What Is Vodka Distilled From?

Ingredients

Most traditionally, vodka was made from potatoes in Russia. Although there are still vodkas made from potatoes---or corn---most vodkas today are made from grains, and specifically cereal grains. Wheat is the most common ingredient in the United States, while rye is more common in Poland. Other grains, such as oats and barley, can be used as well.

Vodka is not confined to grains. Any vegetable will do, from grapes to beets. In fact, not all vodka even needs to be made from vegetables or grain. People have distilled vodka out of everything from milk sugar to maple syrup, and even from non-traditional-food substances like hemp seeds. The important part of vodka is the distillation process.

The Mash Tub

Regardless of the ingredients used, vodka must start with mash. Potatoes, wheat or whatever other grain or vegetables have been chosen are loaded into an automatic mash tub. This tub rotates in a manner similar to a washing machine, including agitators that help to break down the solid substances into more of a mash. The purpose of this is to break the starches down into sugars, by crushing them up, heating them and sometimes using additives, such ground malt meal.

Before this mash can be fermented, it must be sterilized through heat. This is generally a two-stage process. An initial sterilization occurs, and then acidity can be increased by the injection of bacteria, such as lactic acid. Once the acidity is sufficient for fermentation, the mash is sterilized once more and is now ready to be fermented.

Fermentation

Once the sugared mash is sterilized, it is poured into large stainless steel tanks. Yeast is added to convert the sugars in the mash into alcohol and the tanks are sealed so the yeast can do its work. After a few days, the enzymes in the yeast will have converted the sugared mash into an unfinished form of alcohol, and it is from this alcohol that vodka is distilled.