ENGLISH DISTILLERS LAUNCH FIRST SPARKLING VODKA

As rumors circle over the possibility of Diageo launching a sparkling spirit brand sometime in the near future, it looks like someone has already beaten them to the punch. International English Distillers released the world’s first sparkling vodka, entitled Vodka O2, recently after enduring an 18 month development process that puts oxygen bubbles into the vodka.

Vodka O2 is produced predominately from wheat and a small amount of malted barley, and distilled and filtered three times in 100-year-old copper pot stills. The makers have created a range of over 20 original vodka-based cocktails they call Tapastini, inspired by Spanish tapas.

Already available in Europe, O2 will be launched in the U.S. and Canada at the start of 2007.