MyWestworld

Pemberton’s Own: Schramm Vodka

Posted on 18. Jan, 2010 by Rhonda May in Living, teaser

If in the earlier part of this decade we re-discovered the 100-mile-diet, the end of it might be remembered as the era of the “100-mile-cocktail”

For some time now, bartenders at the trendiest saloons around British Columbia have been flavouring their drinks with syrups, infusions and bitters concocted from locally sourced herbs, fruits and woods. Yet only recently have they been able to slip locally distilled spirits into their gunbelts as well.

Vancouver Island winery, Winchester Cellers, spearheaded the arrival of micro-distilleries when its gleaming copper still brought forth Victoria Gin, an artisan liquor distilled from a long list of local, organic ingredients. (Most recently they’ve launched a house made lemon bitters). Next, Frank Deiter fired up his Okanagan Spirits distillery to make fragrant eau de vie from the abundant fruit crops to be found around Vernon.  Merridale Estate Cidery in Cowichan began their program with local brandy, and then in the summer of 2009, Tyler Schramm of Pemberton joined this spirited community by introducing British Columbia’s first commercially bottled, small-batch organic vodka.

The justification for placing a vodka distillery in the middle of traditional farm country was an obvious one.  After all, Schramm’s land was planted with acres of the liquor’s singular ingredient – potatoes. And not just any potatoes, but Pemberton potatoes!

For Schramm, the justification for placing a vodka distillery in the middle of traditional farm country was an obvious one. After all, his land was planted with acres of the liquor’s singular ingredient – potatoes. And not just any potatoes, but Pemberton potatoes! In agricultural circles, the Valley just north of Whistler has a reputation for having some of the most fertile growing conditions for spuds on the planet. All thanks to eons of geological activity by flooding rivers, shifting mountains, and yes, melting glaciers – the benefactor that other vodka companies point to when they are only discussing the purity of their water.

Considering these ideal conditions, if the alchemy of turning prime tubers and clean mountain water into potato vodka has not been attempted before now, B.C.’s archaic liquor laws may have been to blame. All alcohol produced in the province is subject to such heavy sales taxes that their weight tends to crush the life out of entrepreneurial incentive. However, with the demand for locally produced food products on the increase, Schramm could see the potential for a made-in-B.C. alcohol. So he took to the idea in spades, so to speak.

Today’s Jeopardy Question: How Many Kilos of Potatoes Are Needed to Make One 750-mL Bottle of Vodka?

Dusting off his university science degree, Tyler enrolled at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in order to notch up his skills in brewing and distilling. Once armed with this new expertise, he and his two brothers then set forth on a long winter’s march toward production – selecting appropriate land, constructing a distillery, buying essential equipment from Europe and ordering truckloads of potatoes from local organic farmers (it takes seven kilos of potatoes to make one 750 mL bottle of vodka), not to mention waging many frustrating and arduous battles with bureaucratic red tape and licensing delays. But finally, in July 2009, the Schramm brothers’ first potato vodka was ready for bottling and distribution to markets throughout western Canada.

David Wolowydnik, bar manager at Vancouver’s West restaurant, feels Scramm’s vodka has the substance to hold its own against some of his spiciest cocktail recipes.

Consumers may be surprised by the result. Vodka made from potatoes exhibits a very different taste profile to that of the ubiquitous grain vodkas, which are often over distilled to the point of becoming flavourless and odourless. The potato version is marked by a distinct earthiness with a faint sweetness from the potato starch, and a mouthfeel that some may describe as “full-bodied character” and others might dismiss as “forward.” Schramm Vodka, in particular, has faint peppery, herbal-flavour notes, a melted-snow softness and a mineral edge that is appropriate for the label’s illustration of the Coast Mountains. David Wolowydnik, bar manager at Vancouver’s West restaurant, feels it has the substance to hold its own against some of his spiciest cocktail recipes, such as the Schramm “Old Tom” Gibson he makes with his own house-pickled, organic onions. You can view his recipe by clicking here.

Now that the company is distilling approximately 1,300 bottles a month, you can find Schramm Vodka in creative bars and restaurants around the province. At the retail level it sells for $49.99 and is widely available at BC Liquor Distribution branches.

Link to cityfood.com.

Photo courtesy Schramm Vodka

Tags: B.C. vodka, Pemberton potatoes, Schramm Vodka, Tyler Schramm