What is Vodka Made From?

  • Post category:Vodka

Let’s first quickly establish what vodka is. It’s a multiply distilled spirit. The goal is to be flavorless and “smooth,” meaning no harsh overtones, or smelling like the rubbing alcohol in your medicine cabinet.

Vodka distillation begins like any other distillation and whereby some carbohydrate is fermented into alcohol and a wort is formed. Distillation essentially removes any remaining flavors associated with the wort.

Incidentally, at this stage, the wort could be turned into beer, though depending what the carbohydrate source was, it may be a funky flavored beer! By definition, as a distilled spirit, vodka is gluten free and we’ve established that there are no carbohydrate calories in vodka.

Vodka is at least double distilled to remove any impurities and nasty flavors, and may be filtered through charcoal to remove any remaining impurities. It should be noted that neither the number of distillations, nor descriptive filtration processes are good indicators of taste, or lack thereof.

Blind taste tests of vodka are a comedy of disagreement. It’s this author’s opinion that Tito’s and Stoli are neutral tasting and reside in the happy medium of cost and prestige for whatever it’s worth. If you’re on a budget, well, consult this video:

To summarize the grades:

  • Pinnacle: B
  • Popov: A-
  • UV Vodka: D
  • Smirnoff: C+
  • Svedka: B+

Brand Listing

BrandIngredientsOrigin
AbsolutwheatSweden
Grey GoosewheatFrance
Ketel OnewheatNetherlands
SkyywheatUnited States
Smirnoffcorn (though unspecified)multiple
Stolichnayawheat, ryeRussia
FinlandiabarleyFinland
ChopinpotatoesPoland
CirocgrapesFrance
SvedkawheatSweden
Tito’scornUnited States

A Note About Flavored Vodkas

Not all flavored vodkas are the same when it comes to carbs. Some, such as Pinnacle do add in sugar, whereas Absolut does not, and is akin to flavored seltzer water. Perhaps another post to delve into more detail on this one.

The name Vodka is derived from the Slavic word voda or woda, which means water. People only know its to be made out of potatoes, but is that is? If you are among those people, you are unaware of the fact that potato is not the only base product for every brand. There are a variety of other products too through what is Vodka made from.

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Must Read: How Many Calories in Vodka?

There’s no surprise in calling vodka to be one of the most diverse spirits in the world. It’s often flavorless which can leave anyone in doubt about the base ingredient through which it is made.

We can say that it can be distilled from a variety of ingredient which has the tendency to be fermented to prepared alcohol.

But in most cases, its produced through potatoes, cereal grains, and sugar beet molasses. Whichever ingredient that will be brought in use to make vodka will substantially affect its flavor.

Each drinker would be having this particular one brand which he mostly picks. So, let’s particularly target the most famous vodkas, and find out what your favorite vodka is made from.

What is Tito’s Vodka Made From

If you had been drinking Tito’s vodka on your party nights, then you must know what is Tito’s Vodka made from?

Tito’s Handmade Vodka has formally included “Gluten-Free” to their labels based on the ongoing TBB ruling on the gluten-free guidelines for alcoholic beverages! While most of the vodkas are made with wheat, Tito’s is prepared out of 100% corn mash! According to the new guidelines, the spirits which are produced using ingredients that don’t contain wheat can mark products as being gluten-free.

In the past, a typical misconception was that all its gluten-free because the gluten protein was expelled amid the distillation process. The TTB maintains there is insufficient consistency in the industry that will ensure consumer safety, making just a select couple of liquor brands gluten-free, which includes Tito’s as well!

The brand used the pot still methods for preparing fine single malt scotches and high-end French cognacs. The same technique is now used in the perfected way for the 100% corn mash recipe of Tito’s Vodka.

The unmistakable, odorless and unmatched smoothness of Tito’s Handmade is the clearest expression of the spirit and one of the few varieties which are appreciated to be perfect. It was Tito’s expectation to make smooth and pure vodka that women would love to sip because of its refined sense of taste.

Grey Goose Vodka

Though it’s impossible to know everything about vodka, still people who are somewhat aware of this spirit would have definitely heard to Grey Goose vodka. This clear and odorless vodka is usually a favorite of most people. But, have you ever thought, what is Grey Goose vodka made from? It’s time to reveal the truth behind this.

Vodka can be produced using any fermentable material. There are various commercial vodkas produced using potatoes, grapes, blended grains that incorporate barley. Grey Goose utilizes soft winter wheat from Picardy, a grain-growing locale in northern France that is regularly alluded to as the country’s breadbasket.

This specific wheat assortment is sown in autumn and properly harvested in the late summer; the organization sources the grains from a little group of farmers. Generally, wheat-based are softest in texture, contrasted with the other. People associated with Grey Goose likewise contend that the character of their vodka additionally bears the stamp of the Picardy regions.

Smirnoff Vodka

When we list out the best-seller among the vodka brands, Smirnoff always comes into the list. The fan following of this brand is not going down anytime soon. If you call yourself a Smirnoff vodka fan, then do you know, what is Smirnoff vodka made from? Don’t worry as there would be only a handful of people who might know this. Start reading, and you will encounter the same.

Smirnoff is distilled from corn. The plain vodka by the company is ought to be safe, regardless of whether you’re touchy to gluten-grain-based alcohol. Smirnoff additionally is putting forth “Smirnoff Sourced” enhanced, which contains 10% fruit juice from concentrate and is considered as “gluten-free.” Smirnoff Sourced flavors incorporate Ruby Red Grapefruit, Pineapple, and Cranberry Apple.

The flavored versions of Smirnoff usually have some traces of gluten but that’s not the case with the plain old Smirnoff. It is completely made out of corn and thus known to be totally gluten-free.  

Absolut Vodka

Here comes another popular brand, Absolut. Thanks to the ridiculously successful marketing campaign, almost everyone knows about this brand. With the iconic tagline “Absolut Perfection”, this kept on getting the attention of most of the people.

But even if people drink it, there are chances that they won’t be much aware of the fact that, what is Absolut Vodka made from?

Water and winter wheat are the main ingredients of Absolut. The water originates from a profound well in Åhus where it’s shielded from any kind of impurities. Winter wheat contrasts from different crops: it’s sown in fall and harvested the following one. Days in the middle of it becomes under the Swedish snow growing the hard grain. Additionally, the utilization of fertilizers is limited.

Another fact that makes this highly unique is that it is exclusively made from natural ingredients and does not possess any kind of added sugar. It’s as clean as vodka should be.

Russian Standard Vodka

As the name denotes this is highly popular in Russia, but along with that the Russia Standard Vodka even marked its prestige in various other regions of the world. Let’s encounter what is Russian vodka made from?

Because of its versatility, vodka keeps on being the most mainstream of spirits, shaping the base for the largest conceivable scope of cocktails. All the options from the astonishing exhibit of flavored, even plain varies a lot in taste and surface contingent upon the base fixings.

In spite of the fact that it can be refined from pretty much any starch, the primary fixings are frequently: wheat which can confer an aniseed note, barley, and rye, which brings sweetness with a somewhat nutty and fiery smell. For the individuals who like a smooth surface, potato can offer a delicate, rich flavor and is an incredible option for making gluten-free cocktails.

So, before you choose your shot on the next party, you will now know what exactly the base ingredient is for which you are going.

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