Vodka can be distilled from pretty much anything and be flavored with pretty much anything — part of the joys of being a neutral spirit! It helps to explain why, even more so than other liquors, you regularly see strange vodkas on the market. Food & Wine reports that in the past year alone, a vodka distilled with oysters and Lay’s potatoes or flavored like Arby’s French fries and Naturdays have all made their way to liquor store shelves.
So what’s the latest unlikely vodka innovation? Something that’s sure to intrigue drinkers in Maryland at the very least: Old Bay Vodka.
Arriving this month, Old Bay Vodka is an official partnership between spice maker McCormick and George’s Beverage Company, a decade-old, Maryland-based company that had previously partnered with McCormick for an Old Bay Bloody Mary mix. Now, among other uses, Bloody Mary fans can double up the Old Bay influence by using both the mixer and the vodka.
“The idea to collaborate to craft Old Bay Vodka made perfect sense from the start,” Greg David, co-owner of George’s, said in the announcement. “We already had national distribution with top liquor distributors and a sustainable supply chain. The next step was identifying a local craft distillery that we could trust and that shared the same commitment to quality, craftmanship and sustainability, we found all this in McClintock Distilling.”
McClintock Distilling (not to be confused with McCormick, which doesn’t make booze) is a Frederick, Maryland-based craft distillery founded in 2013. They were apparently enamored enough with the Old Bay pitch that they built out a dedicated facility to produce this six-times distilled, corn-based, 35-percent ABV vodka that “perfectly highlights the quintessential flavor of the iconic Old Bay spice blend,” according to the brand.
“Old Bay has been a fan-favorite for over 75 years in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond,” Jill Pratt, McCormick’s chief marketing excellence officer, stated. “Our fans are loyal and passionate when it comes to all things Old Bay. We’re thrilled to work with George’s to bring the one-of-a-kind flavor of Old Bay to fans in entirely new, exciting, and innovative ways.”
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