Photo: Tom McGowan, Matt Light, WPRO’s Buddy Cianci & Bill Dessel
Disclosure: KEEL Vodka is an advertiser with WPRO & The Buddy Cianci Show
By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
Smooth.
It’s the word used over and over again to describe the taste of the newest Rhode Island product, Keel Vodka.
The zero-carb, low-calorie spirit is making a splash this summer, and the men behind the product hope business will be a sailor’s delight.
Tom McGowan and Bill Dessel are both native Rhode Islanders, but they didn’t meet until their college years in Boston. Today, thirty years later, they’re business partners, and along with former New England Patriots player and Super Bowl Champion Matt Light, they’ve created a new vodka right here in the Ocean State.
Keel Vodka is what McGowan and Dessel call a “premium light spirit.” With only 58 calories per shot, it’s the lowest calorie vodka in the market.
The vodka itself is made and bottled out in Idaho – where the water quality lends itself to better tasting vodka, according to Dessel – but the business is based in Newport. The bottles themselves have a nautical theme, evocative of hot summer days spent sipping Cape Codders at yacht clubs and docks on the Bay.
The name “Keel” was McGowan’s idea; originally he wanted to start a seaside pub named after the stabilizing fin of a sailboat. He also loved the slogan “stay balanced,” which served as both a nod to the nautical theme and a mantra.
Meanwhile, Dessel wanted to create a unique vodka. His Barrington restaurant, Billy’s, was constantly experimenting with new flavored vodkas. Dessel began to wonder: instead of flavoring vodka, would it be possible to create a healthy, nutrient-packed spirit?
Although it’s practically chemically impossible to create a vodka that’s packed with nutrients, the men did succeed in coming up with a light formula that’s similar to what light beer is to regular beer.
It took about two years, but after numerous taste-tests and tweaks, Keel Vodka was born.
“It makes the spirit attractive to guys,” said McGowan of Keel. Other low-cal spirits have names like “Skinny Girl” and are targeted mainly at women trying to watch their weight.
Both Dessel and McGowan knew there would be a demand for a lighter spirit marketed towards both men and women, especially during the hot summer months.
Keel launched just three weeks ago, and is already available in select stores and restaurants around Rhode Island. They plan to launch the vodka in Boston and other parts of Massachusetts in the fall.
Light, a friend of Dessel who invested in Keel and serves as a spokesman for the spirit, said Rhode Island is a great place to test a new product because of the amount of diversity in such a small place.
For Light, it’s been fun to attend launch parties and meet and greet with fans over a glass of Keel.
“We’re having fun because were not the insiders,” he said, “We’re the guys that have the product because we’ve tested so many and enjoyed so many.”
In the future, the trio hopes to expand upon the Keel brand by producing other light spirits like rum and tequila.
Both Dessel and McGowan said the vodka is great on its own over ice, but their website does provide a series of nautical themed drink recipes like “Sex on the Deck,” “Top Sider” and “Southern Cross.”
McGowan, who used to be a bartender himself, said he particularly enjoys “The Skinny Mule,” a combo of Keel, lime juice and ginger beer.
No matter how you drink it, the men behind Keel encourage you to do it in moderation. After all, their slogan is “stay balanced.”
< Click here to read more articles from Rhode Island’s Future Begins with You
