„A symbol of refinement and luxury“: Joe McCanta about GREY GOOSE Vodka

At GREY GOOSE, everyone from the founder to the farmers to the bartenders has the same goal: to create and serve a truly unique vodka. Every ingredient and every step in the production process, from the winter wheat from Picardy to the spring water from Gensac-la-Palluefeinsten to the final bottling, is controlled. From the grain to the cork, everything is 100% traceable. This makes GREY GOOSE one of the best and most exclusive vodkas in the world. In 2024, the brand is going one step further and has introduced GREY GOOSE Altius, its latest ultra-premium innovation: The limited edition is filtered at sub-freezing temperatures to capture the rare wonder of the mountains and deliver a premium, icy smooth taste. It is available exclusively in the world’s best bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

We spoke to Joe McCanta, Global Head of Brand Experience, about the new product, the GREY GOOSE brand and how it differs from other vodkas.

Tell us about yourself: How did you get into the spirits industry? And what did your path to GREY GOOSE look like?

Joe McCanta: I actually started out in the wine industry as a sommelier at an organic – focused restaurant and wine bar called Counter in New York city studying under the great Joshua Wesson originally. It was at Counter that I fell in love with cocktails as this was the early 2000s and I just happened to be in the epicenter of the modern cocktails scene – with PDT, Death & Co., and Pegu Club all just a stones throw from my bar so I decided to use the small rooftop garden we had for the restaurant to create a handful of ultra-locally inspired cocktails.

I was lucky enough to have this approach and my drinks featured in the NY Times and from there my career really took off, helping to set up bar programmes for restaurants in Istanbul, Munich and finally London, all along working with only the most naturally-focused brands and hence having GREY GOOSE as my go-to. In 2008 GREY GOOSE had a cocktail competition to design your own ‘Dream Bar’ which I won with a fully sustainable Greenhouse Bar concept – the ice wells watered the plants and the whole approach was again, local and home-grown focused.

I was super proud to have the bar featured in Wallpaper magazine and even prouder when GREY GOOSE  gave me a call and offered me first the role as UK Ambassador and then after – Global Ambassador and now Global Head of Brand Experience.

What were your main tasks as a brand ambassador and how have these developed in your new role?

Joe McCanta: Sure – I just do a bit more now! 😊 Actually the main tasks as an Ambassador is really interacting with the key trade partners whom we rely so heavily on for the success of GREY GOOSE. We are so proud to be able to develop these relationships and have long term friendships with key individuals within the trade and that is one of the main parts of having a successful advocacy programme. But another key element is making sure that we are educating on our brand and category as much as possible – for that, I am constantly learning, as well as attending trade shows to teach or attend seminars and then building this knowledge into programmes that can hopefully reach bartenders the world over.

What’s developed the most into my new role is that I know have expanded to being a part of the overall experience of anyone who tries GREY GOOSE. This has led me to help our brilliant innovation team with the development of new products, designing and creating glassware, other POS such as a one-of-a-kind martini glass chiller, etc. But it also has to do with the touch points on the brand that keep it feeling fresh and also the luxury touchpoints. For this, I work closely with our teams around the world on programming, photography, you name it!

What does the GREY GOOSE brand mean and embody for you?

Joe McCanta: The GREY GOOSE brand embodies unparalleled excellence and sophistication. It represents a commitment to craftsmanship and quality, meticulously crafted in the heart of France using soft winter wheat from the Picardie region and pure spring water from Gensac in Cognac. GREY GOOSE is more than just a vodka; it’s a symbol of refinement and luxury, offering an exceptional experience in every sip. GREY GOOSE means indulging in the finest things life has to offer, where every moment is elevated, and every celebration is made extraordinary.

How does the product differ from other vodkas?

Joe McCanta: How much time do you have! Firstly, GREY GOOSE is made from only two ingredients: the finest soft winter wheat from Picardie (known as the bread-basket of France), and limestone-filtered spring water from our well in Gensac-la-Pallue. When our cellar master François Thibault set out to put his unique stamp within the category he knew he wanted to make a smoother style of vodka. François suspected that a wheat vodka would naturally possesses a level of subtlety and versatility that these other vodkas would never be able to capture.

For this wheat, have worked alongside the same three farming co- operatives since the beginning. You know, in France nearly 75% of farming is done by co-operatives – which allows smaller farmers to band together to protect one another and their crops. This is in stark contrast to the way large agricultural companies grow crops in larger countries like Russia or the US. The co-operative system allows small businesses to thrive. Most of all though, we wanted to control this wheat from start to finish which is why we would never buy in a raw spirit but insist on making our vodka from scratch. the majority of vodka producers don’t even ferment and distil their own mash, let alone mill their own grain.

We mill the wheat on-site at the distillery to ensure the freshness of the flour, guaranteeing we capture the full flavour of the wheat. François uses the whole wheat grain to deliver a richer, fuller flavour. Again this is in stark contrast to other vodkas, which often use lower grades of wheat or by-products of the sugar or starch industry, which have already been processed elsewhere before arriving at the distillery. We use this milled wheat to make our own bread-wine which then then is distilled only once through a 5-step continuous process. This allows our wheat to shine through. The entire vodka production process – from milling the wheat to distilling our vodka – is therefore carried out in the fields of Picardie. And from here we make the essential journey to our water source in Gensac-la-Pallue, where the blending and final bottling takes place directly over our well.

