I’ve tried Finlandia (in fact our bar stocks it) and it is quite good. It’s priced a little higher than Tito’s, at least at my restaurant (probably a factor of local shipping, though I wouldn’t count out some TABC shenanigans) — IIRC it’s around $3 a martini more.

    and empty;
    if you like flavored vodkas a great line is Charbay. It’s overpriced IMO, and is definitely a trendy vodka, but their blood orange makes a great mixed drink.

  8. 8.

    mbhuff

    April 19, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    It’s available here in Westchester NY, so I know it’s gotta be available in Manhattan. If it’s penetrated the NY suburb market, Tito must be doing something right with his marketing. I’ll pick up a bottle next time I run to the store.

  9. 9.

    Tom in Texas

    April 19, 2008 at 3:25 pm

    Monopolowa is absolutely one of the best vodkas available btw. I’ve never met a person who tried it and didn’t utterly fall over themselves.

  10. 10.

    Adam

    April 19, 2008 at 3:36 pm

    I quit drinking a while back, but if I ever make an exception on a special occasions, it’d be hard to go wrong with Tito’s.

    I imagine that Tito’s is probably frequently introduced to people in Austin as “local,” and I’m sure that many people look at that grocery-bag-toned label and figure that it’s a low-quality alternative since it’s generally cheaper than everything else around here — I know that was my first reaction.

    Man, was I wrong. That stuff is so good it’s just wrong. It’d be good even if it wasn’t available at that price.

    Tito could make a lot of money if he just slapped a fancy-looking label on some of his bottles and marked up the price by a few bucks.

  11. 11.

    Adam

    April 19, 2008 at 3:39 pm

    (Also, with a last name like “Beveridge,” how could you not go into the spirits business? That’s just destiny at work, folks.)

  12. 12.

    sidereal

    April 19, 2008 at 3:49 pm

    If my name was Beveridge, I also would be setting up a still.

    I’m in agreement with Adam that the label does Tito’s wrong here. First, it’s brown. Brown is for tequilas and bourbons. Vodka is stark and clean, like a polar bear licking an icicle. Also, the font’s a cheap, cursive “I’m trying too hard to look elegant”. There’s a reason Absolut uses Futura. I wouldn’t be surprised if, awards and accolades aside, a lot of people just gloss over it on shelves because the cheap look matches the cheap price.

    If I were Tito, I’d drop a few grand on a graphic designer to redesign the font, logo, and label.

  13. 13.

    mmc

    April 19, 2008 at 4:06 pm

    I will point out Leslie did come in second in his run for mayor. How would you have felt if you were one of the three candidates who came in behind him?

    Besides he has a fine line of Leslie kitsch. I have (and have given ((to people I like)) his dress up refrigerator magnets
    http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oop/click_ord/list.html?sid=3401&list=MM9

  14. 14.

    ThymeZone

    April 19, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    I guess this explains why my neighbor, Richard Tastesfine, has so many friends.

    Of course, we just call him Dick. He’s nothing to look at, and not really very interesting, and yet people want to be around him.

    Sometimes, a name really is everything.

    Good luck, Tito!

  15. 15.

    Stooleo

    April 19, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Crazy, I just bought a bottle not 20 minutes ago. This was all on miq2whatevers recomendation. (so you cant label me sexist cause I hate HRC)

  16. 16.

    rreay

    April 19, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    For a film contest I competed in we needed a local landmark to prove it was shot in Austin. Our landmark was Leslie.

    I’m not is Austin anymore. Tito’s site says there is a distributor here but I’ve never heard of it and neither has google. Time for an adventure.

  17. 17.

    4tehlulz

    April 19, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    Wacky. I sit down with a Tito’s-based screwdriver and I see this.

  18. 18.

    Grand Moff Texan

    April 19, 2008 at 5:05 pm

    Great fucking vodka. I’ve been watching it catch on for years now, and Tito is great friends of [omitted for anonymity], who can vouch for his generosity and good character.

