25th January, 2018
by
Lucy Shaw
Taking quirky distilling methods to new heights, Hilton Head Distillery in South Carolina has released a vodka made from cloud vapour onto the market.
Aermoor vodka from Hilton Head Distillery in South Carolina uses water sourced from clouds
As reported by Esquire, Aermoor is the brainchild of distiller Joe Fenten, who chanced upon the idea after while gazing at a blanket of clouds on Hilton Head Island.
Blue sky thinking: cloud-sourced vodka
Fenten, a trained engineer and founder of Hilton Head Distillery, sought to find a way to capture the clouds and use water vapor trapped in the atmosphere in his distillation process.
To do he designed an Air Water Generator able to turn water vapor into the pure alkaline water used to proof down the vodka. The result, according to Fenten, is “a pure, crisp, clean vodka with a subtle, sweet aroma”.
“We thought it would be fantastic to tap into Mother Nature’s bounty instead of pulling water from the local water supplier, which is a precious resource in limited supply on the island.
“As long as there is humidity in the air, we’re able to generate a proofing water unlike any other spirit company in the world,” Fenten told Esquire.
“Our capacity is only limited by our ability to generate water from the clouds, which is heightened when humidity on the island is at its peak. The water is less acidic, creating a smooth mouthfeel, less stringency, and better drinkability,” he added.
This isn’t the first vodka to use water vapour as an ingredient. In 2016 Hangar 1 distillery in San Francisco released a vodka called Fog Point made from Bay Area fog.