
The local craft distillery behind Touch Vodka, Fat Dog Spirits, is rolling out new booze — just in time for 4/20. Next week, a private reception at Tampa's Donatello Italian restaurant celebrates the launch of Nirvana, a hemp seed vodka that comes in 750-milliliter bottles.
The hemp seed vodka’s welcoming party is set to begin at — you guessed it — 4:20 p.m. April 20.
Purchased by a trio of lifelong friends about two years ago, Fat Dog Spirits makes the 80-proof Nirvana in a 6,500-square-foot warehousing and manufacturing facility in Ybor City, alongside its Touch, gin and moonshine brands. Touch, for the uninitiated, is available at 400-plus locations throughout the Bay area and distilled from Everglades wildflower honey and American grain.
Nirvana, according to a statement from Touch CEO Dr. Ram Ramcharran of Fat Dog Spirits, aims to appeal to a specific audience: “health-focused millennials.”
“We wanted to build a new brand for the health-focused millennials,” said Ramcharran. “We came up with the name Nirvana to signify living in the moment. After 17 months, this fine product has come to fruition to provide a blissful, relaxing-style feeling.
“We made vodka that just happens to have hemp in it.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated since its original publication.