General Vodka Lesson

WHAT IS VODKA?

Vodka, like whiskey, is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain. Whiskey, however, is distilled at low proof to retain flavor congeners. Vodka is distilled at high proof and then processed still further to extract all congeners.

HOW VODKA IS MADE

Vodka is a distilled spirit produced without distinctive character, aroma or taste and produced by methods approved by the federal government.

On the surface, it appears that making vodka is a relatively simple problem. The only requirement is to treat neutral spirits in such a manner as to render it completely free from any trace of “distinctive character, aroma or taste.” It must be remembered, neutral spirits is a high proof alcoholic distillate that presumably lacks character, aroma or taste. The product, through high proof distillation, has been purified to a high degree and contains only minute traces of congeners (solids, acids, esters, aldehydes and fusel oil). The fact that these substances are not completely screened out by distillation is what requires the vodka maker to devise other means of removing them.

Naturally, any substance not screened out by distilling, and as elusive as an odor, is hard to separate. However, vodka makers are now doing just this and, by a number of highly successful processes, some of them secret, some of them patented.