Whether you drink vodka neat or mixed in a cocktail, one of the most well-known brands is Grey Goose. But did you know all of these facts about Grey Goose? Check out this list of 10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the famous drink.
1. The brand name is inspired by where it’s made
Photo courtesy of @Pierre-AlainDorange on flickr.com
The name Grey Goose comes in handy for their catchy tagline ‘fly beyond,’ but it also has an origin story. Allegedly, it’s inspired by the geese that drink from the fountain in front of the Hotel de Ville in Cognac, France, the place where Grey Goose vodka is made.
2. It’s made in France, but it’s designed for Americans
Photo courtesy of @MichaelKumm on flickr.com
Although Grey Goose is made in France, the idea for the brand comes from Sidney Frank, an American who wanted to make vodka for Americans. Frank wanted to create a luxury vodka for Americans, and felt like having a vodka that came from France would give off an aura of luxury.
3. It’s now owned by Bacardi
Grey Goose became so successful that Frank sold the brand to Bacardi for $2 billion in 2004. Not too shabby, eh?
4. The creator was super kind to uni students
Photo courtesy of @thurdl01 on flickr.com
It turns out that Frank was quite the philanthropist. He he went to Brown University in 1942, but had to drop out because he could only afford one year of tuition. After his success later in life, he made huge donations to Brown University so that no student would ever have to leave because of financial struggles again.
5. The man who developed the Grey Goose recipe wasn’t taken seriously at first
While Frank was the one who created the brand, it was Francois Thibault who came up with the recipe. As Thibault was originally working with cognac, the idea that he was now going to work with vodka was openly mocked.
Luckily, after the success of his recipe, the mockery subsided, and the practice of fellow Matire de Chai (masters of the cellar) making vodka became more common.
6. Grey Goose production is surprisingly small scale
Photo courtesy of @QuinnDombrowski on flickr.com
When wine and spirits writer Carly Wray went to see how Grey Goose was made, she found that “the entire world’s supply of Grey Goose comes through the mill and distillery in La Vallee de l’Oise, a facility manned, when I visited, by all of 17 people.” That’s impressive for such a well-known vodka brand.
7. Grey Goose uses only the best wheat in production
Photo courtesy of @Sleepyclaus on flickr.com
When it comes to Grey Goose, they are careful to use ‘soft winter wheat‘ instead of summer wheat, as this has had four extra months of growing time. On top of that, they only use the soft winter wheat that is classified as ‘superior bread-making wheat,’ which insures their vodka is top-quality.
Extra fact: It takes about 1 kilo of wheat to make 1 bottle of vodka.
8. Some have been suspicious of its smoothness
Photo courtesy of youtube.com
In fact, Grey Goose vodka is such good quality that many people have been suspicious of its smoothness. While people have thought the smoothness is due to the addition of glycerol, tests carried out prove this is not the case. So Grey Goose drinkers can sip and enjoy in peace.
9. There are many variations of Grey Goose
Photo courtesy of @TheMiamiMaven on flickr.com
Aside from the classic Grey Goose vodka, there are also fruit-infusions: L’Orange, Le Citron, La Poire, Cherry Noir, and Le Melon. As Carly Wray pointed out, all of these fruit flavours are from actual fruits, and all (except the oranges, which are from Florida), are from France.
They also have another drink, Grey Goose VX, which has a hint of cognac mixed in with the vodka.
10. They have made other wheat products too
Photo courtesy of ABC News
They don’t only use their wheat to make vodka; they also use it to make bread. Recently, Grey Goose has opened various pop-up boulangeries in places such as London, New York, Paris, and Berlin. Their creations not only look delicious, but have won awards to boot.