    Nice doing business with a nice guy.

    Monopolowa is the best value in vodka. Every now and then, I hanker for the authentic Russian reek of rye and buy Moskovskaya, which you can find in Austin. It kicks Stoli’s ass.

    Everything else sucks.
    .

  19. 19.

    calipygian

    April 19, 2008 at 5:49 pm

    Hmm, any distributors in Manhattan? Just wondering whether, and where, I could pick some up to try.

    There should be. There is an ad for Tito’s in the New York Times everyday, usually a small one on page A9-ish.

  20. 20.

    calipygian

    April 19, 2008 at 5:59 pm

    I’m not a big vodka fan, but, I have been to Russia about 50 times and everyone, Russian and American, swears on Russki Standart. I’m not sure if you can get it in the states, but everyone I know comes home with a suitcase full of the shit everytime we go, and our Russian hosts always point us in that direction.

    Also, you know the way microbrew beer has proliferated in the States? Its the same way in Russia with vodka. Every good sized town and city in Russia puts out its own vodka. I’ve got all sorts of weird vodkas from lots of different places in Russia with weird additives like, say, ginseng. If you can think of it, some Russian distillery has put it in a bottle of vodka.

    Even individual enterprises and factories distill their own vodka. When I went to visit the original AK-47 factory in Izhevsk, I picked up a bottle of the undrinkable vodka the factory makes, Kalashnikov vodka.

    Now, I don’t normally drink vodka, but, if you want to clean out your sinuses, try Ukrainian Horylka. It is vodka infused with honey and hot peppers and you might be able to get it in the States with the brand name Nemiroff.

  21. 21.

    Krista

    April 19, 2008 at 6:34 pm

    Thanks for the heads-up. My stepdad is a huge vodka fan, and they’ll be in Alvin, TX in June. I’ll have to see out of what airport they’ll be flying — hopefully it’ll be available at the duty-free shop.

  22. 22.

    srv

    April 19, 2008 at 6:51 pm

    they’ll be in Alvin, TX in June.

    Alvin != Austin.

    Alvins south of Houston. One of my old bosses went to H.S. there with Janis Joplin and Nolan Ryan.

  23. 23.

    JGabriel

    April 19, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    calipygian:

    I’ve got all sorts of weird vodkas from lots of different places in Russia with weird additives like, say, ginseng. If you can think of it, some Russian distillery has put it in a bottle of vodka.

    Russia:Vodka::US:Iced Tea

    .

  24. 24.

    Keith

    April 19, 2008 at 6:56 pm

    I’ve been drinking Monopolowa exclusively for 10 years now (cheap, great, and still made with potatoes). I keep meaning to try Tito’s, though, since I’ve heard it’s absolutely one of the best. But then, I’ve also heard that the best vodka is McCormick’s filtered several times through a Brita.

  25. 25.

    SpotWeld

    April 19, 2008 at 6:58 pm

    A friend of mine introduced this to me when I was visiting Dallas. As mentioned above, first vodka I’d drink straight. And most of the package stores in CT have it on the shelf.

  26. 26.

    Krista

    April 19, 2008 at 8:19 pm

    If I were Tito, I’d drop a few grand on a graphic designer to redesign the font, logo, and label.

    I don’t think that’ll be necessary. The word of mouth on this vodka is pretty amazing. During that whole Absolut kerfuffle, I saw a LOT of people recommending Tito’s. The label helps perpetuate that “best-kept-secret” imagery.

    I think Tito’s doing everything right, from what I’m seeing.

  27. 27.

    stickler

    April 19, 2008 at 8:51 pm

    Well! Finally some good spirits blogging again.

    the trifecta are finlandia, luksusowa, and monopolowa…

    Hear, hear. Especially Monopolowa (from Vienna, of all places). But good for Tito, too. There ought to be more local production of everything, and that includes spirits.

    Up here in Oregon we’ve got some great little distillers that have opened up shop, and some of their products are just amazing.

