Pegasus Distillerie Hits the Ground Running With Meteorite-Aged ‘Shooting Star’ Vodka

(Photo: Pegasus Distillerie)

From outer space-aged bourbon to ocean-fermented wine, the world of novelty-finished alcohol has produced its fair share of alluring, occasionally bizarre releases over the years. Commemorating its debut in the U.S. market, France’s Pegasus Distillerie is releasing a new expression that takes the concept to meteoric heights.

Dubbed Shooting Star Vodka, the spirit is reduced for over a month with spring water sourced near the distillery. It’s then aged for a year in Italian terracotta pots that contain a suspended meteorite at their center, said to impart an “extraordinary flavor and structure” to the vodka. Exact tasting notes aren’t disclosed.

“We take pride in using organic ingredients and botanicals that are harvested by hand in the south of France and on the Swiss Alps and in distilling our spirits in small batches—a process that sets us apart in our commitment to excellence and innovation, uniquely embodying the region’s terroir,” Maxime Girardin, Founder and Master Distiller at Pegasus Distillerie said in a news release.

“The flavor profile introduced to our Shooting Star Vodka through the meteorite and the aging process represents an innovation that you won’t find anywhere else.”

Otherworldly as the process may sound, Pegasus Distillerie is not the first to experiment with meteorite-finished alcohol. In 2012, vintner Ian Hutcheon released a Cabernet Sauvignon called “Meteorito,” claimed to have been aged inside a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite that originated from the Mars-Jupiter Asteroid Belt. Described as a fusion of “astrology and enology,” the blend was sold exclusively at the Tagua Tagua Observatory in Chile.

Shooting Star Vodka envisions a broader market. Pegasus Distillerie will begin rolling out its products across New York, California and Florida this year at a yet-disclosed price.

Founded in 2021 by Maxime Girardin, the distiller’s portfolio specializes in spirits that pay homage to France’s historied Burgundy region. In addition to vodka, the brand produces an Orion Gin distilled with locally harvested thyme, verbena, orange mint and monarda alongside an Eau d’Or Liqueur made with citrus and orange blossoms.

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