Vodka · 40.0% ABV
Charbay Clear Vodka
Contact for pricing
Pricing not set yet
Availability
45 states
Order size
1+ cases
12 bottles per case
Made from 100% pure grain (a corn and rye blend) sourced directly from Midwest farmers, using northern California water. No charcoal, diamond dust, or filter agents are used.
New to DiscoCraft. we'll make sure your request reaches them
The Brand
Charbay
Ukiah, CA
Est. 1983
Charbay was founded in 1983 in Ukiah, California as Domaine Karakash, becoming the 177th licensed distillery in America. The Karakasevic family traces its distilling heritage back 13 generations to 1751, when the House of Karakasevic was honored by the Austrian-Hungarian imperial court of Empress Maria Theresa for its wines and brandies. In 1987 the winery was renamed Charbay, a name combining Chardonnay and Brandy after the family's first Dessert Chardonnay. Still independent and family-owned, Charbay is committed to old-world European distilling knowledge paired with American creativity, producing whiskey, vodka, brandy, rum, and liqueurs without cutting corners on time.
View brand profile →The Founder's Note
Charbay was founded by Milorad (Miles) Karakasevic, who immigrated to North America in 1962 after earning degrees in Enology and Viticulture from the University of Belgrade. Miles designed the first American-made Alambic Charentais pot still in 1993 and was named America's first Grand Master Distiller in 2010. His son Marko, the family's 13th generation distiller, joined in 1995 and has been Master Distiller since 2009. Marko revolutionized flavored vodka in 1998 with the first U.S. vodka made from 100% real fruit and later pioneered whiskey distilled from fully brewed beer.
How It's Made
Charbay distills in a handmade 660-gallon copper Alambic Charentais pot still built by the Prulho family in France. Each batch is run twice: the first distillation builds the body, and the second selectively captures the best part of the run. Master Distiller Marko Karakasevic manually switches between heads, hearts, and tails by taste and smell rather than automated cuts, a process that can take multiple days of continuous attention per batch.
Tasting Notes
Palate: touch of corn sweetness with subtle vanilla and almond notes. Finish: soft, smooth, with a light peppery finish.
Cocktail Applications
Red, White, & Blue Lemon Drop ShotsRecipe
- 2 1/2 oz Charbay Clear Vodka
- 1 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 1/4 oz grenadine
- 1/4 oz blue curacao
- edible gold glitter (optional)
Combine vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Pour grenadine into one shot glass and blue curacao into another. Distribute the shaken mix among three glasses to create the red, white, and blue layered effect. Cred. @mixitupwithmary.
Rice and ShineRecipe
- 5 L toasted-rice-infused Charbay Clear Vodka (1 cup toasted rice per liter, sous vide at 60C for 2 hours)
- 2.25 L Chinola mango liqueur
- 2 L tahini rice mango syrup (1 qt rice milk, equal weight sugar, 10% tahini by weight, 14 oz mango puree)
- 2 L citrus juice
- 2 L jasmine tea (50g steeped 10 minutes)
- 98 oz coconut milk, for clarification
Blend rice milk with an equal weight of sugar, then add the tahini and mango puree and blend again; strain through a chinois. Combine all main ingredients in a large container. Clarify by slowly pouring the punch into the coconut milk, allowing it to curdle, then strain through a chinois lined with a nut milk bag until clear. Cred. Rich Table, San Francisco, CA.
