There’s a vodka in West Dorset, UK that’s made entirely from milk. Not infused with milk. Actually distilled from the stuff you pour on your cereal…
Black Cow Vodka takes whey, the watery by-product left over from cheesemaking and transforms it into a spirit that’s won gold medals and attracted the attention of Daniel Craig and Stephen Fry. Yes, James Bond drinks vodka made from cow’s milk (sort of!)
The Milky Vodka Numbers
Bizarre But True! It takes 20 litres of milk to produce one bottle of Black Cow.
That’s roughly five gallons. Enough to fill a bathtub. All of it converted from dairy product to spirit through fermentation and distillation. The whey, once considered waste and fed to pigs, now sells for £40 a bottle. That’s the definition of ‘value extraction!’
Five Years Of Spectacular Failure
Jason Barber and Paul Archard, the vodka’s creators didn’t stumble onto the concept of Milk Vodka by accident either. They spent five years in trial and error before they produced anything drinkable. Five years of whey – based spirits that were, by all accounts, udder failures(!)
That’s because the process isn’t simple. Whey contains lactose, not the sugars that standard yeast can easily convert to alcohol. They needed a special strain of yeast that could survive the lactic environment, ferment the milk sugars into what they call “milk beer,” then distill that through a custom-built copper pot. The still is called an Arnold Holstein. Named after the breed of dairy cow…
Lactose-Free Vodka Made From Milk
Here’s the strange bit that makes it work for more people than you’d expect. Despite being made entirely from milk, Black Cow is suitable for those with lactose intolerance. The fermentation process converts the lactose into alcohol, leaving virtually none behind. You’re drinking milk. But you’re not drinking milk.
What It Actually Tastes Like
The texture is described as creamy. The finish has a subtle sweetness that grain-based vodkas don’t carry. It works neat. It works in a martini with an unexpectedly smooth edge. It works in a vodka tonic if you want something slightly off the standard path.
Ready To Try Vodka That Used To Be Pig Feed..?!
If you want something that’s bizarre, commercially clever and genuinely drinkable, Black Cow delivers.
It’s a conversation starter for your next cocktail. Grab a bottle and see if James Bond was onto something…
Black Cow is a Pure Milk Vodka, made from the milk of grass-grazed cows. This unique process of using milk as our only source ingredient is what makes Black Cow so exceptionally smooth. Jason and Archie run Black Cow from our distillery in West Dorset. Jason’s 250-strong herd of dairy cows graze on nearby fields and our vodka is distilled and bottled here by hand. At Black Cow we know milk is precious, so we don’t waste a drop. It starts by seperating the milk into curds and whey. The curds make cheese (including Jason's award-winning cheeses) and the whey, which would otherwise go to waste is fermented, distilled and blended to make what we believe to be the 'world's smoothest' vodka.
