With a whopping 2.2 billion litres of vodka expected to be consumed across the globe in 2024, it’s safe to say that this is one popular drink. In fact, it’s thought to be the fourth most sipped on spirit in the world behind whiskey, China’s popular Baijiu, and the ever-popular array of liqueurs that grace the shelves of your local stores.
In a world saturated with drinks brands, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd, but one that is doing just that is Edinburgh-based X MUSE. Taking the art of blending vodka to illustrious new heights, X MUSE draws on inspiration from age-old traditions and elements of the art world to create a splendid Scottish barley sipping vodka using only the finest ingredients.
Pronounced ‘tenth muse’, this is the first blended barley vodka inspired by the spirit making traditions of Scotland. This history and experience is drawn upon, while employing new methods to blend heritage barley and the purest water to produce a delicious vodka of the richest, deepest character and qualities.
X MUSE is the first blended vodka to be produced using barley, a crop rich in significance and symbolism. And not big agri-business barley but two heritage varieties, grown in the UK and distilled separately. It is this mix of barleys, prized for their flavour rather than their yield, that make X MUSE smooth, rich and complex enough for straight-up sipping as well as the essential component part of cocktails and martinis.
Vadim Grigoryan, X MUSE co-founder and artistic director, explains: “Coming from a 15-year career at Pernod Ricard, I had long held the desire to create a brand that would be culturally enriching and respectful of its ingredients, so pointed out to Robert Wilson (the brand’s co-founder and CEO) that most spirits comprise of 60 per cent water and if using quality water of coming from an exceptionally beautiful, natural water source, it could greatly contribute to the taste and perception of the resulting spirit.
“Over three years, we worked with specialists at Heriot-Watt University to select two heritage varieties of barley, Plumage Archer and Maris Otter which are prized for their taste. They are distilled separately and blended in precise quantities to create the smooth and complex flavour of X MUSE.
“By only using the finest British ingredients, we are able to produce X MUSE in batches of consistent quality but with subtle differences in organoleptic profile, embracing the variety of nature.”
While the brand has studied the many spirit-making traditions and their roots in alchemy, it is always looking forward, adopting science and technology when they serve their purpose. Traditional vodka making techniques are an inspiration but not an instruction manual. The company has interrogated these traditions and found ways to be creative, innovative and employ contemporary distillation technologies.
Vadim adds: “Our vodka is based on quiet innovation and a refusal to be bound by accepted wisdoms. We don’t believe that vodka is, by definition, colourless and odourless, a kind of sensory deprivation. It should be a spirit complex in both taste and nose.
“This is no small ambition. Creating a vodka that invites sipping and savouring is the spirit-maker’s supreme challenge. It cannot be bolstered by botanicals or aged in oak barrels. It must stand on its own merits. This is the measure of X MUSE.”
Robert Wilson says: “X Muse has been born of the place that inspired it – Jupiter Artland. A unique and special place of artistic endeavour and quiet contemplation, where Art and Nature combine in harmonious coexistence, Jupiter Artland is the creative hinterland providing direction and provenance to the X MUSE brand.”
The ancient aquifer at Scotland’s Bonnington Estate, at the heart of Jupiter Artland in Edinburgh, is surrounded by the sculptural banks and barrows of the land artist Charles Jencks. Dotted with small, pristine lakes, this is place where water is celebrated, a physical expression of thankfulness.
And visitors are invited in to experience a little bit of this magic with unique vodka tasting tours at their spiritual home, the X MUSE Temple, which is in immersive, thought-provoking space designed by Formafantasma. Find all about how X MUSE Vodka is made here, delve into the roots of the brands, enjoy tastings and food pairings, be inspired with cocktail recipes and shop this award-winning vodka and accessories.
Peter Smith, brand ambassador for X MUSE Vodka, concludes: “The very ethos and philosophy of X Muse are infused within the world of art, paired with spirit making traditions of Scotland we blend two heritage barleys together to present an unmatchable flavour very unlike any vodka you will have tried before.
“At X Muse we like our vodka to look as good as it tastes and that is why we pay so much attention to the smaller details, from the specific barely that we selected for over three years, up to how our bottle feels in your hand and what’s on the back of our label. We like to hide beauty and perfection in plain sight which is why our motto is ‘Plura latent quam patent’, translating to more is hid than uttered.”
All imagery credit: X MUSE
