Prairie Handcrafted Vodka

About Prairie Handcrafted Vodka

Situated along the banks of the Minnesota River in the city of Benson (population: 3,240), three family farms — Sather Organic Farms, Little Big Man Organic Farms and Olson Organics — grow the single vintage organic corn used to make Prairie Handcrafted Vodka.

Three years prior to sowing their farmland with organic corn seed, each of the farmers — John Sather, Marvin Boike and Jon Olson — began preparing their fields for the crop. After cleansing the soil and regenerating its nutrient base, the farmers planted a 25-foot buffer crop in order to ensure that chemicals and pesticides from neighboring farms did not contaminate their own crop. “It just doesn’t happen overnight.” says Olson. “It’s a process — even to produce your first organic crop, it takes three years from when you decide to do it.”

Rather than using herbicides or other synthetic products to increase their yield, the farmers use more traditional methods — they control weeds by creating old-fashioned prairie fires and rely on native birds and bats to consume insects in their fields. As a result, their farms are lush, complete ecosystems that flourish with all types of wildlife.

Prairie Handcrafted Vodka is distilled from the single vintage, organic yellow corn harvested at these farms. Once the corn has been harvested, it is brought to the farmer-owned distillery, where is milled and mashed. Then, the corn is fermented before being distilled as many times as necessary to yield a smooth and flavorful vodka — the vodka is distilled to taste, rather than a prescribed number of times. Prairie Handcrafted Vodka has an aroma of sweet melons, pears and citrus, which give way to notes of vanilla, corn and honey on the palate. The finish is smooth and warming, with a touch of peppercorn. Prairie Handcrafted Vodka earned a score of 92 points from Wine Enthusiast, and won the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2009 and 2011.

Prairie Cucumber Flavored Vodka is made by infusing Prairie Handcrafted Vodka with cucumber flavors. As a result, the vodka has a fresh and crisp taste, with touches of salt, cucumber and citrus that lead to a cool, herbaceous finish.

Prairie Organic Gin is made by merging together a blend of juniper, coriander, angelica, lemon and cassia together with a grain-based spirit. As a result, the gin has an aroma of mint and sage, that is followed by hints of juniper, eucalyptus and citrus on the palate. The gin was called “absolutely fantastic” at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in 2013.

Pick up a bottle of each Prairie today!