In the heart of Angus, Hatton is Ogilvy Farm, a four-generation family business who specialise in beef cows, cereals, and potatoes. The latter inspired the creation of Ogilvy premium potato vodka, which is created entirely on the farm. ‘Ogilvy’ means ‘high plain’ in an old Celtic tongue and the farm sits inland above the Strathmore valley, some 12 miles from the North Sea.
The creation of the vodka starts with planting potatoes. Each December, the fields are ploughed to let frost into the soil and, with fertility assured, prime seed potatoes are planted in spring. The spuds are irrigated in summer ahead of the autumn harvest, during which they are loaded into the mincer to make the starch more accessible to the enzymes which are added at the next stage. The potato mix is then pressure cooked to gelatinise the starch before the mash is cooled and enzymes are added. Yeast and nutrients then ferment the mash for four to five days, with the temperature and pH constantly monitored. The fermented mash is then distilled into a 96% ABV spirit on 'Spud', a specially designed 32 plate Carter-head Mk. II distillation column still, with a seven-meter-high methanol removal column. The vodka is twice distilled over a relatively short period of 12 hours, then goes through traditional charcoal filtration before using a 1-micron sheet filter for a final polishing.