CANBY, Ore. — An Oregon creamery is working with a distiller to turn whey into vodka.
KOIN-TV reported that TMK Creamery, near Canby, is working with Jason Greenwood of Divine Distillers of Salem on the venture.
Greenwood says whey-based vodka is not common. He says they have been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University to “perfect” the process.
According to OSU, most milk that goes into a cheese-making facility comes out as whey, which it says can be expensive to dispose of in landfills. The university says turning whey into protein powders or related products requires equipment that can be too expensive for small creameries.
TMK Creamery’s Todd Koch says the hope is to be selling bottles of the new vodka by month’s end.
