Vodka is a very versatile drink when it comes to ways of making it.
With most liquours and alcohols, there is a set of ingredients that have to be present in order to make that substance, for example, you wouldn’t find cognac made with anything besides grapes.
However, vodka is a different story and has many different ways of creating alcohol. You can use wheat, corn, rye, barley, potatoes, and even grass.
The scope of ingredients that you can use to make vodka is down to the leeway in its production, certain alcohols have to come from certain areas and are made with certain methods to be considered the alcohol that it is.
However, vodka just needs to be clear and distilled to 190 proof and can be made out of anything.
The two most popular types of vodka are grain vodka and potato vodka.
Grain vodka is made from grains such as barley and wheat whereas potato vodka is made from potatoes. So what’s the difference?
Well, grain vodka is believed to have less flavor than potato vodka, which has a distinctive taste for it. Grain vodka is then associated with cocktails and mixers as it doesn’t overpower the tastes of the drinks that it is in.
Grain vodkas include big names such as Smirnoff and Grey Goose.
If you are looking for a vodka with a little more flavor then it is best to seek out potato vodka, as they are known to have more taste and character and is best to drink on their own without adding a mixer or cocktail, although many potato vodkas can be a great addition to flavors.
In this article, we will be discussing some of the best potato vodkas on the market right now.
Why Is Potato Vodka Different?
As well as the increased flavor in potato vodka in comparison to grain vodka, there are many important and subtle differences that make potato vodka different from vodka made from wheat, rye, and barley.
Texture And Taste
Texture and taste is the main difference that you’ll notice when sampling potato vodka alongside grain vodka.
Potato vodka is heavier and creamier when it is in the mouth and has a more viscous texture than its cousins.
The potato often adds earthy, natural, and savory flavors to the vodka as well depending on the filtering process and what other flavors are added.
Production
Grain vodkas take a shorter time to make and are relatively cheaper than most potato-based vodkas. Potatoes yield a lower amount of alcohol than grains, and that, along with the long production process, makes potato vodka rarer and more expensive.
Potatoes are also more expensive to grow and harvest than certain grains.
Mixability
If you are making a cocktail that is heavily based on other flavors including mixers or other stronger spirits, then a grain vodka would be best as they are lighter and tend to meld well with other flavors without being the primary ingredient.
If you are making cocktails that are forefronted around vodka and want the vodka to shine as the main ingredient then the potato vodka is heavier and bolder and will be a perfect main ingredient.
It is also known that because of its bolder flavors and texture that potato vodka is drunk neat or on the rocks more often than its grain counterpart.
Our Best Potato Vodka Reviews
Chase
Chase is an English vodka that is made with 250 British potatoes in every bottle.
Chase potato vodka has a smooth texture as well as a nice clean finish that is sure to quench your vodka thirst.
It has a fruity flavor that combines apples and stone fruit to create a milder fruity taste, it then finishes the flavor off with a hint of vanilla.
Chase is beautiful on the rocks and in highballs but is also a fantastic addition to fruit-based cocktails especially those that star apple or any mild citric fruit.
Chase is a brilliant smooth potato-based vodka. You can pick up a 1.75L bottle of Chase for just $27.99.
- Region: England
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Apples, stone fruit, vanilla, butter.
Monopolowa
If you are looking for something a little more inexpensive, Monopolowa comes in with the same ABV as Chase, but with a price tag of $14.84 for a 750ml bottle.
This Austrian potato vodka comes with a little bit of a bite, along with its heft texture. Along with its texture, you’ll find a citrus kick from its hint of lemon peel.
Moonopolowa is a fantastic potato vodka for cocktails if you want a stronger taste from your vodka but still want a concoction. It has been commended for its tastes along with bloody marys, grey hounds, and vodka spritzers.
- Region: Austria
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Lemon peel, vanilla, buttercream.
Blue Ice
Blue ice is an all-American potato vodka that is distilled in Rigby, Idaho, and made from American potatoes, and you can taste the potato in this one.
Blue Ice is a potato vodka that tastes like a potato. It has a peppery style and earthy tones that make you think of the Russet Burbank potatoes that it was made from.
