Origins Vodka
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Potato provided the foundation. Its appeal was tactile: creaminess, mouthfeel, the way the spirit moves across the tongue. This was the body around which the other elements could find their balance.
Something to savour. Origins began with Michel Lu’s conviction that vodka deserved more attention than its reputation allowed. For years the category had held up neutrality as an ideal. As the liquid became defined by the absence of colour, aroma and taste, much of the conversation drifted towards distillation counts, filtration and elaborate bottles. Michel was interested in what might happen inside the glass. Could vodka offer the texture, complexity and nuance that make other fine spirits worth sitting with? Could it be something to savour — with enough character to reward a second, more attentive taste?
The answer began with three separate distillates, each contributing a particular quality, giving him the freedom to shape the spirit beyond the reach of any single ingredient.
The work then lay in proportion — finding the point at which potato's creaminess, barley's character and honey's perfume became one coherent vodka. Each component had a clear purpose, yet the experience needed to feel complete rather than divided into its parts.
Longan honey supplied the final dimension. The fruit is known across Asia as dragon's eye, but the interest here lay in its blossom: monofloral honey from those flowers, fermented and distilled apart for its delicate perfume. Its role was aromatic, lending the composition a floral grace without a trace of sweetness.
Origins gave Michel his first expression of what the house could do. A question about vodka had become a way of creating: begin with the experience, seek out what it requires, and bring those elements together with care. The name marks that beginning — where the philosophy of The Orientalist first took liquid form.
Tibetan highland barley brought a more personal connection. In Shangri-La, Michel had encountered local spirits made from qingke, the barley of the plateau, and the experience stayed with him. A separate barley distillate offered grain character, herbaceousness and lift — bringing something of the landscape where The Orientalist began into its first liquid.
The story
A vodka of assemblage — three distillates composed for depth, texture and elegance, without surrendering purity.
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The work then lay in proportion — finding the point at which potato's creaminess, barley's character and honey's perfume became one coherent vodka. Each component had a clear purpose, yet the experience needed to feel complete rather than divided into its parts.
Origins gave Michel his first expression of what the house could do. A question about vodka had become a way of creating: begin with the experience, seek out what it requires, and bring those elements together with care. The name marks that beginning — where the philosophy of The Orientalist first took liquid form.
Origins Vodka was conceived to challenge a convention: that great vodka should simply be neutral. Rather than stripping away all character, it is assembled from three individually distilled components, each selected for the structure, texture and subtle aromatics it contributes to the final blend. The philosophy is one of assemblage. Every component is selected for a specific purpose and carefully balanced to achieve harmony rather than dominance — a vodka of exceptional purity that carries greater depth, elegance and mouthfeel than a single-base spirit allows.
The Three Distillates
Structural foundation • Multi-column"
Description: "A carefully selected blend of multiple potato varieties, chosen for consistency rather than novelty; the blend evolves naturally with each harvest. Each variety brings its own starch profile and fermentation character before distillation through modern multi-column stills into an exceptionally pure, elegant distillate — the vodka's body, creaminess and refined mouthfeel.
Aromatic lift • Vacuum distilled"
Description: "Fermented and distilled separately to preserve its delicate floral character. Produced under vacuum — lower pressure lowers the boiling point, allowing distillation at gentler temperatures — so fragile floral aromatics survive. It provides subtle aromatic lift and complexity without perceptible sweetness.
Length & structure • Vacuum distilled"
Description: "Fermented and vacuum distilled separately to retain its grain character. It brings subtle cereal notes, structure and length, complementing the creaminess of the potato and the floral elegance of the longan honey.
Rather than combining neutral alcohols, the assemblage is composed — each component serving a distinct purpose in the finished vodka.
Special Editions
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