OUR VODKA

01 Live Socially

The first step in the process is sourcing raw materials. The Company is committed to sourcing its raw ingredients and supplies from several local small businesses, many of which are from small towns across North Carolina (Asheville, Bethel, Kinston, Raleigh, Silver Springs, Salisbury, High Point, Greenville, and Wilmington).

02 MILLING

When our farmers harvest the corn, it is ground into a corn meal consistency using a turn-of-the-century hammer mill. This allows water more access to starches contained in corn.

03 MASHING

The corn meal is loaded into a Mash Tun with water from the aquifer to create our mash. First, the corn mash is sterilized by heating it to the boiling point. Then enzymes are added to promote the conversion of starches to sugar. The contents from the mash tun are cooled and transferred into large stainless-steel tanks for fermentation.

04 fermentation

Once the mash has been cooled, we add our proprietary yeast, and the tanks are closed. Yeast contains enzymes that allow its food cells to extract oxygen from starches or sugars, producing alcohol. Over the next two to four days, enzymes in the yeast convert the sugars in the mash to ethyl alcohol. Once the yeast has done its job, the mash is now called a “wash” and has an alcohol content of approximately 10%. To turn this wash into a spirit of one kind or another, the art of distillation is necessary.

05 DISTILLATION

Each batch of wash is carefully distilled over 25 times through two custom-made copper pot stills and a 20-plate copper column. The wash is heated with steam and then continuously cycled up and down until the alcohol vapors are released, refined, and ultimately condensed into liquid again. This process removes undesirable alcohols and impurities, allowing us to capture the hearts to be used for Social House® vodka. This process produces a “high wine” of 96% pure ethanol. During the process, the residual grain residue is collected and used as livestock feed.

06 BLENDING

The high wines are made up of concentrated vapors, or fine spirits, which contain 96% alcohol. This translates to 190 proof. To make it drinkable, water is added to the high wine to decrease the alcohol to 80-proof (or 40% ABV) spirit, called vodka.

07 Filtration

After the water is added, the spirit is allowed to rest for up to two weeks. This resting period allows for the chemical reactions to subside. Once each batch of our spirits has matured to perfection and is ready to be bottled, they are pumped into our proprietary filtration area to remove any impurities and particulates.

08 BOTTLING

After filtration, each batch of Social House® vodka is bottled, labeled, and numbered reflecting the batch from which it was produced. From there, the bottles make it to the tasting room, our distillery retail shop, ABC/Liquor stores, and many top local bars and restaurants where they can be enjoyed.