Bacardi paid a pretty penny for the Goose that laid the golden egg.įrank’s gamble at brand-before-booze was very successful. We’re happy to report that that’s right the amount of times vodka is distilled does not matter, despite what you might see being boasted on a “premium” vodka label. Grey Goose undergoes a single distillation process and claims that contrary to popular belief, the amount of times vodka is distilled has no effect on its purity or quality - rather, it’s the source of the ingredients that have more of an effect on the taste. Grey Goose wants to bust the mythical correlation between distillation and quality. It looks like the brand’s exclusivity runs deep - even when it comes to employment. All of the Grey Goose in the world is made by under 20 people.Īs of September 2020, only 17 employees worked at the distillery in La Vallee de l’Oise, France, where the entire world’s supply of Grey Goose is sourced. Grey Goose, however, adamantly denies affiliation with the brand. According to Vice, Kirkland vodka, which is one third the price of Grey Goose, has frequently outperformed its counterpart in blind taste-tests. Though this may break the hearts of many Grey Goose fans who pay top dollar for the stuff (and shatter the possible chimera of its “premium” status), there are rumors abound that Grey Goose produces Costco - yes, Costco - Kirkland brand vodka, which is also imported from France. There are rumors that Grey Goose produces Costco’s vodka. Grey Goose’s then-astronomical price was $30 a bottle, compared to the $17 Absolut. How to out-luxury a luxury brand? Raise the price. Part of the reason Frank invented Grey Goose was that he saw the success of the Absolut brand, which was priced highly for its time. Grey Goose entered the market as an Absolut Competitor. The company wanted bartenders to take notice of the brand’s attention to detail and quality, with the assumption that bartenders’ perceptions would trickle down to consumers. When Grey Goose first launched, the brand specifically shipped bottles out to bars in wooden crates as opposed to cardboard boxes like most other liquor brands. Just a year after its initial release in 1997, it was named the best tasting vodka in the world by the Beverage Tasting Institute. It was pretty much smooth sailing for Grey Goose from the beginning. Though some subscribe to the belief that the brand’s name was inspired by the many geese that drink from the fountain in front of Hôtel de Ville in Cognac, France, Frank himself said it was inspired by a German white wine with the same name. There were no geese involved (or harmed) in the naming of Grey Goose. If Frank wanted a French luxury brand he could charge almost double the normal price for, at least the process is faithfully “French.” This excludes the L’Orange flavor, however, which is made using oranges from Florida. Even the fruit used to make Grey Goose’s fruit flavors - Le Melon, Cherry Noir, and La Poire, for example - are grown in France. And then there’s the fact that the water it’s made with is filtered through limestone from the Champagne region. The wheat for Grey Goose is grown in Picardy and distilled there, before being sent to Cognac for filtration. And what’s more posh than France, the home of Champagne and Burgundy? There is a connection to France within the vodka’s production. He wanted a vodka American consumers would immediately associate with luxury. But Frank chose a place specifically against tradition - as in, not Eastern Europe. As vodka is made by stripping alcohol of most of its congeners and funky flavor compounds, it can be made almost anywhere. Grey Goose is distilled in Picardy, France, but not because of any specific regional interest. Frank simply aimed to fill a gap he noticed in the beverage market: high-end vodka. There wasn’t a particular recipe or method that drove the creation of Grey Goose. Grey Goose’s creator was all about French decadence and luxury. Frank had actually come up with the name first, and the rest - including the actual vodka - followed. The brand preceded the booze.īefore a single drop of Grey Goose had been distilled, the brand was already in the works. With a little help from a squadron of liquor ladies dubbed the “Jägerettes,” Frank brought us all the pleasure of knocking back shots of a rich, dark German liqueur in far too large a quantity. It wasn’t overnight, but Frank saw some promise in the stuff, and by the mid ‘80s, so did college kids. Among his first product successes? Jägermeister. Sidney Frank, the same guy behind the “Grey Goose” concept, started his importing company in 1972. The “French” vodka - which is currently produced in France - was originally the brainchild of American businessman Sidney Frank, billionaire founder of the Sidney Frank Importing Company.
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