• Wall Street Journal, Friday, February 6, 2009 11 AM

Twenty years ago, Patrón almost single-handedly elevated the image of tequila in the U.S. with the launch of its costly flagship beverage, Patrón Silver. It's hoping to do the same for vodka as its new $40-a-bottle Ultimat brand goes up against Grey Goose (about $30) and Ketel One ($23) for the attentions of premium vodka drinkers. Produced in Poland, it will be sold in 750-milliliter cobalt-blue crystal bottles.

Ed Brown, Patrón Spirits' CEO, thinks Ultimat can be distinguished from other high-end vodkas through marketing and the product's unusual ingredients. Although vodkas are neutral in taste, Ultimat is purportedly the only one distilled from a mixture of potatoes, wheat and rye. "I really believe that certain companies are really good at certain things, and we're very good at ultra-premium spirits," Brown says.

Ultimat is hitting bars and stores as consumers are drinking more at home, rather than at bars and nightclubs, according to analysts and industry executives. That could prove a hurdle to Ultimat since liquor brands often are launched with promotions in bars, David Kesmodel writes.

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