The Belle of Dayton distillery in the Oregon Historic District has won a silver medal for its flagship vodka and is moving closer to releasing a specialty rum and a pepper-infused vodka, co-owner Murphy LaSelle said this morning.
The distillery's Belle of Dayton Vodka was awarded a silver medal in the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition held earlier this month in New York City. The full list of medal-winners was released Tuesday.
“We beat out a lot of stiff competition,” LaSelle said.
Belle of Dayton opened last year, and its vodka, which sells for $24.95, is the only product available. But that’s about to change: by the end of October, LaSelle is hoping to release a 1775 Colonial Reserve Rum and a hot-pepper-infused Hell’s Vodka (or, perhaps, Hell’s Belle’s Vodka).
The rum is made from a recipe from the late 1700s, using primarily molasses rather than sugar cane, which LaSelle said adds complexity to the finished rum. The Hell’s Vodka utilizes some of the hottest peppers in the world, including Ghost and Scorpion peppers, to create a vodka meant primarily for Bloody Mary drinks, LaSelle said. Both new products will cost $25 to $35.
Belle of Dayton is setting up barrel-aging equipment and has some whiskies in the works, the first of which may be released between Thanksgiving and Christmas, LaSelle said.
The distillery is open to the public from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays. For more information, check out the Belle of Dayton Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BelleOfDayton.
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