Vodka is traditionally made from potatoes or fermented cereal grains.
Potatoes contain starch, and starch can be converted to sugar and fermented into alcohol. Run the resulting mixture through a still and you get potato vodka — a clear, odourless and colourless spirit that can be drank straight or in an infinite number of cocktails.
To this day, most vodka is made from grains like corn, rice, and wheat, but potatoes are an option because according to Vinepair, vodka "can be distilled from any agricultural product containing sugar or starch." Potatoes, beets, and rice are all starchy options.
In history, vodkas are traditionally distilled from fermented grains and potatoes. Some other types of spirits that are produced from potatoes are gin and beer, though there are only a handful of brands available.
It's entirely wheat-based.
There are commercial vodkas made from potatoes, grapes, rye, and mixed grains that include barley. Grey Goose uses soft winter wheat sourced from Picardy, a grain-growing region in northern France that's often referred to as the nation's breadbasket.
Smirnoff vodka: Smirnoff is distilled from corn, and the company's plain vodka should be safe, even if you're sensitive to gluten-grain-based alcohol.
Gin must be a neutral spirit distilled from something natural like wheat, barley, potatoes or grapes.
Ketel One Vodka is distilled from 100% wheat in copper pot stills, filtered over loose charcoal, and rests in tile-lined tanks until ready.
Gin initially comes from a grain base, usually wheat or barley, before producers add botanicals and water. Spirits must have a predominant flavor of juniper berries to be categorized as a gin. In addition to the grain and juniper berries, producers add botanicals, herbs, and spices to give it a distinctive flavor.
Neutral Potato Alcohol is commonly used in the production of Vodka, as potatoes and grains provide a neutral flavor profile for the alcohol. The use of potato alcohol to produce alcoholic beverages, however, is just limited to just vodka. Many more spirits are made using Neutral Potato Alcohol as a base.
However, anything that will ferment can be distilled and turned into a brandy. Grapes, apples, blackberries, sugar cane, honey, milk, rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, and rye are all commonly fermented and distilled.
The technical definition of poitín is an unaged spirit, from 40% ABV up to a mouthwatering 90% ABV. Its most commonly made from barley or potatoes, but can be made from just about anything, including milk or even tree bark.
Smirnoff Vodka is distilled from corn, making it gluten-free. Smirnoff offers over 35 different flavored vodkas.
Jackford Irish Potato Gin is the first distilled spirit from Stafford Irish Spirits. It was created by John Stafford to use the surplus potatoes that don't meet retail requirements and to reduce waste on the Stafford family farm in Enniscorthy in South East Ireland.
Traditionally, vodka is made from grain - rye being the most common - which is combined with water and heated. Yeast is then added to the pulp, initiating fermentation and converting sugars into alcohol. Now the distillation process can begin.
GREY GOOSE vodka is distilled in the gastronomy capital of the world, France, using the traditions of the Maître de Chai with only two ingredients – single-origin Picardie winter wheat and natural spring water.
Luksusowa Vodka
Poland- This award winning vodka's recipe remains unchanged since its beginnings in 1928, using pure, locally-sourced water, fresh potatoes from local family farms, and a proprietary distillation process for a rich, smooth finish. Luksusowa is the #1 selling potato vodka in the world.
Stolichnaya vodka is made from wheat and rye grain in Latvia.
Vodka is traditionally made from potatoes or fermented cereal grains. Some brands also make it from other substances like fruit or sugar. One of the most used and loved alcoholic drink, vodka is either consumed neat or as cocktails like Martini, Bloody Mary and Cosmopolitan.
Brandy refers to a distilled spirit made from a fruit-based wine and originates from the word 'brandewijn' which is Dutch for 'burnt wine. ' It can be produced using any fruits, for example pears apples or cherries, but brandy that is not made from grapes must be labelled with the fruit that it's made from.
For a whiskey to be considered Bourbon, its mash – the mixture of grains from which the product is distilled – must contain at least 51% corn. The rest of the mash is usually filled out with rye or wheat, and malted barley.
Luksusowa, Polish for “luxury”, is a vodka distilled from potatoes. The vodka is copper column-distilled and rectified before adding water to bring to 40% ABV. The vodka is filtered for clarity.
A fan favourite, this vodka is carefully crafted in the heart of France and distilled five times for purity.
Today, Russians use mostly grains for their vodka, as potatoes do not grow well in the frozen ground. And, thanks to their historical experience with the liquor, both Russia and Poland produce several brands of well-known vodka. You might assume the main ingredient in vodka is potato or grain, but you'd be wrong.