Vodka is one of the world’s most popular drinks, yet its environmental impact is often forgotten. Sustainable vodkas emerge with less waste of water and other natural resources, and of course, with upcycled ingredients!
Producers are rethinking their processes and addressing the waste produced, which has new value in the creation of new products. We’ve talked about vodka made from stale beer before (here), but vodka is traditionally made from grains like rye or from potatoes. Here the sustainable vodkas appear in new versions to inspire your company to innovate too:
1 – Vodka from wine waste
Discarded Spirits Co. was founded in 2018 in the UK to market only upcycled beverages. Their Grape Skin vodka is made with residues from the winemaking process, using skins, seeds and the alcohol that was extracted from non-alcoholic wine.
Vodka Grape Skin (left). Re:Find, is also made from waste from wine production (right).
2- Stale bread vodka
Bread is one of the most wasted foods in the world, several startups have created beers from day-old bread, which bakeries and markets have not been able to sell and have to discard (we talk about that here) and now there is also bread vodka:
The Australian Hang10 Distillery (left) and the American Misadventure & Co. (right), which in addition to being upcycled, is also carbon-negative.
3- Whey vodka
We have already talked about Black Cow, the first milk vodka on the market (here) and since then it has gained new companies such as Wheyward Spirit and Vodkow, which, in addition to whey vodka, produces liqueur with whey permeate, that is, two products upcycled from the same waste!
BlackLion Vodka makes vodka with sheep’s milk whey from its own farm’s cheeses, while Ewenique Spirits uses goat’s whey.
4- Air vodka
Remember air protein (here)? The Air Company also produces alcohol and with it AIR Vodka, which is carbon negative. With patented technology that mimics photosynthesis, the company uses CO2 to create sustainable alcohols and fuels, with only oxygen as a by-product and helping to decarbonize ecosystems. The most abundant pollutant on the planet can be transformed into new solutions!
5- Pea vodka
That the pea is a source of protein in plant-based products everyone knows, what not everyone know is that it is also the base for vodka. Ten Locks is made with local ingredients and without any plastic packaging. It took 3 years of research and development and full production takes seven weeks.
6 – Algae vodka
Algae are very important in aquatic ecosystems, however, pollution and climate change contribute to their excessive growth, causing the collapse of these ecosystems. AlgaVodka is a regenerative project that uses these excess algae as raw material. Many strains of seaweed are high in fermentable sugar which can then be distilled into vodka. And the algae biomass left over from this process is then used as fertilizer for crops.
7- Upcycled grains vodka
Hayman’s Gin allocates the grains used in its gin production to produce vodka in recycled glass bottles and also donates part of the sales to institutions that work to reduce food waste.
8 – Vodka de borra de café
Coffee & Cacao Vodka by Essex Spirits Co. It is made with used coffee grounds from coffee shops and restaurants and macerated cocoa nibs, a touch of vanilla and sea salt, helping establishments to reduce their waste and, of course, introducing a new flavor to consumers who enjoy novelties in their drinks.
How about using that creativity for all alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages? Do you know other sustainable vodkas? Share with us in the comments!
Sources: The IWSR, The Spoon, Bevnet, Entrepreneur, Retail Times, The Three Drinkers, Paris Packaging Week, The Spirits Business
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