How is it vodka if it's not made from potatoes? I thought vodka was made from potatoes! Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes (doesn't it sound funny after you hear it three times?). It's the most common question I get, and it's the most common misconception related to vodka in general.
The answer in laymen's terms:
Vodka is not defined by what it's made of like bourbon, which must be made from corn, or tequila which must be made from agave, etc. In fact, vodka is one of very few spirits that is literally undefined by what it's made from, but by the process.
Now I'll get a little nerdy on you...
Vodka is defined by it's process. Alcohol must be distilled from any source of fermented mash to at least 190 proof, or 95% alcohol. That is the only real requirement within the process to legally define the product as vodka, except of course that it needs to be consumable. To achieve drink-ability, the alcohol is then mixed with water to bring it to (usually) 80 proof, or 40% alcohol. Everything after the initial distillation is at the discretion of the maker, which means additional distillations, filtration, and other processing sets one vodka apart from another. This can be a little scary in my opinion, because a lot of things the body can't process -commonly known as hangover inducing agents- can remain in the 5% of left-overs from the mash, such as: acetone (nail polish remover) and Isopropyl (rubbing alcohol), among other things. Those molecules can be removed with the right distillation and filtration process in order to make the vodka cleaner, easier to drink, and better in taste. Bottom shelf vodka is often distilled between one and five times,
it generally doesn't go through much filtration, and even the "cuts"
during distillation can be fairly sloppy. Hey, it's still vodka, right? I'll leave that to you to decide.
Remember that last 5% that's left after distillation? If you squeeze out all the not so desirable things, that 5% can carry some really beautiful, and very desirable things if it is intended. Vodka was born in Russia and Poland (I'm not getting into the debate over who did it first) and the three main mashes used were potatoes, rye and wheat. These mashes are extremely bland in comparison to other thing that can ferment because they don't produce strong flavors that linger within the last 5%. This was on purpose at the time, but because vodka isn't legally defined by it's mash, it leaves the door open to play with feed stock to intentionally leave in character that survives distillation and filtration from the mash, which really shine through into the finished product. Take fruit for example - it is a boisterous mash to play with, and can carry some light notes of it's origin after distillation, much like coffee or cocoa beans which carry light flavors from the soil they are grown on. It's all in the mash. I'll let your palette be the judge.
