Vodkow vodka is the first in the world made from milk (instead of starch from grains or potatoes). We start with “milk permeate,” a lactose-rich byproduct of ultra-filtered milk production. Using a special yeast, we ferment the lactose in the milk permeate to make alcohol. Our milk permeate comes from Canada’s largest dairy producer in Winchester, Ontario — where they make over 100,000L of milk permeate a day. We proudly upcycle 3.7kg of milk permeate to make each bottle of Vodkow vodka (215 g per 1.5 oz serving)!

Glass manufacturing is the single largest contributor to a bottle of vodka’s carbon footprint, so we do what we can to cut that down. Since any bottle’s footprint is proportional to its weight, ours weigh about 50% less than other glass vodka bottles. A lighter bottle also means less glass ending up in landfills or recycling plants. When it comes to our carbon footprint, less is more!

Making vodka from milk permeate is more efficient than using traditional ingredients. Most vodka starts with converting the starches in grains or potatoes into sugar. We’re able to skip this energy- and water-intensive step — because our milk permeate starts in liquid form! Our proprietary yeast can also start fermenting the lactose directly, reducing energy usage and production time significantly.