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Press Release:
NORTHEAST OHIO FIRST TO EXPERIENCE CRÄ€V VODKA
Northeast Ohio vodka connoisseurs, martini lovers or those that simply enjoy the finer things in life, vodka included, will be the first to experience CrÄÂv Vodka. Described as soft, silky and oh so smooth, 80 proof CrÄÂv Vodka is the newest brand of spirits to hit state liquor stores (on June 1, 2011). The spirit is being delivered to restaurants, bars and night clubs in Cleveland throughout the month (per orders placed months ago).
CrÄÂv Spirits’ 1-liter bottle is priced at the top of the categoryâ€â€$31.70 to $33.15 and $190.20 to $198.90 per case (six bottles). Bottles and boxes can be special ordered via state liquor stores. Visit cravspirits.com for locations.
The company, CrÄÂv Spirits, is the creation of Clevelander Thomas M. Riniâ€â€hence the introduction here and then to the rest of the state. “Our goal is to build a strong presence throughout Ohio before moving the product regionally,†he says.
Rini grew up in Cleveland, graduating from St. Ignatius in 1995, and then John Carroll University with undergrad and postgraduate degrees in 2000. He immediately accepted a position teaching health and physical education at his alma mater, St. Ignatius. Rini taught there until 2006â€â€leaving to take a position with Rini Realty Co., a family owned and operated commercial development and leasing firm in Westlake.
It wasn’t until 2007 at a bachelor party in Las Vegas that Rini started thinking ‘vodka’. “I knew I wanted something to call my own,†he says, coming from a long line of entrepreneurs and at the time craving something more in life and work. “I was sipping on a drink and started to think about the spirituous liquor business…the possibilities were endless.â€Â
Rini returned home to Rini Realty Co., and a year later began researching top shelf brands and distilleries based in the U.S. By 2010 he had formulated a business plan and financed CrÄÂv Spirits and contracted a custom distillery, Distilled Resources, Inc. Referred to as DRinc in the spirits industry, the Idaho distillery would produce, blend and bottle Rini’s private label, premium vodka.
“Vodka used to be about mix-ability and taste profile,†says Rini. “Now it’s all about the next great flavor and what to mix it with.†“With CrÄÂv, we’re going back to the original design and purpose of premium blend vodka with a high quality product that delivers tremendous taste no matter how you drink it.â€Â
Although Rini admits a flavor is already in the works. DRinc, pronounced “drinkâ€Â, is in the process of developing CrÄÂv Exoticâ€â€to be introduced next year in Cleveland.
Based in Idaho, DRinc is the single source for boutique brands like CrÄÂv Vodkaâ€â€made in small batches from winter wheat and ultra pure water from a 200 ft. deep well tapped into the state’s Snake River Aquifer. Making CrÄÂv Vodka unique to its category is that it’s distilled once, not multiple times using a four column continuous system. “This is important in creating a high quality product with superior taste without having to add additives or sugars,†says Rini.
He continues, “Distilling more than once bruises the alcohol and leaves you with a bitter finish,†which has yet to be said of the CrÄÂv brand in recent tastings.
At the San Francisco World Spirits Competition judges described it as soft, silky and extra smooth and rewarded CrÄÂv Vodka with a gold medal. “Winning at such a prestigious event puts us in the company of well known brands like Chopin and Effen,†says Rini. His vodka also beat out brands some of the industry’s “bestâ€Ââ€â€Finlandia and Smirnoff, among others.
Special tastings of CrÄÂv Vodka are being planned all over town this summerâ€â€in Tremont and Ohio City and downtown’s Warehouse District.
CrÄÂv Vodka is planning a simultaneous launch in Columbus. The product will be introduced in Ohio’s remaining cities – Dayton, Cincinnati and Toledo – soon after. From Ohio, Rini will expand distribution on a state-by-state basis. National distribution is in the business’s five year plan he says.
For retail availability and Cleveland area tastings, visit http://www.cravspirits.com .
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