What Alcohol is Made From Potatoes? Answered (2023)
Last Updated on December 28, 2022 by Lydia Martin
You might be surprised to learn that alcohol can be made from potatoes.
In fact, potato-based alcohol has been distilled for centuries as a way to make vodka and other spirits.
Here’s a look at what alcohol is made from potatoes and some cool facts about vodka and alcohol in general.
What Kind of Alcohol is Made From Potatoes?
The most notable kind of alcohol made from potatoes is vodka.
Though sometimes considered an inferior base ingredient, potato-based spirits like vodka still exist and are great.
In history, vodkas are traditionally distilled from fermented grains and potatoes.
Potatoes are rich in starch, which can be easily converted to sugar and fermented to become alcohol. [1]
Some other types of spirits that are produced from potatoes are gin and beer, though there are only a handful of brands available.
Are All Vodka Brands Made From Potatoes?
Only three percent of the world’s vodka is made from potatoes. The commonly based ingredients in today’s vodkas are grains such as rye, barley, and wheat.
Some other popular base ingredients for vodkas include honey, corn, rice, beets, and fruits like grapes and apples.
“For me, it’s the quintessential food spirit.”
– Brent Lamberti, Global Brand Ambassador for Stolichnaya Elit
Technically, vodka can be distilled from almost everything starchy or sugary.
In Poland, some vodkas are even produced by fermenting crystal sugar and yeasts.
What Vodka is Made From Potatoes?
Here are some notable brands you must try:
- Chopin Potato Vodka
- Zodiac Vodka
- Karlsson’s Gold Vodka
- Woody Creek Distillers Potato Vodka
- Murlarkey Divine Clarity Vodka
- Born & Bred Potato Vodka
- Vesica Vodka
- Chase Original Potato Vodka
- Luksusowa Vodka
Potato-based vodkas are known to have more fleshy mouthfeel than grain-based vodkas and are often associated with earthy and nutty flavor notes.
Potato vodka is best served neat or on the rocks.
What Makes Potatoes Ideal For Alcohol-Making?
Potato is the fourth most cultivated food crop on the planet, and there are over 5,000 different potato breeds.
Aside from being abundant, potato is high in starch to be converted into sugar to ferment alcohol.
Potato alcohol is a neutral spirit that is clear and odorless with a slightly creamy texture and silky smooth taste.
Vodkas can be distilled from sugary and starchy raw materials; potato is a good example.
FAQs
Is Smirnoff made from potatoes?
No. Smirnoff is grain-based vodka and is distilled mainly from corn.
Smirnoff has over 35 varieties of flavored vodkas, all of which didn’t mention the use of potatoes during fermentation.
Is Absolut made from potatoes?
No. Absolut is not made from potatoes. Its base ingredient is winter wheat and water from a deep well in Ahus, Sweden.
Winter wheat is a strain of wheat usually planted in autumn but is also usually harvested during summer or early autumn the next year.
What is Grey Goose vodka made from?
Grey Goose vodka is made from soft winter wheat grown in France.
A type of wheat that’s sown by October and harvested during August. The water used to dilute the spirit is sourced from spring water from Gensac-La-Pallue in France.
What alcohol is made from wheat?
Wheat is a base ingredient in many distilled spirits, including vodka, gin, and whiskey.
Wheat produces pure alcohol after fermentation and distillation. This wheat-based spirit has a neutral smell and color.
What alcohol is made from corn?
Corn is one of the most used ingredients in distilling spirits as it is extremely available.
The most notable corn-based spirits include whiskey, bourbon, vodka, and rum.
Since corn is widely distilled, it is present in almost every type of alcoholic beverage as a blending or secondary ingredient, like in some gins and other blended liquors.
What alcohol is made from rice?
Rice wines are alcoholic drinks made from fermenting rice. Rice wines are traditionally consumed in Asia.
A long list of rice wines originated from different parts of Asia, and sake is one of the most popular, originating from Japan.
Key Takeaways
Alcohol is often thought of as made from grapes or grain, but it can also be made from potatoes.
Potatoes are vegetables with a high amount of starch. When potatoes are fermented, the starch is converted into sugar, which is then converted into alcohol.
Potato-based alcohols tend to be sweeter and less harsh than those made from other sources.
Potato vodka is one of the most popular types of potato-based alcohol.
If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional spirits, consider trying a potato-based option.
Reference
- https://www.britannica.com/science/fermentation
Lydia Martin hails from Redmond, Washington, where you’ll find some of the best cocktail bars and distilleries that offer a great mix of local drinks. She used to work as a bar manager in Paris and is a self-taught mixologist whose passion for crafting unique cocktails led her to create Liquor Laboratory. Lydia can whip up a mean Margarita in seconds! Contact at [email protected] or learn more about us here.
