Filenews 27 November 2022 - by Socrates Ioakim
Production of the first Cypriot whisky, which is bottled and prepared with purely Cypriot products, has been a fact for a few weeks now. The inspirers of this creation are the couple Aris and Marianna Aristeidou, who are also partners in the small distillery Aristides Distilling in Tseri. In particular, Aris is responsible for the production and Marianna for the organization and promotion.
The establishment of the Aristides Distilling Distilling Distillery in Cyprus is the second part of a journey that began in Missouri, USA, in 2008, in a secluded and quiet place, Walnut Shade, somewhere in the Ozark mountain range. There, Aris Aristeidou met and began a long and successful collaboration with Jim Blansit, the end of which was the establishment and operation of the first distillery in Ozarks since prohibition (1933). The two became partners and together achieved 3 important distinctions for their drinks, in world competitions of the American Distilling Institute. The team grew in 2013, with the participation of Marianna Ktoridou Aristeidou and together they succeeded in developing the sales of their products throughout the state.
In 2016, Aris and Marianna returned to Cyprus and began a new effort, that of establishing a small distillery in Cyprus. This effort was not easy at all and it took two years of study, planning and solving many difficulties to achieve their goal. The establishment of the new distillery began early in 2019 and work officially began on 1/1/2020.
This is a new kind of micro-distillery (craft, micro or artisan distillery), which focuses on a different philosophy around distillation, with emphasis on detail, method, quality. This is achieved through the use of technology, which offers the possibility of controlling at several points the entire distillation process and consequently better control of the quality of the final product. This is the definition of "New Age, Craft Distilling".
So, honouring their occupied community of origin, Aris Aristeidou decided that the first Cypriot whiskey, which is made exclusively from Cypriot raw material (there is still a whiskey on the market, which is bottled in Cyprus, but without Cypriot raw material) will bear the name Kythrea.
As he mentioned in the column, whisky is made exclusively from Cypriot cereals, emphasizing barley and working with Cypriot farmers from Menoiko and Agios Ioannis of Malounta. As he explained to us, six-line barley is used, which is the most basic grain for the preparation of malt. Malt contains 60-65% insoluble starch and is used to produce beer, distilled alcohol, malt syrup, malted milk, perfumes and many foods.
Going a step further, he told us that because it is a small distillery in production, only 1000 bottles will be prepared and sold annually, with the price for each bottle being at €44. He stressed that there is huge interest in their production, while finally he announced that by the end of 2023 the first Cypriot single malt whiskey will take place, under the same name Kythrea, which will have as its main raw material the couplet and not the six-line barley, which in taste will be similar to whiskies originating in the USA.
