Vodka (and other liquor) Question

[Blackbird]

After the mention of Shaker's Vodka on Tort's thread, I got to thinking.
The place outside of town where they make it is also the site of the ethanol plant.

They mostly use corn, wheat, and some soy to make this brand. I'm not sure what the distilling and fermenting process entitles when making vodka, but could any of the harmful affects of GMO corn & soy be included or even enhanced when making this?

My NT book is packed away in a box for moving so I can't look and see if it says anything on the subject of liquor, but I was just curious as to if anyone knows.

Also, in respect to OFG and XPC, I found out they make bacon vodka;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon_vodka

 

[freemotion]

I thought vodka was made with potatoes???

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

* sound of footsteps running, door slamming, truck starting, and gravel flying en route to Many-snow-ta to check out the legendary home of bacon vodka...*

 

[Blackbird]

I guess when I said 'they' I meant vodka producers in general. I'm not sure if Shaker's makes bacon vodka.

Free, according to wikipedia they use often use soy, wheat, sorghum, corn, sugar beet, molasses, and other 'grains'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodka
Scroll down to 'production'.

 

[Henrietta23]

I thought vodka was made with potatoes???

Stolichanya is made from grain, not potatoes. I did learn something while in Russia!

 

[xpc]

Potatoes were used out of abundance and not for want as it was very time consuming and needed 100 pounds to make a gallon, way too much
work. Grain vodka is the standard fair as it is cheap and easy, sugar head is even easier and the cheapest. A moonshiner often calls this white dog.

Unlike whiskeys which are distilled in the old fashion pot stills, vodka is typically ran in a reflux still paying close attention to the tails whereas whiskey uses a portion of the tails to add back for flavor. A person who makes white dog would probably use the tails for BBQ lighter fluid or ant killer. Every run through the still makes it better and cleaner - hence the XXX name which means triple distilled.

Though both techniques cut out the heads for that is where most of the hangover resides too much tails can cause an auto nausea reaction.
Too much of both will run you to the bathroom for 2 reasons. This is why they have masterchefs, brewmasters, and master distillers as it is an art that can not be replicated by machine. The four components; foreshots, heads, hearts, and tails when done right will leave absolutely no hangover.

Insofar as chemically treated corn or other ingredients it is hard to say what adverse effects it may have, distillation will separate most of the easily cracked compounds but others can form an azeotrope that co-mingles the boiling points and carries over unwanted carp. Running a fractional distillation tower that has many plates be them physical or theoretical by using structured packing very slowly so it can equalize for many hours will help but not guaranty 100% purity.

Heavy metals like lead and any salts from fertilizers like ammonium nitrates have too high of a boiling point and are left behind, but if some salts are are present in the mashing stage it can cause some weird off colors on a single pass. Baking soda can ruin a wash in the ferment stage but when added to the low wines it can clean up the foul fusel oils.

The bacon sounds novel and looks good but I will leave that for the breakfast table, the last time I had meat in my drink was back in 1976 when I ate the worm - I have not drank tequila since, you can call me a nancy boy or girly man but it was grim.

I bought a $50 bottle of Poland's potato vodka once and couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test we held with similar grain vodkas, seems to be mostly hyperbole.

 

[Blackbird]

How very knowledgeable you are at this late hour, XPC. Thanks.

 

[xpc]

This is not knowledge in as much as instinct, when you move to Kentucky you are required to trade in your front teeth for mason jars.

 

[rty007]

I bought a $50 bottle of Poland's potato vodka once and couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test we held with similar grain vodkas, seems to be mostly hyperbole.

I was wondering, what was that vodka that you bought?

 

[xpc]

I bought a $50 bottle of Poland's potato vodka once and couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test we held with similar grain vodkas, seems to be mostly hyperbole.

I was wondering, what was that vodka that you bought?

Don't quote me as it was a long time back and have had many flagons since then but think it was Kapitanska and only bought it because of the picture on the bottle.