    Someone mentioned label design. Both New Deal Distillery and Medoyeff Vodka have produced good labels, and good vodka in the bottle too.

    As I’m sipping a martini right now, it would be remiss of me not to mention the collaboration product Aviation Gin also available at fine retailers near you (if you happen to be in Washington, Oregon, or California, otherwise not so much).

  28. 28.

    Harley

    April 19, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    Tito’s is a big favorite at Trader Joe’s* — meaning it has the all-important, to some, Trader Joe’s seal of approval.

    Not bad vodka, either.

    *Franchise coming east soon. Brooklyn, of course.

  29. 29.

    Breschau

    April 19, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    Wait – his last name is “Beveridge”, and he makes an alcholic drink? Is this like the “Bookerman” episode of Seinfeld?

  30. 30.

    totally wierd

    April 19, 2008 at 11:21 pm

    Weird, just this evening I was at a local frou-frou market and pondered the large vodka selection, finally settling on the Tito’s because it was on sale. Now at home drinking it…wonderful vodka, definitely on my “buy again” list. Tito’s, don’t change a thing, I even like the label, makes the contents look a little brown, like the homemade vodka that I tasted in Poland some years back, of which there truly is no equal. But Tito’s comes pretty close!

  31. 31.

    slightly_peeved

    April 20, 2008 at 12:31 am

    One of the smoothest I’ve tasted is – believe it or not – a New Zealand vodka, “42 below”.

  32. 32.

    drunken hausfrau

    April 20, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    longtime Tito’s fans… unfortunately, we can’t get it in London, England. But back in Wisconsin — woohoo!! Those were some very tasty martinis!

  33. 33.

    taoless

    April 20, 2008 at 4:07 pm

    dear empty
    in response to your query, my personal candidate for best all-round vodka is ciroc, a french vodka made from grapes, of all things. it has this sort of feather-light delicacy on the palate that i find simply amazing. there’s still the alcohol sting, but it’s somewhat less pronounced than in most other vodkas, even the high-end ones. deep down, you can taste the congeners from the grapes, and the flavor does this neat trick of simulating sweetness without actually being sweet, as if it tickled around the edges of the sweet-receptors on the tongue without actually stimulating them, so that they resonate from the absence of direct stimulation. there’s also a hint of an almost vegetal character, like the scent of fresh flowers on the tongue.
    not one to be mixed, at least not with anything more flavorful than a twist of lemon or orange.
    then again, anyone who mixes anything better than mid-shelf booze is wasting their money. i suppose you might look cool ordering it, but once you step away from the bar nobody knows.
    anyway, day in day out, i’ll drink monopolowa, for vodka anyway. mostly i drink red wine and american whiskey.

  34. 34.

    Adam

    April 20, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    once you step away from the bar nobody knows.

    another point in favor of Tito’s (at least in Austin) is that it’s far and away the most economical thing you can get at a bar — as good or better than most of the top-shelf vodkas, but priced like the stuff that usually comes out of a plastic bottle. that deal cannot be beat.

  35. 35.

    Tom in Texas

    April 21, 2008 at 1:12 pm

    tao;

    have you tried Roth? It is another grape vodka, and I honestly prefer it to Ciroc. Both are wonderful though, with that hint of sweetness to which you refer.

  36. 36.

    taoless

    April 21, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    tom
    i have not. washington state has a liquor monopoly, so there are all kinds of things we can’t get, because the state doesn’t bother to import them. it’s pretty awesome. there are a couple of liquor stores, that only sell to bars, where i might be able to find something like that, if the right guy was working that day and remembered me from when i used to do the ordering, but i haven’t seen that bottle on anybody’s shelf, at least that i can remember.

  37. 37.

    lilysmom

    April 22, 2008 at 7:52 am

    Tom- Bought Tito’s and tried it… UHfrickenmazing.
    Incredibly smooth. Wow!
    I am a martini drinker. I much prefer it to my old standby Stoli.
    Thanks for the headsup.

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