NEWS

You may have noticed that our eye-catching vodka bottles have undergone some minor changes recently. Rather than “Sweet Potato Vodka,” the label now reads “Spirit of the Harvest.” Why is this, you ask?  We checked in with Veronica from our Production Crew to understand this change, and here’s what she told us… There are 6 general steps we follow in the production of our vodka at Nauti Spirits.

1. The first step consists of sorting, washing, and milling the raw ingredients; in this case, sweet potatoes and corn.
2. Second, we transport the milled mixture from our processing building into our “mash” tank where we mix it with water, cook it, cool it down, and then add a few enzymes that help break down the starches into simple sugars. This is where producing vodka using solely sweet potatoes was a challenge, as sweet potatoes are difficult to fully break down (but that’s also why they’re good for you), and adding Jersey corn (with starches that more easily break down to simple sugars) greatly helped in that process.
3. The addition of corn to the mash also makes our yeast “happier” throughout the third step of the process, fermentation, where the yeast gobbles up the sugars and then produce alcohol.
4. After the yeast does their magic, we distill the fermented mash well over 20 times through different levels of micro-distillation (compare that to some who tout their “6 times distilled” vodka…).
5. Then we “proof down” that highly refined spirit with purified water to a consumption-level 80 proof vodka.
6. Finally, we filter the vodka through high-tech carbon filters, to make it even smoother, while being sure to leave a hint of those all-important farm origins!  When it comes to taste, the change in the flavor profile is interesting and subtle.

You likely won’t notice a difference when our vodka is mixed in a delicious craft cocktail in the Tasting Room or at home, but if you give it a try neat or on the rocks, you’ll appreciate the slightly enhanced character and mouthfeel, that still retains that essential whisper of its Garden State heritage –  something you can only get from the crew here at Nauti Spirits!  Good vodka, no…really good farm fresh vodka, takes a lot of hard work and time, but that’s what sets us apart from the masses.  We hope you appreciate and enjoy what we lovingly craft for you right here on our farm! Want to learn more about our farm, distillation process, and Distillery? Check out one of our Behind-the-Stills Tours!

 

You might wonder, with the thousands of pounds of raw material (whether sweet potatoes, corn, wheat, barley, rye or other grains) that are used in each production run at Nauti Spirits, what happens to the stillage (the spent mash from an alcoholic fermentation after removal of the alcohol in a still through distillation) that remains when the transformation is complete? While most of us prefer to enjoy the finished spirits in the Tasting Room, there is a certain population that turns their noses up to the farm-to-bottle spirits, opting instead for the spent mash: sheep & pigs! We’ve partnered with Pineybuck Farm in Buena, New Jersey to provide our high protein stillage to help keep their animals happy & full, and we’re looking forward to continuing this partnership for many years to come! As our friends at Pineybuck say, if you are a farm to table fan, it doesn’t stop at meat and veggies. Stop by Nauti Spirits to taste our farm-to-bottle spirits weekly Thursday & Friday 3:30-9pm, Saturday noon-9pm, and Sunday noon-7pm.

 

 

Our Master Distiller, Brendan Wheatley has been nominated for an edibleJersey Local Heroes Award! If you believe in us and the work we’re doing to revitalize our preserved farm, please take a moment to show your support for Nauti Spirits.

At Nauti Spirits, we know that finding gluten-free foods or drinks can be a challenge when dining out or when enjoying a cocktail in a tasting room.

While our spirits are not yet certified as gluten-free by FDA standards, we can assure you that there are no ingredients in Nauti Spirits Vodka or Rum that contain gluten. Nauti Spirits Vodka is distilled from locally grown sweet potatoes and corn. No gluten. And our rum is made from sweet Southern molasses. No gluten there either, folks! Once these base ingredients are distilled, the only thing added back to the spirit is pure water, which allows us to meet the proper proof.

Even though the distillation process removes the gluten from most spirits made with grains, we want you to know that WE DO CRAFT OUR GIN FROM WHEAT. If this concerns you, please stick to the Vodka and Rum!

And… our juices, seltzers, macerations, and mixtures are all made in-house with the utmost care and attention to detail in small craft batches. We do not use gluten in any of these hand-crafted creations.

So, grab your gluten-free dinner, call your friends, and head on over to Nauti Spirits for an evening of cocktails, live music, and laughter. You won’t have to ask for a gluten-free menu or make cocktail substitutions when enjoying our Vodka or Rum drinks- you’ll get to have a worry-free, gluten-free good time.

Join our mailing list and we’ll let you know when we’ve completed our independent lab verification and can proudly add “Gluten Free” to our labels!

OUR NOVEMBER TASTING ROOM MUSIC LINEUP

NOV 09 Open Mic Night with MQ Murphy-Lively local talent
NOV 10 Gordon Vincent- singer/songwriter
NOV 11 Ken Shiles and Ci Bon- stripped down guitar
NOV 12 Gregg Carpenter- singer-songwriter-guitarist/pianist
NOV 16 Open Mic Night with MQ Murphy- Lively local talent
NOV 17 Patty Blee & Ernie Trionfo- distinctive guitar style full of bass
NOV 18 C Lynne Smith-country to folk-rock & beyond
NOV 19 Marnie & Nate- versatile acoustic duo
NOV 24 The Honeyhawks- eclectic romantic, vintage folk & pop
NOV 25 Jon Thompson- saxophone & guitar
NOV 26 Michael Flanigan- acoustic singer/songwriter
NOV 30 Open Mic Night with MQ Murphy -Lively local talent