Cannabis-flavoured vodka to debut in the UK
The Wine & Spirits Show, which will be held at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London on 12 and 13 April, will showcase a New Products Zone, which is set to be one of the main attractions of the event, showcasing cutting-edge and innovative new expressions.
On display at the show and making its debut in Britain is Weedka – made by using 100% natural cannabis terpenes (organic compounds) to flavour the vodka and, as such, contain none of the psychoactive or medicinal properties of the marijuana plant.
Maarten Witteveen, co-founder of the vodka brand, told of his inspiration behind the in-demand product.
“We came up with the crazy idea of adding cannabis leaves to vodka, a bit like the botanical distillation of gins, just without the master distiller involved,” explained Witteveen.
“We considered the options and 100% natural is by far the best performer infused in top-quality, quintuple distilled French grain vodka.”
Produced in the Netherlands, the cannabis-infused spirit (40% ABV) is now available in both its home country and Germany, with plans to extend its reach to markets across Europe and South America in the near future.
Legal high
The cannabis oil used to flavour the spirit is sourced from California, US, where the team is able to work with cannabis legally.
Tests are then carried out independently to ensure that there is no THC (the psychoactive substance in cannabis) present, thus, making it legal in European markets.
“As a result, Weedka is 100% legal wherever alcohol is legal,” added Witteveen.
“There is a road to travel for Weedka as we are innovating within a pretty calm vodka category.
“From a flavour perspective, we have received various comments that we are closer to a botanical craft gin then we are to pure vodka.
“The fun part is that Weedka can most certainly be enjoyed neat, we would argue more so than gin can be.”
