Charbay: Pure, Handcrafted Vodka

Making flavored vodka with the whole fruit wasn’t how it was done. Well, not until Marko made it happen in 1997. Being unimpressed with the flavored vodka brands available, he ventured to create an American vodka where the flavor would come from the whole fruit. All 100% of it.

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The first whole fruit vodka Marko set his mind to crafting was Meyer Lemon. Next came Ruby Red Grapefruit, then Blood Orange. Each flavor is only made when the fruit is in season, ripe and at its best. Once shredded, skins and all, everything goes into our proprietary extractor and ever so slowly the truest flavors are drawn out. Finally we integrate the extract with our very own award-winning Clear Vodka, creating a flavor as delicious as the whole fruit itself.

Green Tea Vodka was another first for the market. Similar to our fruit vodkas, whole green tea leaves are sourced and then undergo a long extraction process for the truest flavor.

Questions We’re Often Asked

What is whole fruit vodka?Bettina Ferrando2023-01-20T02:22:17-08:00

What is whole fruit vodka?

If you’re choosing a fruit vodka wouldn’t you want the taste to be of the entire fruit, and nothing else? Our fruit flavored vodkas are made with freshly-picked, sun-ripened whole fruit, with no dyes, no additives and no preservatives. This is why we only make it once a year, when the fruit is in season, at its most delicious. When it reaches ideal ripeness, it’s picked and sent directly to us. We take this nature ripened fruit and put the whole thing through our shredder. Why? We want you to taste the purity of the whole fruit, not just elements of it. The next step is the extraction process and depending on the fruit, takes anywhere between 68-90 days. The final step is the integration of this concentrated fruit into our award-winning Clear Vodka. It’s a long and time consuming process but the end product is magnificent, just like biting into the whole, real fruit.

What does Green Tea vodka taste like?Bettina Ferrando2022-09-24T17:33:57-07:00

What does Green Tea vodka taste like?

Freshly brewed green tea with a touch of sweetness. We suggest you serve it on the rocks, or make a refreshing cocktail, mixing one part Green Tea Vodka with two parts lemonade, garnished with a sprig of mint.

Or as well explained by Imbibe Magazine – “The aroma is identical to that of freshly brewed tea with grassy and lightly floral notes and just a hint of sweetness, like green tea with honey, making it perfect for summer refreshers.”

Why is vodka filtered?Bettina Ferrando2023-01-20T02:26:45-08:00

Why is vodka filtered?

Our Clear Vodka isn’t filtered through charcoal or diamond dust or any kind of filter agent. Why not? Because when you distill it properly the first time, there’s no impurities or contaminants to filter out. Plus filtering strips the body and mouthfeel out of your vodka.

The key is to start with the best. Like the philosophy behind all of our spirits, when you start with delicious, you concentrate delicious. Crafting the vodka portfolio is no different. We distill from 100% pure grain (a mix of corn and rye) sourced directly from farmers in the Midwest, then blend with crystal clear Northern California water. Distilled correctly, one time only, in a 4-column still, we build a body with a silky, smooth mouthfeel you can taste. Why would you want to strip away any of that incredible flavor?

Would you like to know Marko’s point of view on the filtering of vodkas?

“If you have a dirty pair of jeans and have to wash them 5x, they were filthy. Same thing with vodka. If you have to filter the hell out of it, it was dirty to start with.”