Blue Ice is a celebration of the potato, getting a rich and creamy texture along with this earthy vodka.
It is a fantastic vodka to introduce you into the potato vodka scene and is the closest vodka to the ingredient that has made it.
- Region: Idaho
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Pepper, potato, minerals.
Boyd And Blair
Boyd and Blair is another American-made potato vodka hailing this time from Pennsylvania from the copper-pot potato distillate.
Unlike Blue Ice, however, this potato vodka strays away from its earthy beginnings and is instead a burst of tropical flavor.
Boyd and Blair is a brilliant vodka to have just on its own with some ice, a splash of coconut water, and some food to complement its mango and pineapple flavors, it also has hints of sweetness in toffee and caramel.
Boyd and Blair is a potato vodka bought for the person who loves the tasting notes of vodkas and usually will take them neat.
It comes in as one of the more expensive vodkas on this list, at $34.56 for 750ml but its flavor combinations make up for that.
- Region: Pennsylvania
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Mango, pineapple, toffee, caramel.
Woody Creek
Woody Creek is one of the most famous potato-based vodkas and there is a good reason for it. It is distilled just one time from potatoes that are grown right outside the Woody Creek Distillery in Colorado.
Because it is only distilled once, you get the fresher earthier taste. Woody Creek is earthy and vegetal, you get the earthy aspect which is brought with an easy and clean finish.
With its relatively unrefined process, Woody Creek is one of the base potato vodkas, which is why it is so popular. If you like potato vodka, Woody Creek is perfect for you.
Because of its one-of-a-kind process, Woody Creek does come with a higher price tag at $31.99 per 750ml bottle, but it is worth the price to taste the base of potato vodka.
- Region: Colorado
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Potato, earthy, vanilla.
Chopin
Chopin Vodka is a Polish vodka that comes in the style of the famous Eastern European potato vodkas, full-bodied and rustic.
Chopin delivers a smooth potato vodka that gives a little bit of a tangy fuzz from its hints of green apple. Because of this, we find that Chopin is perfect to mix in with some cocktails, particularly martini’s.
As well as its green apple tang that comes with the velvety vodka, we still get a bold, earthy flavor that comes with potato vodka.
At just under $30 per 750ml bottle, Chopin is a taste of Eastern Europe that is perfect for martini lovers.
- Region: Poland
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Potato, green apple, vanilla.
Karlsson’s Gold
Karlsson’s Gold is a Scandinavian vodka that uses several different new potatoes from Cape Bjäre in Sweden.
It is single-distilled and houses all of the earthy flavor and character that comes with the quality potatoes to produce a rich and full-bodied potato vodka.
Karlsson’s Gold is recommended to be drunk neat or on the rocks, possibly in a martini.
They also recommended trying a dash of black pepper in your vodka to bring out the savory tastes of the Swedish potatoes.
However you like your potato vodka, Karlsson’s Gold is a unique and interesting taste experience at just $27.99 per 750ml bottle.
- Region: Sweden
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Earthy, black pepper, ginger.
Luksusowa
Luksusowa is another Polish potato vodka that is a lot more savory than other potato vodkas and comes as a brilliant sidekick to salty foods and fish.
This triple distilled potato vodka is a symphony of vegetable notes that come together to make an earthy Eastern European treat that is best sipped on the rocks alongside a meal.
Luksusowa is found to have Potato, asparagus, fennel, and even bell pepper notes that add to its vegetal reputation. It also picks up a taste of nuts and spices that linger on your tongue.
At just under $15.00 per 750ml bottle, Luksusowa is a perfect vodka for those who love to drink their potato vodka neat or on the rocks and are partial to the savory rather than the sweet.
- Region: Poland
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Potato, asparagus, fennel, bell pepper, nuts.
44 North Huckleberry
Going back to Idaho, 44 North brings us a beautifully tasting potato vodka that’s a little sweeter than its vegetable flavored cousins.
Distilled using the famous Russet Burbank potatoes and infused with local Idaho huckleberries, the 44 North delivers a sweet citrusy taste that is front manned by the sweet huckleberries.
44 North says that it is the ideal spirit for drinking chiller or on the rocks but is perfect in an infinite range of cocktails due to its sweet flavor not being out of place in any of the great mixes.
