Wasabé : A blend of Dutch Vodka and Japanese Saké

October 2005 --Grand Island Beverages announces the long awaited arrival of Wasabé. Wasabé arrives just in time for vodka consumers looking for something that is truly differentiated from a taste perspective.

Wasabé is a blend of premium Dutch vodka and crafted Japanese saké – an east meets west spirit brand. The saké is specially made in Japan by a master brewer who has been making saké according to craft traditions that date back 500 years. The saké is then sent to the Netherlands where a master distiller carefully blends it into premium Dutch vodka. No flavors are added at any point in the process in order to preserve the delicate taste and balance of the saké.

“When we set out, we wanted to make a better tasting vodka. Truth be told, we were frustrated by the many vodkas on the market all claiming to be better tasting or more pure when vodka is supposed to be odorless, colorless, and tasteless,” said Jim Andrews, cofounder of Grand Island Beverages. “We found that blending in Japanese saké not only added a beautiful aromatic to vodka, but it also lengthened the pallet and took away the residual aftertaste that other vodkas try to mask or tell you is not there. The saké is truly the star in Wasabé.”

Wasabé is poised to change the way consumers approach vodka because of its unmistakably unique taste. Richard Cutler, cofounder of Grand Island Beverages added, “We took a look at what others were doing to vodka and saw that nothing truly innovative was happening aside from flavor extensions – the simple fact was nothing was improving vodka. We knew that we needed to take a radically different approach that didn’t center on flavors or more distillations. We set out to create a vodka that people could hand on heart taste the difference. Wasabé completely surpasses all expectations that we had when we started out.”

Wasabé will have its official launch this fall in San Francisco. So successful in such a short time, that Roy’s, the Matrix, Ozumo, Swig, Shanghai 1930, R Bar, Catch, Four Seasons and many other popular Bay Area restaurants and bars have taken on this exciting new brand. Wasabé is being marketed as an “east meets west” spirit, intended to demonstrate that life is about trying new things and experiencing new cultures. Even the fun and memorable name is a fusion of two worlds – derived from the Japanese word ‘wasabi’ and the European languages use of the accented é. Wasabé is neither hot nor spicy but smooth and full of taste, something you need to savor to believe. “I’ve seen many products come and go in the last few years since retiring as President of Allied Domecq. I got involved with Wasabé because the concept is groundbreaking and the timing is perfect – I would be surprised if this wasn’t the next big spirit brand,” added George McCarthy, Chairman of Grand Island Beverages. “Taste is the ultimate decider in spirits. After all, isn’t it all about taste?”

About Wasabe: Available for a suggested retail pricing $35 per bottle. For further information visit: www.wasabeworld.com.

SOURCE Grand Island Beverages