Boardroom Spirits launches B, the first of many vegetable spirits in its periodic-table inspired line

02-Oct-2016 - Last updated on 04-Oct-2016 at 17:04 GMT

At a 45% alcohol content or 90 proof, Boardroom Spirits intentionally designed B to be a higher proof spirit to better carry the aeromatics of the beet root.

Pennsylvania-based craft distillery, Boardroom Spirits, believes that beets can be the root of the future for US cocktail culture and has launched B, an eau de vie or as co-owner Marat Mamedov likes to call it a “spirit specialty.”

Mamedov and the Boardroom Spirits team were first introduced to the idea of creating vegetable-based spirits while visiting Europe, where they are more prevalent.

“We really wanted to differentiate ourselves… And we saw that there really isn’t a vegetable-based eau de vie or spirit of this nature in the US market,” Mamedov told BeverageDaily.

The beets are fermented and distilled below 95% alcohol, making it a specialty spirit or vegetable eau de vie.

Priced at $29.99 per 375ML bottle, B is available online through Ezra’s as well as multiple bars, and at Boardroom Distillery where the company offers free tours and tastings to educate consumers.

Targeting the high-end culinary world

The company is targeting high-end mixologists who can experiment with its use as a “secondary spirit.”

So far, Mamedov said the B spirit has been used in Bloody Marys, gimlets, ciders, sangrias, and paired with mezcal to create a smoky, peaty scotch flavor profile.

“Our number one goal was always to target chefs or executive chefs to basically see how can we extend alcohol from the bar and into the kitchen. You know, people cook with cognac, there’s no reason we can’t add a pop of that beet flavor,” Mamedov said.

However, the company recognizes that while B offers a unique earthy flavor, the taste is not for everyone.

“It’s our bipolar product, you’re either going to love it or you’re going to hate it,” he said. “There’s really no in between.”

Building a periodic table of alcohol

The company’s launch of B is only the first of many vegetable eau de vie it plans to introduce in the future, all of which will be named as single letters such as “A” for an aged apple brandy to launch next year, “C” for a carrot-based spirit, and “P” for a pear brandy.

“We really wanted to challenge ourselves to build out this periodic table of alcohol where it’s fun to collect, but at the same time, it challenges us as a manufacturer to be really innovative and technically precise with how we produce our products,” Mamedov said.

Scientific precision

One of the mantras of Boardroom Spirits is its pursuit of the most technically precise process of distilling, which it has already tweaked a few times since bringing on executive distiller Atilla who holds a PhD in fermentation and distillation.

When the distillation first began at Boardroom Spirits’ facility, Kovács was still living in Hungary, but by working with Hagyo Distilling who provided automated solutions, he was able to remotely control and monitor the distillation process in Pennsylvania.

“The very first distillation we ran, Atilla wasn’t even over here, but because of the automation and technology we had, he could log into the still from his laptop in Hungary and actually run the distillation across the ocean from Budapest, while I’m on the receiving end in the US telling him what’s going on,” Mamedov said.

‘The year of the clear’

In addition to getting its six core products available online and in stores both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Boardroom Spirits will begin crafting its carrot specialty spirit as well as begin the distillation process of its apples and pears to create, three new more additions to its “periodic table of alcohol.”