1 of 4
2 of 4
3 of 4
4 of 4
We’re always concerned when reporting the number of vodkas currently on hand at Derek and Lucas Gamlin’s Sub Zero Vodka Bar, because by the time we hit “publish,” the number’s gone up.
So we’ll freeze a point in time, so to speak.
On Friday, a press release stated that Sub Zero had hit 700 vodkas, which according to most sources is the most at any bar--not just in the U.S. but in the world. All that’s lacking is verification from the dandies at Guinness.
According to the release, #700 was quite a vodka: it’s called CLIX (left), a one-time limited edition released by Buffalo Trace, a Kentucky distillery best known for its bourbons and ryes, like Buffalo Trace, E. H. Taylor, Blanton’s, and Pappy Van Winkle (one of the country's most sought-after spirits, a bourbon so celebrated and revered that you’d have to have been asleep like the other Van Winkle to never have heard of it).
It could be argued that CLIX may be the "Pappy" of vodkas: CLIX, you see, is the number 159 in Roman numerals, which represents the 159 separate distillations (over the course of a year) required to produce it. After resting for another twelve months in stainless steel tanks, the result was 2,000 bottles of exclusivity, some of which has found its way to Sub Zero, Lucas and Derek Gamlin’s vodka, sushi, and gourmet burger mashup on Euclid Avenuein the CWE.
According to CLIX's website, the vodka is “reminiscent of the essence of fresh nectar…elegant in style, the exclusive character a combination of exquisite smoothness and interesting nuance.”
All of which helps justify the price: At Sub Zero, one ounce of CLIX will set you back $75, but you can bet your ushanka it’ll be served like the rest of their vodkas, maybe not at zero degrees but well below freezing.
More exclusivity is now part of the menu mix up the street at another of the brother’s restaurants, Gamlin Whiskey House, at the corner of Euclid and McPherson (the former Liluma). According to another release, the four-month old outpost of steaks, amped up comfort food, and some 250 dark spirits now offers a 30-item Proprietor’s List of additional whiskies, the equivalent of a Captain’s List for vintage and rare wines.
According to the release, Gamlin’s list includes some of hardest to find whiskeys in the world, including five vintages of the aforementioned Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon (see below), St. George Single Malt Whiskey, and Laphroaig 25 yr. Scotch.
How exclusive is the list? Derek Gamlin explains: “For example, there are only three bottles of A.H. Hirsch 1974 Bourbon in North America [available at the wholesale level] and one of them is available here to try by the drink.”
The spirits are served in two sizes and prices vary accordingly, ranging from $25 for 1 ½ ounces of Pappy Van Winkle 10 yr. to $300 for 2 ½ ounces of that A.H. Hirsch 1974.
Gamlin also noted that because of availability and allocation, the Proprietor’s List will evolve and revolve, all the more reason for the curious to at least sneak a peek and for aficionados to call ahead and see what’s available.
