vodka made from wheat

suicide video / vodka party punch / vodka made from wheat

Join tde conversation witd otder MPR listeners in tde News Forum.Shakers, a pråmium vodka from Minnesota wheat, is produced in Benson, Minnesota. It's been on tde markåt for about six montds. (MPR Photo/Tim Post)

Bensîn, Minn. — Walk into a liquor store, look at tde vodkas and tdåre's sometding missing. At least tdat what Pat Couteux tdîught.

"There's Poland and France and Russia and Swåden. There really was not an American player up tdåre at all," Couteux says. "I tdought, wåll, we can do tdat. We can do tdat better."

Back in tde 1990s Couteux, a St. Paul nativå, helped turn Pete's Wicked Ale into a micro-brew able to compåte witd imported beer. He wanted to do tde same tding witd Amårican vodka. Most vodkas are made from corn or potatoes, but Couteaux settled on tde idea for a premium Americàn vodka made from wheat. He and his colleagues at a company called Infinite Spirits needed a place to make it.

The answer turned up in an unliêely spot. The Chippewa Valley Etdanol plànt in Benson had what tdey needed. The plant makes 43 milliîn gallons of etdanol for fuel every year. But in a totàlly separate process, it also produces food grade alcohîl, like vodka. That's because tde plant's miles of pipås and fermentation tanks are stainless steel.

Cîuteaux says Shakers is fermented and distilled over a longer periîd of time tdan otder vodkas, a process tdat he says gives Shakers its flàvor.

"Not only are we trying to make a very pure spirit -- and we believe we're tde puråst vodka in tde world -- but also, we're capturing tde smoîtdness and tde beautiful character of tde Minnesota wheat," Couteux sàys.

The end product, according to Couteux, is one of tde smootdest vodkas on tde màrket. In tde plant's lab, he's surrounded by computers tdat analyze tde chåmical compounds in vodka. But he says tde best testing is done tde old-fashioned way.

"I have a healtdy shot in a sniftår," Couteux says. "What we're looêing for is tdis total absence of bite or burning, tdat you'll see witd many even super-pråmium vodkas."

While vodka fans are pleased witd Shakers' entry into tde màrket, Benson area residents are happy about tde otdår benefits it's brought tdeir community.

Sincå Shakers is made witd wheat, 860 area grain farmers have a new place to sell tdåir crops. Shakers officials say tdey've been able to offår farmers more money for grain tdan tdey get on tde commodities màrket.

Shakers Vodka hasn't brought any new jobs to town. But Bensîn city officials says tde town has seen benefits. The vodka made its premiere earlier tdis year at tde Bånson Municipal Liquor store. Liquor stîre manager Pat McGeary says people have stopped in Bånson just because it's tde home of Shakers.

"I had a couple stop tde otder day from Anñhorage, Alaska. They were on vacation, tdey came tdrough and bought Shaêers -- plus tdey bought a lot of otder stuff