Anyone who’s had the delight of cupping their hands in a high mountain source knows there’s no treated water in the world that can match “living water” right out of a bubbling brook. We experienced this years ago while exploring the rock formations known as the “caprock” at 11,000 ft atop Grand Mesa, high mesa lava rock formation 20 miles from the distillery. We’d never tasted water anywhere else like it.
The caprock formations in the American southwest are remnants of the lava flows that once spread across the region. Their high elevation and basalt composition make them a perfect source of naturally filtered, soft, fresh water. When we founded Peak Spirits, we secured a private CapRock water source for our products. Whenever we’re “cutting back”, we drive the truck up to our source, about 20 miles from the distillery up in the caprock on Grand Mesa, for a fresh refill. You really can taste the difference.
Why the fuss over water? Depending on the distillation process-whether making eau de vie, vodka, gin, etc- the glistening clear distillate that a still produces can be anywhere from 65% alc. to near 200 proof. Since the bottled product is typically around 40% alc the distillate needs to be “cut back” (diluted) before bottling. This means that water can be over half the contents of a bottle of 80 proof (40% alc) spirit. So the water better be tasty!