Drink the Vodka, Save the Planet

Yesterday I met with the folks behind 360 Vodka, a new spirit positioning itself as the industry’s most eco-friendly booze. And it's dripping with greenness: The bottle is 85 percent recycled glass (with its naturally green tinge); the recycled paper label is printed with soy ink; the sturdy shipping boxes (recycled cardboard,  of course) are sized to hold file folders; billboard advertisements will be made into shopping bags. Plus, the bottle’s nifty yoke closure can be returned (via the attached postage-paid envelope) in exchange for a $1 donation to an environment cause. The vodka itself? It’s quadruple-distilled from local grains (grown within 100 miles of the distillery) at an energy-efficient plant that captures the carbon dioxide produced by distillation. But how does it taste? It’s sweet, soft and mellow, perfectly pleasant on its own or in fruitier vodka drinks.  

Or maybe that’s just the flavor of self-satisfaction.