Do Have a Cow Man

I’m not usually a big fan of vodka but I have been told good things about the vodka that is available from the Black Cow distillery (www.blackcow.co.uk) Normally vodka is made by the distillation of fermented grain which is high in sugar e.g. rye, wheat or potatoes, and in more recent times with the addition of fruits or sugar to add a bit of sweetness and other flavourings. The distillation process can be quite extensive and unlike the distillation of other spirits such as whisky and rum, the ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ fractions containing compounds such as ethyl acetate and fused oils are separated from the desired fractions giving rise to a clean and flavourless spirit. The distillation technique uses the difference in boiling points which can be attributed to the difference in strength of intermolecular forces of the compounds to separate the desired fractions from the unwanted fractions by using temperature. The distillation then affords a clear liquid containing ~40% ethanol. Repeated distillation can increase the ethanol content to give vodkas that can be up to 90% alcohol by volume (ABV). After the distillation step additional flavourings can be added and this is why we can now find in the supermarkets a variety of flavoured vodkas. Down in west Dorset they are using a completely different approach. Black Cow vodka is made from the milk of grass grazed cows! The milk is separated into the curds and whey. The curds go off and make cheese while the whey contains the sugars which is then combined with a special type of yeast and fermented to make a milky beer. This beer is then filtered and distilled to make the pure milk vodka. I have never heard of such an ingenious approach to making vodka and this approach really appeals to the scientist in me. The whey is normally used to make cheeses such as ricotta or even whey protein food supplement. In addition, researchers at Lund University in Sweden published data in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition described that whey can stimulate insulin production in people that suffer from type II diabetes. So I shouldn’t have been surprised that someone came up with another way to use such a versatile ingredient. So the big question, how does it taste? It has a very clean flavour which makes it very enjoyable in cocktails or sipped neat. I tried it in a vodka martini with a dry vermouth in the ratio of 4 parts vodka to 1 part vermouth. Stirred over ice and then poured into a glass with a twist of lemon. As far as my memory serves this was one of the best martinis I have had. I also tried it with one of the recommended cocktails from the Black Cow website, Triple S I. The flavours of citrus and  ginger are a classic flavour combination and the addition of mint makes this a remarkable drink which carries the vodka superbly and turns out to be very drinkable. I should probably include a disclaimer that says: consumption of several of these can lead to difficulties walking. So as for the review, I’m not normally a big fan of vodka but I guess I haven’t been drinking the good stuff as the Black Cow vodka has me converted. It is an excellent product that I am very happy to recommend to people for them to enjoy as well. I would also add that if you do purchase it, try it in a variety of ways and you will enjoy all of them!