About
ALASKAN ROCK ® VODKA
ABOUT THE VODKA
ALASKAN ROCK ® vodka is an Australian small batch vodka crafted for us by the award-winning distillers at Lark Distillery in Tasmania using malted barley. Many vodkas are made using wheat, rye, corn, potato or even plain sugar. We prefer malted-barley. It delivers a crisp neutral spirit flavour that vodka drinkers expect but also offers a lovely hint of malt. We think this makes our vodka an outstanding sipping spirit and a great mixer too.
Distilling is done twice in copper pot stills to ensure the purest, cleanest flavour. And the bottling is done by hand. You can see the process in the promotional video made for us by our pals at The Full Box.
We're proud to take an artisanal approach to our spirit and we hope our customers enjoy every drop. Responsibly, of course. Our recommendation is to enjoy ALASKAN ROCK vodka from the freezer, cold and neat. That's how we like it. But it will work any which way you please.
ABOUT THE NAME
Why is an Australian vodka called ALASKAN ROCK? Why not?
Here's the (long) story. A young Italian couple in Melbourne, Victoria were very excited about opening their first restaurant. It was the 1970s. Late one summer night in their new business, in Church Street, Richmond, in the week before opening, they were hosting a couple of Australian pals. It was decided that what the new restaurant needed was a new cool cocktail to offer diners as a pre-dinner treat. Ingredients? Immediately forgotten. (A lot of sampling and tasting went on that night). All that is known for sure is that a final dash of pear juice resulted in a surprising elixir. Served in highball glasses over cracked ice, it packed a delicious punch.
What to call this new, cool, icy drink? "Call it ALASKAN ROCK!" said somebody. Was there any connection with America's 49th state? Not beyond pure word association. Alaskan = cold and rock = ice. The Italians were delighted. (Say "ALASKAN ROCK" in an Italian accent - it's weirdly romantic.) One big batch of the drink was made that night. Then a handwritten sign was hung in the window of the new restaurant. It read "Last stocks available in Melbourne. ALASKAN ROCK sold here". Opening night arrived and curious adventurous Melbournians were lured by the intriguing sign. They bought the drink and stayed for dinner. The drink sold out in a few nights, never to be recreated. And the restaurant stayed open for 20+ years.
When we first heard the story of the name we loved the go-for-it-and-have-fun attitude of those happy 1970s Italians and we just knew we had to bring that name to the market ourselves. We toast the adventurous spirit of the original cocktail creators with our lovely new vodka. Salute and cheers.
ABOUT THE BOTTLES
ALASKAN ROCK bottles are a unique design. We want our customers to enjoy our vodka as much as possible and we think our iconic bottles rock. Industrial design team Vert brought our concepts to life. The bottles are made for us by terrific glass makers in Mexico. Why Mexico? Why not? Mexican glass is great stuff. And the ALASKAN ROCK story already had Italy, Australia and America in its story. Adding Mexicans into the mix was simply irresistible.
The glass we use is deepest shiny black with raised lettering wrapped around the left side. There's a pronounced punt (the underneath of the bottle) which we've crafted to denote a mountain range, of the kind you might find in Alaska. The bottles are each hand-finished to highlight the lettering in white. No two are exactly identical but they're all fabulous. We enjoy great design and great execution and we hope you do too.
Our pals at Altervision in Sydney took some fun photos to showcase our product. Take a look. Turn it up.
Our bottles aren't for the faint of heart. They're hefty, weighing in at nearly two kilograms filled. It's a workout pouring from an ALASKAN ROCK vodka bottle and you need to pay attention. Pour it slowly and directly into a glass or a measure.
ABOUT THE TOPS
ALASKAN ROCK tops are also a unique design. They're hollow and they're made in our favorite burnt orange colour. They're constructed from food grade plastic so they won't be affected by the vodka. Since each bottle is unique, the fitting of the tops into the neck can vary sometimes. Some tops may have a high friction to the glass, particularly at room temperature. When you get your ALASKAN ROCK bottle and you have cut away the plastic tamper-proof cap we recommend you freeze your vodka. The tops will then be easy to remove with a very satisfying "pop" sound.
ABOUT THE LABELS
ALASKAN ROCK labels are designed to allow us to add batch notes and bottle numbers so our customers can know they're buying a unique product. Hand labelling is fun and is all part of the artisanal approach we like to take with our product.
ABOUT THE BOX
We've nicknamed our ALASKAN ROCK boxes "the Ned Kellys" because of the slot revealing the bottle's raised lettering. It's an Australian thing.
ABOUT US
ALASKAN ROCK ® vodka is made by Alaskan Rock Pty Ltd ABN 39 128 543 706, an Australian company based in Sydney. Registered Office is Level 11, 68 Alfred Street, Milsons Point, NSW 2061. Our licensed storage facility is at 866 Bourke Street, Waterloo, NSW 2017. Storage licence 8202, establishment number 13485. NSW Packaged Liquor Licence (online sales) LIQP770016628.
You can contact us by email at cheers [at] alaskanrock dot com.
WHAT DOES 'RES IPSA LOQUITUR' MEAN?
It's a legal phrase. It means 'the thing speaks for itself'. Our nice vodka in its black bottle and its 'Ned Kelly' box sure does that.
IS ROCK VEGAN? GLUTEN-FREE?
Yes and Yes.
You can learn more about ordering, shipping, stockists and stuff on our Ordering pages.
Last updated May 2019.
© Alaskan Rock Pty Ltd 2019