This proximity guarantees both freshness and clarity – and it means we can trace our entire process from start to finish, with every step taking place in France. Prior to bottling, the blended spirit is passed once through a filter of cellulose and active carbon – sorry no diamond dust or moon rock here! This is a light ‘polishing’ (other vodkas use the filtration to remove additional flavor from the liquid). Again, we’re trying to keep the flavour in, so we do the minimum possible here. So as you can see, we oversee our entire process, which is 100% traceable from our farmer partnerships, through milling, mashing, fermentation, distillation, blending with spring water, and final bottling. But how does it taste? For me, it’s the quintessential wheat vodka – it has a natural richness of body that adds a certain weight and sophistication to any cocktail. And it’s remarkably consistent: silky smooth, soft, and bringing a unique depth of flavour to any cocktail. Most of all, it’s flavours act in a very versatile way making GREY GOOSE a vodka that has become timeless.

You recently launched a limited premium edition with GREY GOOSE Altius. What was the idea behind it?

Joe McCanta: With GREY GOOSE Altius specifically, the inspiration came from the extraordinary migratory journey Geese take as over and above the French Alps each year. The European bar headed Goose in particular can fly as high as 6000m where the temperature is -24°C.

Altius is first made from the same unique and single-origin wheat as GREY GOOSE Vodka to protect our signature quality and smoothness which I’ve mentioned above. From there, we use low glacial temperatures at -24°C which partially crystalize the vodka as it passes through the filter– giving it a unique smoothness. This significantly slows down the filtration process and indeed GREY GOOSE Altius is filtered 30 times slower than GREY GOOSE Vodka.

Finally, as a first for us, the water for Altius is not the signature water from Gensac-La-Pallue we employ for GREY GOOSE Vodka but is drawn from an Alpine natural spring well at 1000m (3000 ft) where it begins its journey touching the pure Alpine clouds. When it rains it quickly seeps into the ground. This water is captured in the first veins of the soil at around 100 m depth. The water is a young 30 to 40 years old which gives it a remarkable and unique freshness and minerality.

What does GREY GOOSE Altius taste like?

Joe McCanta: GREY GOOSE Altius has a distinct flavour and an exceptionally smooth finish, with a subtle Alpine-enriched minerality.
Altius delivers an entirely new expression within the category of vodka. sipped on it’s own or served purely over ice – the glacial smoothness shines through. The vibrancy of our alpine water leaves Altius with a freshness like none other. Best sipped over a large, clear block of ice or sipped through shaved ice or ‘snow’. If in a martini – shake, don’t stir, to create the lovely Alpine ice crystals on top and deliver the ultimate mouthfeel.

How are the production and flavour reflected in the design of the bottle?

Joe McCanta: Designed by Intertype Studio to mirror the windswept peaks of the French Alps, the GREY GOOSE Altius bottle, and the liquid within, is a testament to unmatched craftsmanship and the unfaltering power of nature. The bottle represents elevated elegance at every touch point, from the French Alps that appear through windswept facets in the base (or punt) of the bottle, to the weighty metallic silver stopper with bespoke engraving and real cork.

Hand bottled and individually numbered in limited batches, we like to consider each a work of art. As you can imagine, such a packaging process can be quite slow. I see it as paying homage to the unique glacial temperature used in crafting the liquid itself, which significantly slows downs the filtration process of GREY GOOSE Altius to approximately 30 times longer than GREY GOOSE Vodka.

How many bottles of the Vodka are available? Who can enjoy the product and what is the price range?

Joe McCanta: GREY GOOSE Altius is exclusively available in the world’s finest bars, clubs and restaurants at select destinations from Dubai to Mykonos, London and Saint Tropez, making it the ultimate luxury weather it is for apres-ski or on a chic beach club.

Making its debut on April 15th 2024, GREY GOOSE Altius is rare luxury expression, so the volume is purposefully quite limited. Pricing is at the discretion of the on trade venue in which it’s listed. Whether coating milestones, professional victories or just the opportunity to get together, GREY GOOSE Altius is designed to make celebrating special occasions with your friends an extraordinary and truly unforgettable time.

What is planned for the future? What is planned for Germany in particular?

Joe McCanta: We will continue to climb upwards and onwards hoping to share the joy of natural luxuries with bartenders and their guests the world over, and continuing to uphold the legacy that the creators of GREY GOOSE set out to protect when redefining vodka in 1997.

In Germany specifically, a series of PR launch events and on trade activations will taking place across the country this fall, from Hamburg to Munich, Düsseldorf to Frankfurt. Key thought leaders both in and outside of the on trade will get to experience the glacial smoothness of GREY GOOSE Altius first hand.

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+++ We would like to thank Joe McCanta for the open and very interesting interview! If you also have an interesting brand, then we should talk. Just send us an e-mail with the subject “about-drinks interview” to redaktion@about-drinks.com – we look forward to hearing from you! +++