Gray Wolf Lone (Single Malt) Vodka 750ml

Gray Wolf Craft Distilling was founded by husband and wife R.B. Wolfensberger and Meghan Brown, longtime bartenders based in Annapolis, Maryland. The two operate within the walls of Lyon Distilling Company on Maryland's Eastern Shore, an unusual arrangement that brought two independent craft distilleries together under one roof. Lone Single Malt Vodka, launched in October 2016, marked Gray Wolf's inaugural release and introduced the distillery's nontraditional approach to vodka making to the local Maryland and Washington, DC markets.

Lone stands apart for its base ingredient: it is made entirely from malted barley, a formula Wolfensberger notes is used by only a small handful of distilleries worldwide. Rather than the corn, wheat, or potato bases common to most vodkas, this single malt approach is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled, and bottled entirely by hand in small batches, with locally grown barley sourced for the mash. The result reflects Gray Wolf's stated goal of bucking industry convention rather than following a standard commercial vodka recipe.

Lone presents as a clean, crisp, and notably soft neutral spirit, closer in character to many traditional vodkas than the barley base might suggest. What sets it apart is a faint underlying malt sweetness that lingers just beneath the surface, adding a subtle dimension without overwhelming the vodka's overall neutrality. It works equally well sipped on its own or used as a distinctive base in mixed drinks.