Woody Creek Distillers Potato Vodka, Colorado

Keeping the texture is a deliberate choice at Woody Creek Distillers. Its Potato Vodka begins with fresh Colorado potatoes and reaches the bottle unfiltered, preserving the substantial, velvety mouthfeel that defines this Basalt-made spirit. Subtle sweetness, a creamy finish and intriguing hints of plantain and white truffle make it a vodka worth exploring neat, while its body gives a Martini satisfying weight and presence.

Product Details:

• Alcohol by Volume: 40%.
• Proof: 80.
• Base Material: 100% fresh Colorado potatoes from Price Farms in the San Luis Valley.
• Harvest: September and October, when the potatoes are approximately three months old, before thicker skins develop.
• Preparation: Potatoes are washed and riced within days of harvest.
• Cooking: Approximately 12,000 pounds of potatoes per cooking tank, combined with Rocky Mountain water for a five-hour cook.
• Saccharification: Cooking and natural enzymes convert potato starches into fermentable sugars.
• Fermentation: Distiller’s yeast is added to the mash, followed by approximately 48–60 hours of fermentation in jacketed tanks.
• Fermentation Equipment: Eight 7,500-liter jacketed fermentation tanks.
• Distillation Equipment: Custom German CARL stills, including Oscar, a 36-inch-diameter beer-stripping still, and Maisy, a pot-and-column hybrid still.
• Stripping Stage: The published process describes increasing the fermented wash from approximately 8–10% ABV to 75% ABV.
• Spirit Refinement: The distillate is diluted to approximately 35% ABV before processing through Maisy’s full 42-plate column to approximately 96% ABV.
• Proofing: Reverse-osmosis water brings the spirit to 40% ABV.
• Batch Blending: Finished batches are combined in a blending tank for consistency before bottling.
• Filtration: Unfiltered to retain flavor and viscous texture.
• Head of Distilling: Stephen Julander.
• Co-Founder and CEO: Mary Scanlan.
• Other Founders: Pat Scanlan and Mark Kleckner.

Sensory Description:

A soft, subtly sweet palate opens into a full-bodied, velvety texture. Notes of plantain bring a delicate fruity impression, while white truffle adds an earthy dimension. The defining feature is its mouthfeel: rounded and substantial, with a creamy, lingering finish that makes the potato base an expressive part of the drinking experience.

Awards & Accolades:

• 2026 Vodka of the Year and Best Vodka: ASCOT Awards.
• 2026 Best Vodka and Best Overall Vodka: New York World Spirits Competition.
• 2025 Gold: TAG Global Spirits Awards.

Distiller's Background:

Founded in 2012, Woody Creek Distillers is based in Basalt, Colorado, in the Roaring Fork Valley. Founders Pat Scanlan and Mark Kleckner brought engineering experience to the production process, while co-founder Mary Scanlan shaped the brand’s creative direction and now leads the business as CEO. The women-owned distillery works with Colorado farmers and handles mashing, fermentation, distillation, and bottling in-state, with Stephen Julander leading distilling operations.

Serving Suggestions:

Try lightly chilled in a small tasting glass to appreciate the creamy texture and earthy detail, or pour over a large ice cube. Its substantial body works particularly well in a dry Martini with a lemon twist or olives, and it also provides a rounded foundation for a Bloody Mary or Moscow Mule. For a producer-inspired variation, combine with pear nectar, lemon, aromatic bitters and ginger beer. Smoked fish, potato pancakes, pickled vegetables and salty appetizers make appealing accompaniments.