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Identity Vodka
About Identity Vodka
Happy Pride Month everybody! I hadn’t really thought about it until this year, but I haven’t seen many spirit brands that advertise support for the LGBTQ+ community. So, when I randomly came across this bottle of Identity Vodka, I was excited to check it out.
Although it began as a LGBTQ+ friendly tequila brand under the Casa Maestri umbrella of spirits, Identity has expanded to include vodka and flavored vodka. The bottle is branded with a striking felt fingerprint and and rainbow colored lines. Part of the proceeds from Identity sales, about $1 per bottle, are donated to LGBTQ+ charities including GLAAD, The Equality Alliance and DIFFA Dallas.
Information specifically about Identity Vodka was hard to find, but the bottle provides some insight. It’s distilled and bottled by Premium spirits Company, and imported and distributed by Mexcor Inc. The spirit is also a product of France, and distilled 5 times.
Bottle Specs
❖ Spirit: Wheat Vodka
❖ Distillery: Premium Spirits Company
❖ ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
❖ Moderate/ High Price
Tasting Notes
My Tasting Notes
❖ Color: Clear
❖ Nose: Sugar sweetness, cream and vanilla
❖ Taste: Immediate heat in the back of the throat, heavy sweetness with a hint of vanilla, watery mouthfeel
❖ Finish: medium, the sweetness lingers and there’s a pleasant heat
Cocktail
Lychee Martini
15ml (1/2 oz) Dry Vermouth
30ml (1 oz) Giffard Lichi-Li Liqueur
60ml (2 oz) Vodka
❖ Add ingredients to a mixing class, Fill with ice and stir until chilled (15-20 seconds)
❖ Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lychee
A big reason I was excited to try a new vodka was to use Giffard Lychee Liqueur in some cocktails. The Giffard website had a few simple cocktails, but this Lychee Martini caught my eye, since I’ve never tried a vodka martini. I ended up misreading the recipe, and didn’t add the lychee garnish, but I still think it looks nice with a pansy my partner grew.
This is a really dangerous cocktail. The sweet lychee is the strongest flavor by far, but there’s enough herbal vermouth notes to provide some depth of flavor. Personally, I would prefer stronger vermouth flavor, but this balance is still satisfying, and could even be used as an introduction to vermouth. And, the Identity Vodka was doing its job by adding alcohol and an extra bit of sweetness.
Bottom Line
RATING: 3/5
I’m still not completely sure how I feel about Identity Vodka. The spirit itself is solid, although a little too sweet for my personal taste, but I couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling regarding the LGBTQ+ representation. But, I would still recommend Identity for anyone who is looking for an especially sweet vodka that works well in cocktails, and I’m personally interested in trying some of their tequilas. Also, the felt fingerprint is really satisfying to touch.
I think my most of uneasiness comes from the general lack of information about the Identity brand, since I tend to be pretty cynical about spirit advertising by default. It’s part of Casa Maestri, a large company in the tequila world, but it was surprisingly difficult to find the official website, with web searches mostly providing generic retail listings. I only found the vodka page by using a link on the Identity Youtube page that only had one, but now two, subscribers.
And, the site itself is pretty barebones, so questions were never fully answered. It’s a brand that supports the LGBTQ+ community, but doesn’t say if there are any people from the community involved in production, so it feels almost like hollow advertising. And, I appreciate the transparency about the charity donations, but was surprised it’s only $1 per bottle. Of course, I don’t really know anything about business, but that number seems low for a $30 vodka.
But, even with these feelings, I’m still interested to see how Identity develops in the future, since it does feel a bit like a young brand. I definitely will check out the tequilas too, as I’ve been running low on blanco tequila.
As always, drink responsibly.
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