44 North has a lower ABV than the rest of the vodka’s on this list but at just under $30 it is the perfect potato vodka for people who prefer sweet over savory.
- Region: Idaho
- ABV: 35%
- Tasting notes: Huckleberries, lemon, vanilla.
Vesica Vodka
Going back to the Polish potato vodka, Vesica vodka takes the rich and full-bodied charm that comes with the Eastern European vodka and gives it a sweeter, more modern taste.
Vesica vodka hits you with a sweet caramel while lacing this strong caramel flavor with red berries. It has a warm finish and is perfect to sip on its own or on the rocks.
Because of its sweet and bold flavors, Vesica is also at home in any number of cocktails especially those that are forefronted by the taste of the vodka such as a martini.
Vesica is an inexpensive potato vodka also, at just $14.29 per 750ml bottle.
- Region: Poland
- ABV: 40%
- Tasting notes: Caramel, red berries.
Buyer’s Guide
If none of these potato vodkas are to your taste and you would like to find a potato vodka that is unique to you, then we’ve put together a handy buyer’s guide that outlines everything you need to know about potato vodka and what you should be looking for when you purchase potato vodka.
Price
Price is going to be the first thing you look at when buying a potato vodka, you may wonder why the vodka is so expensive, however, potato vodka has a higher price than grain vodka due to its longer production process.
However, you can get high-quality potato vodka for as little as around 15$.
If you are looking for more unique and potential higher-quality potato vodka you may be spending up to $30-$35.
Mixability
The type of potato vodka you buy may depend on how you drink your vodka.
If you are a fan of mixing your vodka then we recommend getting a lighter, sweeter vodka, or if you do prefer savory then a vodka that is distilled more than once depending on the cocktail.
There are a lot of potato vodkas that have a strong earth flavor and are recommended to be taken neat, on the rocks, or with a mild mixer – even possibly in a Moscow Mule.
Flavor
A lot of potato vodkas are savory, focusing on the earthy tones and tastes that come naturally from the potatoes that they are made from.
This is fantastic if you are a fan of the savory, you want something bold and rich that has a heavy texture and a natural taste.
If you don’t want an earthy tone and prefer the sweet to the savory, then not to worry, as there are plenty of potato vodkas on the market that are as sweet as grain vodka.
These vodkas don’t shy away from the bold textures or heaviness that the savory ones have either, so you’re still getting more for your money.
Region
Much like any high-quality spirit or liquor, it is important to know where it is from and what it is made out of.
The potato vodkas on this list mostly come from Eastern Europe or potato farming regions in America (mainly Idaho).
Knowing exactly what potatoes the vodka is made from and having an idea of where they are distilled can give character to vodka and make it more appealing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Potato Vodka Gluten-Free?
Vodka is made from grains (mainly wheat) and potatoes. These two ingredients are usually the bane of a gluten-free lifestyle.
There are a few brands of vodka that label their bottles as gluten-free and use it as a selling point to make their vodka seem ‘healthy’, but does that mean that other vodkas aren’t gluten-free?
There is no gluten in vodka. Gluten is a complex protein that is found in wheat and potatoes, however, when these ingredients are distilled, it is impossible to get the gluten protein through the stills.
Marking vodka as gluten-free would be like putting a big sticker on a bottle of still water saying ‘Vegetarian’, for this reason, it is actually illegal to market vodka as gluten-free in some European countries.
Unless gluten is purposefully added to vodka after distillation, all vodka is gluten-free.
How Long Does It Take To Ferment Potato Vodka?
Fermentation is the longest part of the vodka-making process.
If the fermenter is secured with a proper airlock then the potato vodka will take around two weeks to ferment.
In comparison, most grain vodkas take around three to five days, which is why potato vodka is normally more expensive than grain vodka.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a fan of vodka and want something rich, full-bodied, and bold to drink, then potato vodka is perfect for you.
It is heavier and has different tastes and textures to normal grain vodka and therefore can house more flavor.
It takes longer to make and potatoes take longer to grow than grain so the price of potato vodka may be a little higher than that of grain vodka. However, we assure you vodka lovers that you won’t be disappointed.