The next visit to the Glendale Shepherd farm stand in Clinton on Whidbey Island, Wash., may yield a jar of yogurt, a wedge of cheese and a bottle of … vodka?
The South Whidbey dairy farm is officially the first creamery in North America to distill vodka from sheep’s whey.
“The whole idea of being able to get a product from something you already have, that you don’t have to buy – that was what was behind deciding to ferment this whey,” says Lynn Swanson.
Six or seven years ago, she and her husband spent a few days at Oregon State University learning from professors who were researching how to distill the byproduct of cheesemaking. The pungent yellow liquid, usually enjoyed by pigs, is chock-full of protein, calcium and fat. A small portion of it is now fermented and distilled to create the new Wheyfarer Vodka.
“The pigs didn’t really get cut out of the action, we’re just taking the fermented alcohol out and then they get their whey,” Swanson says.
(Photo by David Welton) Glendale Shepherd is home to a cross of these adorable European East Friesian and Lacaune lambs.
The Swanson family farm is home to a cross of European East Friesian and Lacaune sheep. The young dairy lambs are the current adorable stars of the show.
“It’s such a unique product,” John Giardina, distiller and farm manager, says of Wheyfarer. “It comes and goes with our season because our milk ebbs and flows throughout the year.”
Giardina turns out small batches of the 80 proof vodka. To start, yeast is added to a vat of whey, fermenting into a bubbly, sour-smelling mixture that is eventually added to the still after about five days. The quickest part of the process, it moves through the still in a matter of a few hours.
Swanson recalls that the first batch, made at the end of June, sold out within a day.
“The smell kind of gives it away that it’s from a different source than a potato vodka,” she says. “It’s almost floral, it’s a little sweet.”
As far as she knows, the only other two places in the world making vodka using sheep’s whey are located on the island of Tasmania and in Scotland. Many more farms have been using cow’s whey to make the clear liquor instead.
For now, Wheyfarer Vodka can only be purchased at the farm stand. A 12-ounce bottle costs US$36.36 when including tax.
Glendale Shepherd is also beginning to experiment with distilling gin, a more complicated process because of the many flavours that can be mixed in. In contrast, vodka is a pure distillate that hasn’t been aged or had anything added to it.
The farm store is open every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For directions, visit glendaleshepherd.com/farm-visits
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