The world of spirits just got a little sweeter—and it’s happening right here in Texas.
Osmia Vodka of Queen Bee Distilling is the first spirit from the company to break into the alcohol market but with a unique twist. Osmia vodka is distilled from chemical-free, raw honey sourced from Tomball, Texas, and organic sugarcane. The makers of Osmia saw a gap in the spirits industry for women-focused, allergen-free, and environmentally conscious products, and they decided to fill it. Their goal? To create a luxurious Vodka that isn’t just about taste but also about quality and sustainability.
The idea for this clean vodka came when best friends of over 45 years, Catharine Faulconer and Kim Martin were sitting with friends playing mahjong and having cocktails. Faulconer then starts to talk about making vodka from honey and who if anyone is interested in joining. Martin has severe allergies, and was recently diagnosed with Eosinophil Esophagitis leading her to exclude certain foods from her. Faulconer on the other hand has an autoimmune disease and because of that, she had to eliminate gluten, grains, nightshades, genetically modified substances, but I was not willing to give up her evening cocktail with family and friends.
In the morning after sobering up, Faulconer and Martin were the ones still interested in the new business venture. The next thing they knew, they signed up for a distilling class in Denver.
Four years later, through research and development, the team launched Osmia Vodka. The first in a full line of spirits that are women focused. Osmia’s commitment to sustainability and health-conscious consumers is evident in every bottle. Since the list of ingredients and nutritional information are on the bottle as well as what they purposefully left out. By using raw honey and organic sugarcane, they ensure a product free from harmful chemicals and allergens. Faulconer and Martin say Osmia is smooth with a refined taste, it’s proving that sustainable choices don’t mean sacrificing quality.
Why Queen Bee?
When it comes to the name, Martin says “it was such an organic decision. Since we decided to use honey, and we are woman focused in all that we do, it was only logical to call our company Queen Bee Distilling.” She adds that all of their spirits after bees. The Osmia Bee is a super pollinator in the U.S. of fruit and nut orchards. Catharine notes that “in a bee hive, all the workers are female, not that men aren’t important, but that is they way the hive works. We too hire predominately females from our 3 attorneys, our beekeeper, our master distiller, our crew of PR gurus, our bottle designer, our graphics designer, our distributor, we have consciously chosen to break that ceiling.”
Be on the lookout for Queen Bee Distilling’s Osmia Vodka on at Pour and More, formerly Village Liquor, downtown Spec’s, Tony’s, Carrabba’s Original on Kirby and the Voss and Woodway location, Doris Metropolitan and The Park House restaurants.
Whether you’re looking for a new favorite spirit or just want to support local, Queen Bee Distilling might be something worth sipping!