Why Rice?
In principle distilled beverages could be produced from any plant-based source of starch or sugar. Traditionally in American distilling, corn is the medium if choice. Corn is relatively inexpensive and abundant. Most American vodka and whiskey is corn-based. Here at Capstone Spirits we experimented with a variety of grain types and discovered a number of advantages with using rice as our primary feed stock. We do not want to malign corn – indeed bourbon would not be bourbon if not for corn. However, in our principle products of vodka and gin, we think rice results in a smoother and more refined taste profile. A lot of people associate corn with Asia, however, the United States is a major producer of rice and, in fact, the rice we use in our products is grown in California.