Verstill, a Northern Israeli foodtech company, has developed innovative technology which produces alcoholic beverages that only require a few weeks to undergo both the distilling and maturation processes. The resulting drinks (whiskey, gin, brandy and other spirits) can be produced in much less time than their traditional counterparts.
Following a successful collaboration pilot last year between Verstill and Israeli-based Malka craft brewery, the two companies have agreed to launch a second edition of Distilled Malka, a new spirit created using Verstill’s distilling technology.
“This a first in a series of products to be produced using our patented technology, allowing for precise control over the aromas and flavors created in the distilling process, and in fact allows for almost complete control over the nature of the product,” stated the founders, Matan Edvy and Yechiel Ben Zvi. “The Distilled Malka Second Edition is in fact a proof of our scaled distillation technology and is launched following a successful market test last year, that resulted in reactions far beyond our expectations. We sold about 1,000 bottles within five weeks and got extremely positive responses from professionals and consumers alike.”
Verstill was established in 2016 with the goal of reinventing the craft spirits industry, by enabling beverage brands to respond efficiently and quickly to changing trends by producing top-quality, premium spirits at a fraction of the time of traditional production methods, minimizing development and production cost of a new spirit.
“The dominating, and most interesting trend in the industry today is the exploration of new frontiers and unique expressions,” said Verstill chief engineer Ronen Shechter. “Consumers are constantly looking for these new and innovative products, and Verstill, using its technology, is well positioned to lead this trend. What all of this translates to is faster development and release of new products through a process that ultimately enables Verstill to offer premium quality products at less than half the cost. That’s a real breakthrough that meets the type of interest that we see developing in this market today.”
Verstill has developed production technologies that allow precise control over the complete spirits distillation and maturation process, powering the development and launch of premium products at up to 90% lower investment compared to traditional processes.
The company installs its manufacturing technologies in local distilleries and uses management technologies to significantly streamline the overall supply chain. Since its inception, Verstill has raised more than $3.2M and built a research, development and production facility in Northern Israel, from which it develops its latest technology. In parallel to pilot operations in Israel, they are in the process of establishing production centers in New Jersey and New York, and are currently building strategic collaborations in the US market.
The co-creators see a burgeoning future for their technology, both enabling other brands to create new products and creating some of their own.
“We see our future very close to where we are now, a spirits creation group aiming to collaborate with the best brands and products around,” said Edvy and Ben Zvi in a joint statement. “We are always open to interesting collaborations, and we’ll examine each offer with Verstill’s vision in mind: creating great products with transparency toward consumers.”