For decades, vodka has been defined by one word: neutral.
The traditional thinking has always been simple: remove flavour, strip away character and create the cleanest spirit possible.
But if you’ve spent any time behind a bar over the past few years, you’ve probably noticed something changing.
The Martini is back. Not just as a cocktail, but as a genuine drinking occasion.
Bartenders and consumers are talking about texture, dilution, seasoning and balance with an enthusiasm we haven’t seen for years. At the same time, savoury and umami flavours have moved beyond the kitchen and firmly into the glass.
That’s exactly the conversation that led to the creation of Sunchaser Spirits.
At this year’s Melbourne Royal Australian Distilled Spirits Awards, Sunchaser Dirty Vodka was awarded both a Gold Medal and the Trophy for Best Flavoured Vodka.
The recognition was incredibly rewarding, but the award simply reinforced something we’d already begun to see through our conversations with bartenders.
Vodka is evolving.
The foundation of the Sunchaser range is our Pure Vodka, which is produced through pot distillation using deliberately high cut points to retain more texture and character within the spirit. There are no additives, no sugar and no shortcuts.
We wanted to create a vodka that celebrated flavour rather than hiding from it.
That thinking ultimately led to Sunchaser Dirty Vodka.
Instead of creating another sweet, fruit-driven flavoured vodka, we focused on one of the fastest-growing cocktail occasions in Australia: the Dirty Martini.
Sunchaser Dirty Vodka combines premium Australian vodka with an olive distillate and Australian olive brine, making the savoury character part of the spirit itself rather than simply adding more and more brine to the glass.
The philosophy behind both products became the foundation of Beyond Neutral, our bartender education platform developed in collaboration with drinks educator Jared Plummer.
Rather than focusing solely on the Sunchaser portfolio, Beyond Neutral starts with a much bigger question: why do we still judge vodka by how little we can taste it?
Through training sessions across Australia, we’re exploring vodka through texture, aroma, flavour, temperature and distillation while encouraging bartenders to challenge some of the category’s long-held assumptions.
That conversation naturally evolved into another idea.
What else can you make dirty?
The Martini was only the beginning.
We’ve started experimenting with Dirty Cosmopolitans, Dirty Mules, Dirty Palomas and even a Dirty Spritz, encouraging bartenders to take familiar drinks and reinterpret them through a savoury, saline and umami lens.
We’ve called the approach “Make It Dirty,” and it’s become a fun way to encourage creativity behind the bar while challenging expectations around what vodka can be.
The trophy now sits proudly on the shelf, but the real reward has been watching bartenders embrace the idea that vodka can once again become a genuinely creative category.
Maybe vodka doesn’t have to be neutral after all.
Maybe it’s time to move Beyond Neutral.