Vodka — made from milk? Yes.

Wheat, potatoes, even grapes are used to make vodka — but milk?

While the idea of making vodka from milk might seem absurd, using milk to produce alcohol is a longstanding tradition among nomadic Siberians, among whom milk was the only source of sugar available. In Tuva, a Russian Republic in southern Siberia, milk vodka is traditionally known as araka.

Now, thanks to an English dairy farmer, milk vodka is available in the United States — and it’s just as clear as the rest of them.

Black Cow Pure Milk Vodka is the brainchild of Jason Barber, a sixthgeneration member of the renowned Barber cheese family, and friend Paul Archard. It was inspired by a conversation over a glass of homemade eau de vie (fruit brandy) with a Polish friend. After sampling the homemade brandy (to some disapproval it seems), the friend wrinkled his nose and said, “You know you can make good drink from milk.” Barber’s herd of 250 grass-fed dairy cows stared back at them.

Unlike the conventional method of distilling vodka from grains or potatoes and blending it with water, Black Cow Vodka starts and ends with whey, the watery byproduct of the cheesemaking process. The whey is fermented with a unique yeast that can survive the lactic environment, then distilled through a custombuilt Arnold Holstein copper pot and triple filtered.

The lack of water in the distillation process gives the vodka a naturally low mineral content. This produces a softer more refined spirit with a unique creamy character, says Archard, a contrast to the flintier flavor profiles of many vodkas that use mineral-rich hard spring water.

Archard says the vodka can support the most delicate flavors, making “simple, low- or no-sugar cocktails taste brighter and more vivid.” A favorite at the Dorset distillery is its simple version of an espresso martini: a shot of Lavazza espresso, double Black Cow, and maple syrup to sweeten to taste, shaken hard and served in a martini glass.

Black Cow Vodka launched in 2012 in England and touched down in the states in California in 2016 via Wine Warehouse. It has plans for additional distribution in New York, Washington and Chicago this fall. Los Angeles bartenders such as Kim Stodel at Providence, known for his sustainable, zero-waste bar program, and chef Neal Fraser and bar director Tobin Shea at Redbird LA are already picking up on it.

Not only is Black Cow Vodka challenging the common conception of vodka-making, it’s taken an underutilized byproduct (whey) and upcycled it into a premium spirit, making it a vodka that you can also venture to call sustainable.

Which is something to be udderly happy about. Find it: Black Cow can be found at

or shipped nationwide out of Los Angeles from either Mel & Rose or Mission Wine and Spirits.

Brandy Gonsoulin is a freelance writer.