Even if you haven’t had Grey Goose Vodka before, you’ve undoubtedly seen Grey Goose in bars, advertisements, and celebrity social media posts thanks to their fancy bottles.
A premium vodka like Grey Goose comes with a hefty price tag that ranges from $28.98 to $79.99, but why is Grey Goose so expensive? I looked up the facts, and here are 10 reasons why!
Why Is Grey Goose So Expensive?
1. Formulated By A Cellar Master
When American businessman Sidney Frank decided he wanted to enter the vodka industry, Sidney Frank came to French Maître de Chai or cellar master François Thibault for help.
François Thibault transitioned from making cognac to creating the recipe for what would be known as one of the most luxurious premium vodkas worldwide.
Interestingly, Thibault’s expertise was not a result of a simple interest in spirits. In fact, Thibault came from a winemaking family in Cognac.
Additionally, Thibault formally studied enology and winemaking, apprenticed for 7 years, and spent 25 years as a cellar master before making Grey Goose Vodka.
It pays to keep in mind that when you drink Grey Goose, you are drinking the creation of a true expert.
2. Made Entirely In France
Where a vodka is created has an impact on the vodka’s cost, and it is fair to say that France is not the cheapest location to source ingredients and manufacture spirits.
After all, France is considered the gastronomy capital of the world, and Sidney Frank wanted to take advantage of this fact when he decided to make France the home of Grey Goose.
Moreover, when your vodka is made in France, you are buying not just the spirit, but the excellence and tradition that comes with the French vodka.
3. Created From Picardie Winter Wheat
Grey Goose makes their vodka using soft winter wheat harvested in Picardy, France. Additionally, Grey Goose’s soft winter wheat is considered superior bread-making wheat.
In France, the wheat for Grey Goose is classified as Blé Panifiable Supérieur, which is the type of wheat used to make the best French pastries and bread.
Moreover, Grey Goose mills the wheat themselves to ensure that the winter wheat retains its qualities.
Needless to say, this level of meticulousness does not apply to all vodka brands because some distillers settle for low-quality foodstuff.
4. Diluted With Water From An Exclusive French Well
Water is an important ingredient in making high-quality vodka. Grey Goose understood this perfectly well, which is why Grey Goose turned to Gensac-la-Pallue in Champagne for their source.
As if the location was not prime enough, Grey Goose opted for an exclusive well that is 500 feet deep with water that has been filtered through limestone for centuries.
Furthermore, Grey Goose only collects water on the same day as the bottling of Grey Goose vodka.
Before mixing the water with pure ethanol derived from winter wheat, Grey Goose removes all the mineral content of the water to give the final product a smoother finish.
5. Flavored Solely With Real French Fruits—Almost
Unlike some vodka brands, Grey Goose does not use flavor concentrates. Instead, Grey Goose sources real fruits to create flavors like Cherry Noir, Le Melon, and Le Poire.
Moreover, all of the fruits used to infuse Grey Goose vodkas with flavor are grown in France, specifically in Loire Valley (pears), Menton (lemons), and Itxassou (black cherries).
There is only one exception to this, and that is the L’Orange flavor, which uses lemons that are sourced from Florida.
Nonetheless, everything else about Grey Goose’s flavored vodkas is faithfully French.
6. Packaged With French Materials
Interestingly, Grey Goose’s ingredients are not the only things that are French. Grey Goose decided to take it up a notch by using only French materials for Grey Goose packaging.
From bottle to ink, Grey Goose boasts that everything they use to package Grey Goose products are locally made in France.
If that is not impressive enough, Grey Goose’s bottle supplier, Saverglass, went to great lengths to create the perfect bottle to represent a premium brand.
Moreover, Grey Goose’s bottle design is copyrighted to Saverglass, and it is unlike the traditional bottles used in the spirits market.
Additionally, complex technology like acid-etching and multi-color screenprinting is used to decorate Grey Goose’s bottle.
As a result, Grey Goose is not just a feast for the mouth but also for the eyes.
7. Veneered With A Stellar Reputation
Just like any product, Grey Goose’s price is influenced partly by its origins, and partly by Grey Goose’s reputation.
From the start, Sidney Frank knew he wanted Grey Goose to be a luxury vodka.
Instead of just relying on France’s prestige, Sidney Frank took the next step and associated Grey Goose with celebrities and pop culture references.
Think shows like Generation, The Morning Show, NCIS, Hitch, The Other Woman, Flight, and Be Cool. Grey Goose was even featured in Flo Rida’s Wild Ones music video.
8. Presented In Spectacular Fashion
Once Grey Goose caught the eye of the public, they now had to catch the eye of local bartenders. After all, a bartender’s bias impacts consumers in many ways.
To do this, Grey Goose opted to take the expensive but effective route by delivering their bottles in wooden crates, making Grey Goose stand out in a sea of vodkas in cardboard boxes.
9. Cleaned Using The Best Product
Grey Goose bottles are thoroughly cleaned for your safety, and since Grey Goose uses only the highest quality products, Grey Goose decided to turn their own vodka into a cleaning agent.
So, Grey Goose bottles are washed with Grey Goose Vodka since Grey Goose has enough alcohol content to eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms.
Even the corks are soaked in Grey Goose Vodka before the corks are used to seal the bottles.
It goes without saying that using Grey Goose is quite an expensive way to clean.
10. Backed By Superb Marketing Campaigns
Grey Goose releases plenty of marketing campaigns, and Grey Goose recently launched their biggest one yet called Fly Beyond.
Fly Beyond centers on François Thibault and Grey Goose’s origin to appeal to consumers who care about where and how their vodkas are made.
Moreover, Grey Goose classifies these consumers as sophisticated people who value quality, which is a statement bound to attract people who want to be perceived that way.
Included in this campaign are YouTube mixology lessons and a pop-up experience in New York.
Additionally, Grey Goose is associated with one of the most prestigious sports globally, which is golf, and Grey Goose was the official spirit of PGA for several years.
Check out our other articles to find out what Grey Goose is, Grey Goose VS Absolut, and to see a complete list of the best Grey Goose cocktails and mixers.
Conclusion
Grey Goose is one of the most expensive vodkas today because of its French origins and Grey Goose’s association with opulence in the American market.
Even after Bacardi bought Grey Goose from Sidney Frank many years ago, his vision for a luxury French vodka is still impacting the vodka industry and costing consumers large sums.
Nevertheless, excellence always comes with a hefty price tag, and for a lot of people, Grey Goose vodka is worth it.