The potatoes for Ogilvy Vodka grow a short tractor ride from where they’re transformed into vodka. Everything is undertaken on the Jarron Family's own farm to form a small-batch local Vodka of international quality (the aim is for quality production rather than mass production).

Nose: Warm aromas tinged with fresh apricots and citrus fruit, green grass and walnuts.

Taste: Smooth warmth of potato spirit, a sweet, creamy character with fruity esters, a hint of toffee and green pasture notes. Clean, balanced, a rich mouthfeel imbued with the mineral wealth of local land and water.

Aftertaste: A long, lush finish with black pepper, earthy charcoal and a wee whisper of citrus.

About the Distillery and Process

The Jarrons, have farmed the land at Hatton of Ogilvy farm since 1910. In the early years workhorses were crucial for cultivation, until new methods and machinery arrived, but cattle and crops have been raised throughout the family’s tenure. Sustainability has also always been present at Ogilvy Farm, where they never neglect the past, but are equipped for the future. The advent of solar panels offers a case in point; a green means of powering old-fashioned farming values as well as a new micro-distillery.

'Spud' The Still is their specially-constructed column-pot-still which distils both the wash and spirit in turn. Unique in appearance due to its stainless steel cladding (copper is typically used), Spud highlights how a contemporary, scientific approach can be successfully married with traditional farming practices

“Each December our fields are ploughed to let frost into the soil, and with its fertility assured, prime seed potatoes are planted in spring. With health checks underway, we irrigate the spuds in summer ahead of their autumn harvest and subsequent storage in one tonne wooden boxes.” - Graeme Jarron - Founder Ogilvy Spirits

The potatoes are thoroughly washed before being brought in baskets to a mincer, into which they’re loaded. Mincing makes the starch more accessible to the enzymes which are added at the next stage.

The potato mix is then pressure-cooked to gelatinise its starch, before the mash is cooled. Next, enzymes are added to hydrolyse the starch into simple sugars, which the yeast will convert to alcohol.

Yeast and nutrients are added to the mash, which is fermented for four to five days. The yeast consumes sugars and produces ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide. To ensure consistent quality and superior spirit, the fermenting mash’s temperature and pH are constantly monitored.

“Distilling the fermented mash to 96% ABV spirit is vital for richness. Utilising 'Spud' - our specially designed 32 plate Carter-head Mk. II distillation column with seven meter high methanol removal column - we achieve the desired purity in just two distillations, over a relatively short period of 12 hours.” Abishek Banik - Distiller at Ogilvy Spirits

The grand finale in vodka production is charcoal filtration. We filter our vodka for up to a week using traditional charcoal, before ‘polishing’ it using a 1-micron sheet filter. Along with our painstaking distilling process, it ensures a smooth, mellow vodka with maximum taste integrity.