Grey Goose is as much a cultural phenomenon as a vodka.

The brand was the brainchild of Sidney Frank, an industry legend who had overseen the transformation of Jägermeister from German hunters’ liqueur, to American campus party juice. After nearly 30 years of success with Jägermeister, Frank could have called it a day – he was already fabulously wealthy.

Instead, he sniffed out another gap in the market, the fact there was no super premium, “aspirational vodka”. This is why he created Grey Goose. To do so, Frank secured the services of François Thibault, a Cognac Cellar Master, to create the vodka’s recipe in 1997. It became the first vodka created in the “Maître de Chai” style, which (according to Grey Goose) allows certain aromas and flavours to be carefully produced in the distillation process.

The vodka was an immediate success, being awarded “Best Tasting Vodka” by the Beverage Testing Institute in 1998. Grey Goose was positioned as a luxury product, an aspirational spirit, featuring in films and music videos. Indeed, “Goose” is the subject of a great many hip-hop lyrics, giving it an irrepressible “cool factor”.

The spirit itself is made with a base of 100% French soft winter wheat from the Picardy region (usually reserved for the best pastries, bread and cakes of French cuisine), known as the “breadbasket of France”. The wheat is fermented in six cascading tanks, before being distilled in a continuous still. This process all occurs in Picardy, ensuring the wheat does not have far to travel before it is processed. The spirit is then shipped to Cognac, where is diluted with natural limestone-filtered spring water.

The final result is an incredibly clean and creamy vodka, with subtle notes of flower petals, spice, cereal sweetness, chewy wheat, nuts and liquorice.

An incredibly high quality vodka. Believe the hype.

• Distillery / brand
  Grey Goose
• Country
  France
• Bottler
  Distillery Bottling
• SKU
  039642