-- Nooga.com

After a soft launch, new local spirits company Lass & Lions sold out more quickly than expected at area stores.

“This has been years and years in the making … The response from the community on the products has been amazing,” CEO Danette Newton said Wednesday. “We are blown away by the positive feedback.”

Tonight is the company’s official launch party, which is open to the public.

Lass & Lions makes an 80-proof grain vodka that’s distilled and filtered from Appalachian Mountains spring water.

The business’ owners named the herbal vodka blends to reflect the functionality of the infused herbs.

For example, the product called Desire is infused with Madagascar vanilla beans, hibiscus and damianas, herbs known to possess aphrodisiac properties.

After tonight’s launch party, Newton hopes that more area restaurants and liquor stores will pick up the products.

“We are very small now; we just have a small pilot facility,” she said. “Once we get our feet on the ground, establish the brand and build a little bit of capital, we’ll look to build our own, bigger facility with a tasting room and event space.”

Athens Distributing recently put the products in some local stores and restaurants, such as Riverside Wine & Spirits, Jax Liquors, Imbibe and Southside Social.

Most sold out already, but Newton said customers can expect those locations to be restocked by next week.

“If it’s not in their liquor store, [customers] should ask the retail owner to ask for it from their distributor,” she said.