Dairy Distillery
Our Story
Dairy Distillery founder Omid McDonald is an eclectic serial entrepreneur whose past start-ups range from medical devices to software for DJs. He became enamoured with distilling while visiting a micro-distillery in Charleston, South Carolina. It wasn’t long until Omid started making moonshine in his basement with a copper pot still he hand built. In 2016, Omid was talking to his cousin, Neal McCarten, who just returned from a visit to his uncle Jim Nelson’s dairy farm. Jim described how a dairy by-product was being dumped and Omid wondered if it could be turned into alcohol. So began the story of Dairy Distillery.
DAIRY DISTILLERY
Dairy Distillery started with the idea of making vodka from waste milk sugar (lactose) but we needed a feedstock. We found a source of lactose from a local dairy processor that makes ultra-filtered milk, a high-protein milk used in cheese and yogurt production. The by-product of ultra-filtered milk production is a lactose-rich liquid called milk permeate. We commissioned the University of Ottawa to develop a method to transform milk permeate into alcohol. With success in the lab, we built a state-of-the-art distillery in Almonte, Ontario where, to date, we’ve repurposed 1,285,700 kg of milk permeate.
BETTER SPIRITS
When we started Dairy Distillery, we couldn’t call our spirit a vodka since Canadian regulations required vodka to be made from grain or potato, so we called our vodka Vodkow. People love the name and we now use Vodkow brand for all of our spirits. Vodkow has attracted a legion of fans who like the creamier mouthfeel and touch of sweetness. We also use Vodkow to make a line of lactose-free cream liqueurs.
GREENER BIOFUEL
To help us improve our spirits production in Almonte, we hired David Geros who previously worked designing fermentation and distillation systems for a cellulosic ethanol facility. Dave started working on the business model and design of a high-volume fuel ethanol plant using the process we perfected at our distillery in Almonte. He discovered that ethanol made using our process has half the carbon footprint of traditional corn ethanol. This lower carbon intensity makes it eligible for significantly more carbon credits than traditional ethanol. The financial return and carbon footprint reduction of a Dairy Distillery lactose ethanol plant is an attractive option for dairy processors.
VISIT
Dairy Distillery has built a state-of-the-art micro distillery in Almonte. A reflection of our dairy heritage and modern outlook, our distillery building is a perfect union of agricultural and contemporary design. A 30-foot pitched roof supported by gorgeous Douglas Fir timbers creates a stunning workspace for the crafting of fine spirits. Our German-made copper Christian Carl stills are proudly displayed in our all glass front facade. Consistent with environmental mission, the distillery uses the latest conservation technology including radiant floors, heat exchangers and water reclamation.
