Now celebrating the brand’s 20th anniversary, Grey Goose — renowned as the world’s best tasting vodka — is launching its latest summer campaign Down Under with a big, blue splash. Known as Grey Goose Riviera a new, limited-edition bottle has been designed to commemorate the twenty-year heritage. A launch party on a luxurious super yacht will be followed by a series of Grey Goose pop-ups across Sydney & Melbourne as part of the campaign. We sat down with Grey Goose Global Brand Ambassador, Joe McCanta to find out more.
Congratulations on 20 years of Grey Goose! Can you tell us a little about how it got started?
Thank you! What an exciting time for the vodka category. Vodka has long been the West’s most popular spirit, but in a lot of ways it remains somewhat misunderstood. There’s this misconception that vodka’s tasteless or odourless, and therefore less interesting than dark spirits.
In 1997, vodka was redefined with the creation of Grey Goose. This was a vodka created from the ground up, introducing the revolutionary concept of character and taste to a category that had always focused on purity and neutrality. Where other vodkas refined what had gone before, Grey Goose creators François Thibault and Sidney Frank set out to redefine vodka by taking the finest French ingredients and creating a 100% traceable process, from field to bottle.
Since then, the world has fallen in love with Grey Goose; it has completely reset appreciation for the vodka category and established a loyal fan base for the brand worldwide.
Tell us a bit about the Riviera bottle — has the liquid changed?
The design of the bottle was created in Paris by the head of our Grey Goose France team. We were all very inspired by the idea of capturing the summertime spirit of the French Riviera and reflecting this with our iconic bottle.
Taking cues from our French heritage, the new Riviera bottle design features classic marinière stripes, popularised by the bathing beauties of the Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) of the 1950s and 1960s. Defined by visible brush strokes reminiscent of France’s Impressionist Movement, the stripes give the bottle an appearance of spontaneity and vitality fit for the summer season.
The idea was to not only be a nod to the joie de vivre of the French Riviera but also to subtly represent the human touch element that is so essential to all we do – from the liquid to the bottle.
The Riviera bottle is available from Dan Murphy’s, BWS, Vintage Cellars and Ritchies, but it’s going quickly! You’ll see it sitting proudly on the back bars of the best venues in Australia.
Tell us more about the French heritage of Grey Goose
Our French heritage is integral to our identity. Up until the creation of Grey Goose in 1997, vodka had been gradually evolving, but this new arrival was a complete game-changer.
Francois and Sidney’s biggest belief was to make the World’s best tasting vodka, they needed to use the world’s finest ingredients, sourced from France. The soft winter wheat (finest grade Picardie wheat, to be precise) is sourced from three local farming cooperatives, which we mill ourselves to ensure we capture its full flavour. Then the only other ingredient used is natural spring water from Gensac-La-Pallue in the Cognac region of France.
It’s this appreciation and significance placed on quality that makes us unique. But in addition, it’s our brand’s personality. True, we value the finer things, but we also take a moment to enjoy the fun in life and our surroundings. We embody the French notions of ‘Joie de Vivre’, with a little ‘Laissez Faire’ thrown in for good measure — how exciting that Grey Goose can bring the French Riviera to Sydney.
Tell us about Le Grand Fizz.
This is the drink of the summer — a modern twist on the classic spritz. Le Grand Fizz is so effortlessly beautiful and very easy to sip on. It’s a delicious combination of Grey Goose Vodka, St~Germain Elderflower Liqueur and fresh lime, served over ice and topped with soda. A very easy serve that’s fresh and sumptuous on its own, or as an accompaniment with seafood, meats or salads.
Vodka can be a subtle spirit to discern aromas and flavours — what qualities do you look for when tasting the liquid?
The perception of vodka is a tasteless, odourless spirit. Is this true? Our palate is amazingly sensitive and picks up lots of delicate flavours.
The mouthfeel is key. Something too thin doesn’t satisfy the palate and therefore probably wouldn’t be great in drinks like the Martini. French wheat offers a lovely sweet base to Grey Goose Vodka so I always look to see if there is an element of natural sweetness to carry delicate notes such as citrus or almond. This finish is rich and smooth.
How important are the raw materials that go into making the spirit for Grey Goose?
All vodka is gluten free. Allergy-causing elements are captured during distillation. The soft winter wheat was selected because it has amazing starch and mineral content, perfect for making vodka. It is used by boulangeries in Paris to create the world’s best baked items. It makes perfect sense that if you use the world’s best wheat and build a production process which retains and showcases the natural flavour, you’ll get a fantastic tasting vodka.
Francois’s team are hands on throughout the entire process. The addition of our own spring water from deep below the Grand-Champagne limestone in Cognac results in a beautiful long and soft finish.
You’ve just come out of summer in Europe — what are the trends you’ve seen?
There’s a move towards lower ABV cocktails — fresher and lighter flavours — than the super whisk(e)y-driven and heavier Old Fashioned-style drinks we’ve been drinking for the last few years. I’m also seeing a lot of vermouth, sherry and amaros being incorporated into recipes. There’s no doubt we are living in a golden age of cocktail creation, bartenders continue to raise the bar.