Vodka of the Year, Vodka Producer of the Year, and a Double Gold Medal Award were won by Cylinder Vodka at the recently held 3rd Annual Bartender Spirits Awards 2021.

This year the competition saw entries from 45 countries from around the world all competing with each other on an international stage. 

The Spirits which excelled in the criteria - mixability, balance and versatility, taste, mouthfeel and finish, packaging, and value for money were rewarded with medals.

About Cylinder

Stelios Stavrianos holding a bottle of Cylinder Vodka

The drink is known for its smooth texture and clean aroma.

The vodka — whose name refers to the prevalence of cylindrical bottles and furniture seen in a bar — is distilled six times. It is also gluten free and does not contain genetically modified organisms.

Meet the Founder

Stelios Stavrianos

Stelios was raised by immigrant parents on the notion that resilience and perseverance are the keys to success. Instilled with a back-breaking work ethic from a young age, Stelios juggled multiple jobs while his passions pulled him in different directions until his love for bartending led him to the idea of creating an apex spirit with the ability to seamlessly blend with any craft cocktail and hold its own on the rocks. 

As a descendant of Mediterranean culture, where drinking in a social setting is a way to strengthen bonds among friends and family, Stelios capitalized on the gap in the taste and quality of the vodkas that were available on the market and Cylinder was born – by the trade, for the trade.

Origin Story

Stelios started bartending at 19 and started studying the art of distilling at 21 by practicing in his parents basement.

“I started distilling in my parents’ basement. My parents thought I was absolutely crazy, mad-scientist crazy, and I spent all of my time concocting this. That was about seven-and-a-half years ago. It took about five years to get off the ground and here we are today.” said the founder of Cylinder vodka, Stelios Stavrianos. 

Cylinder was launched when Stelios was still working a full-time job as an associate for the private wealth management team Merrill Lynch in Fairfield. He started visiting nearby stores for distribution. 

“ I didn’t know what I was doing. I would walk into a liquor store and say, ‘Hey, my name is Stelios. I started this liquor company.”

“It was a huge learning curve — it was just me and I had no help. I was with a small distribution company and I was their first spirit. They were used to selling wines and wine is a different pitch.” said the founder.

Stavrianos also spent considerable time developing Cylinder’s packaging. He worked with a graphic designer to create a minimalist bottle label that features a custom black font.

Cylinder Vodka

“ I didn’t know what I was doing. I would walk into a liquor store and say, ‘Hey, my name is Stelios. I started this liquor company.”

“It was a huge learning curve — it was just me and I had no help. I was with a small distribution company and I was their first spirit. They were used to selling wines and wine is a different pitch.” said the founder.