20081006

Alaska's 1st distillery has 1st vodka

While Gov. Sarah Palin is drawing public attention to Alaska, Toby Foster, CEO of Glacier Creek Distillery, hopes some publicity also will be generated for his new product.

Permafrost brand vodka, made from locally grown potatoes, is about to be shipped out to distributors and restaurants.

Foster, a commercial pilot, was a home brewer who wanted to segue into vodka making and using Matanuska Valley-grown potatoes, known for their high potassium, vitamin C and B6 content, along with Alaskan glacier water.

His company is the state's first, and only, licensed distillery. Its vodka will be priced at about $50 a bottle to wholesale distributors. The 750-milliliter bottles imported from Italy are made of a heavy glass. Due to the $6 a bottle cost, the company is considering offering a return deposit.

Glacier Creek Distillery also will operate as a green distillery. Ethanol made during the distilling process will be removed to fuel generators that provide electricity to run the plant, and the unused parts of the potato will go into compost for future gardens at the plant site.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Permafrost has been out on the market since mid December. It's now selling for about $39.99 in most places in Alaska, like Costco.

It's really smooth and tasty. No afterburn or aftertaste. Makes great Martinis! Even Lemon Drops are smooth with Permafrost.