Reyka: Geothermal Powered Vodka

It's the kick off to a big green week in celebration of our precious planet, so while planning the festivities, you may want to include Reyka Vodka on your shopping list. TreeHugger's Graham Hill first heard about this new spirit from our friend Kimberly Oliver at the Eco Salon where the folks from Reyka had donated enough for everyone to try it out -- let's roll the digital film.

Reyka Vodka is the only distillery in the world that uses Geothermal Energy (a 100% clean energy), the steam drawn from local Icelandic hot springs. All the houses in the village of Borgarnes where the distillery is located are heated with geothermal water, and the CO2 levels in the area are actually falling. We'll raise a glass to that!

The steam is transported through heavily insulated stainless steel pipes and is used to heat the still. Instead of using “Charcoal” made from trees for filtration as do most vodka brands, Reyka uses the naturally abundant local lava rocks.

And if you're thirsting for the obligatory Björk reference, check out Reyka's ad campaign featuring a live-action, Icelandic gal in an animated Icelandic world.