YOU SAY POTATO, THEY SAY VODKA
The old County craft of turning culls into potato vodka has become a world-class spirit made entirely in Maine.
Three years ago Donnie Thibodeau had an idea. The owner of Green Thumb Farms in Fryeburg, Thibodeau had been watching the value of his potato crop decline for years and wanted to take action. He figured there had to be a way to add value to the industry. On a trip back to his hometown of Presque Isle with his brother Lee, the duo concocted a plan to commercially produce potato vodka, something their father and uncles used to make when the boys were young. “I figured, if we’re not going to eat them, let’s drink them,” Thibodeau says. Cold River Vodka had begun fermenting.
Most vodka companies make their product with alcohol they get from a third party. Not Cold River Vodka. The potatoes they distill to make their super-premium vodka come from Donnie and Brenda Thibodeau’s farm (unlike the handsome taters in the photo above, they use the “culls” that are too big, small, or odd-shaped for supermarkets) and the water used in the process comes from the 16.4-mile-long Cold River that runs through western Maine near the farm. The potatoes are processed and the alcohol is distilled at Maine Distilleries in Freeport. Simply put, the Thibodeau brothers created the only vodka distillery in the U.S. to oversee its entire production—from planting the potato seeds to filling and numbering each bottle.
Four varieties of potatoes go into every bottle of Cold River Vodka. They use the whole potato, too, utilizing the flavor and richness found in the potato skin. For their blueberry vodka, launched in 2009, the company stays true to its Maine roots, getting the blueberries from Milbridge-based Jasper Wyman and Sons.
Besides being a winner of multiple awards, Cold River Vodka is also gluten free, since it isn’t made with grain. You can even sample it for free next time you’re in Freeport: Maine Distilleries opens its doors to the public for tours seven days a week during the summer.
Photo courtesy of Cold River Vodka
You Say Potato, They Say Vodka
The old County craft of turning culls into potato vodka has become a world-class spirit made entirely in Maine.
Three years ago Donnie Thibodeau had an idea. The owner of Green Thumb Farms in Fryeburg, Thibodeau had been watching the value of his potato crop decline for years and wanted to take action. He figured there had to be a way to add value to the industry. On a trip back to his hometown of Presque Isle with his brother Lee, the duo concocted a plan to commercially produce potato vodka, something their father and uncles used to make when the boys were young. “I figured, if we’re not going to eat them, let’s drink them,” Thibodeau says. Cold River Vodka had begun fermenting.
Most vodka companies make their product with alcohol they get from a third party. Not Cold River Vodka. The potatoes they distill to make their super-premium vodka come from Donnie and Brenda Thibodeau’s farm (unlike the handsome taters in the photo above, they use the “culls” that are too big, small, or odd-shaped for supermarkets) and the water used in the process comes from the 16.4-mile-long Cold River that runs through western Maine near the farm. The potatoes are processed and the alcohol is distilled at Maine Distilleries in Freeport. Simply put, the Thibodeau brothers created the only vodka distillery in the U.S. to oversee its entire production—from planting the potato seeds to filling and numbering each bottle.
Four varieties of potatoes go into every bottle of Cold River Vodka. They use the whole potato, too, utilizing the flavor and richness found in the potato skin. For their blueberry vodka, launched in 2009, the company stays true to its Maine roots, getting the blueberries from Milbridge-based Jasper Wyman and Sons.
Besides being a winner of multiple awards, Cold River Vodka is also gluten free, since it isn’t made with grain. You can even sample it for free next time you’re in Freeport: Maine Distilleries opens its doors to the public for tours seven days a week during the summer.
Tagged as:
Cold River Vodka,
Donnie Thibodeau,
Lee Thibodeau,
Maine Distributors,
Maine Entrepreneurs,
Maine products,
Potato vodka
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