Black Cow Vodka
TypeVodka
Country of origin West Dorset, United Kingdom
IntroducedWest Dorset, 2012
Alcohol by volume 40%
Proof (US)80
WebsiteBlack Cow Vodka

Black Cow is a brand of vodka manufactured in West Dorset, United Kingdom. It was created by Jason Barber, a dairy farmer from West Dorset. The vodka is made using whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking.

Product

Black Cow was created by Jason Barber and Paul Archard, through a trial and error process that took approximately five years.[1] Barber had been inspired by the drink Araka, an alcoholic form of fermented mare's milk used by Genghis Khan and his armies. Araka, which is still made today, is approximately 7% ABV and more akin to a beer.[2]

The vodka is made using whey,[3] as it is high in lactose and sugars to convert to alcohol with a specific yeast that will react with lactose. The product is triple filtered, including through a carbon made from coconut husk.[4] After distillation, the product comes out at 48% ABV, at which point they process the liquid into Black Cow Vodka.[2] The final concentration of the product is 40% ABV.[5] In total, 20 litres (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal) of milk are required to make 1 litre (0.22 imp gal; 0.26 US gal) of vodka.[6]

The curds from the same milk are used to make 1833 cheddar and Black Cow Deluxe Cheddar, two other products from the same dairy farm, meaning that there is very little waste between the two processes.[2] Due to their unique process, the brand claims to be the only vodka in the world made entirely from milk products.[7][1] Black Cow Vodka has made deals to be stocked in Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Majestic Wine,[1] under the Pure Milk Vodka Company.[8] In 2016, the company produced 120,000 bottles.[6]

Awards

Black Cow Vodka won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition in 2015. The vodka is championed by the likes of Mark Hix,[9] Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Kirstie Allsopp.[10]

Advertising

In 2017, Black Cow Vodka had three of its adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.[11][12] One advert was a shot for shot parody of the 1989 "Accrington Stanley, Who Are They?" milk advert, including the original actor, Carl Rice. However, the ASA stated the advert encouraged excessive drinking. Barber embraced the additional publicity the complaint gave the vodka.[8] Indeed, the adverts being banned led to an increase in sales and BBC coverage in Countryfile and Farming Today.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Raise your glasses please!". Blackmore Vale Magazine. Sturminster Newton, England. 15 September 2017. p. 19. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Milk Vodka Alchemy from cows". Western Morning News. Plymouth, England. 14 March 2015. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Let This Spirit Moo-ve You: Make Way For Milk Vodka". npr.org. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. ^ Quinn, Sue (7 December 2013). "The Guardian: 'We like to say that cheese is a byproduct of our vodka' Jason Barber spent years developing the recipe for Black Cow Vodka - a smooth and creamy vodka made from milk". Guardian. London, England. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  5. ^ "That's the spirit - How a Dorset dairy farmer turned his milk into vodkaThe Cut Best of British". Telegraph Magazine. England. 27 July 2019. p. 63. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b Helmer, Jodi (3 February 2017). "Let This Spirit Moo-ve You: Make Way For The World's First Milk Vodka". NPR. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  7. ^ "'Dairying drove me to it': meet the milk vodka producer". theguardian.com. 7 December 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  8. ^ a b Macpherson, Jon (8 March 2017). "Vodka firm's Accrington Stanley milk advert parody BANNED - The advertising standards watchdog said Black Cow's ad encouraged 'excessive drinking'". Accrington Observer. England. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Mark Hix recipes: Our chef gets creative with produce from Lyme Regis's Food Rocks festival". independent.co.uk. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Cocktails: who are the movers and shakers this Christmas?". telegraph.co.uk. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  11. ^ "'Accrington Stanley' vodka parody ad banned". bbc.co.uk. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Remember the 'Accrington Stanley?' milk advert? This vodka company's sexy remake has been banned by watchdogs". mirror.co.uk. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  13. ^ Hall, Godfrey (5 October 2017). "Vodka made from milk is one of trendiest products". Western Gazette. Yeovil, England. p. 4. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
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