Grey Goose Vodka Recipe
World's best tasting vodka. Single origin soft winter wheat from picardi and natural spring water from Gensac la Pallue. Every step of our process is designed to express the extraordinary character of our wheat. Naturally rich and full bodied taste with a smooth mouthfeel.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Vodka Base
Filtration & Finishing
Method
Vodka Base
Prepare Mash
Crack or coarsely mill the 4 cups of single-origin soft winter wheat. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the milled wheat with 6 cups of the 9 cups of water and bring to 65–68°C (149–154°F). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes to allow starches to gelatinize. Stir gently and avoid scorching.
Saccharification
After the gelatinization step, cool the mash to 62–64°C (143–147°F). Add the 1 tablespoon enzyme blend (or 1 tablespoon crushed malted barley) and stir thoroughly. Maintain this temperature for 60–90 minutes to convert starches into fermentable sugars. Test with iodine if available; a negative iodine test indicates conversion is complete.
Cool & Transfer
Cool the mash to 25–30°C (77–86°F) using an ice bath or ambient cooling. Once cooled, transfer the mash to a sanitized fermentation vessel and add the remaining 3 cups of the 9 cups of water to reach target consistency.
Pitch Yeast & Ferment
Rehydrate the yeast according to package directions (if required) and add 2 teaspoons to the cooled mash. Seal the fermentation vessel with an airlock and ferment at 18–22°C (64–72°F) for 5–7 days, or until specific gravity is stable for 48 hours and the wash tastes dry and slightly acidic. This wash should reach approximately 8–10% ABV depending on sugar conversion.
Distillation, Filtration & Finishing
First Distillation (Strip Run)
Siphon the fully fermented wash into a small pot still or home column still, leaving sediment behind. Perform a slow, controlled heat to distill off alcohol. Collect the distillate until the wash strength drops and you have a low wine (heads, hearts, tails combined at this stage) of around 20–30% ABV. Stop before the pot runs dry.
Spirit Run (Cuts)
Redistill the low wine slowly in a spirit run. Make careful cuts: discard the foreshots (first ~2–5% of distillate), collect the hearts (the desirable vodka portion) until tails become noticeable by taste or drop in ABV, then stop. Aim to collect a clean heart fraction at roughly 70–80% ABV (140–160 proof).
Polishing Distillation (optional)
If using a column still, perform multiple plates or reflux passes to create a very pure distillate. The goal is a clean, neutral spirit that still carries subtle wheat character. Target final distillate strength ~85–95% ABV before dilution.
Filtration
Prepare a simple filtration column or slow gravity filter layered with 1 cup activated charcoal over 1/2 cup fine sand or diatomaceous earth (use appropriate filter setup and support material). Slowly pass the distilled spirit through the charcoal/sand filter once or twice to remove congeners and soften the mouthfeel. Keep filtration slow to maximize contact.
Proof Down & Rest
After filtration, dilute the spirit with the 2 cups of spring water to reach bottling strength (usually 40% ABV / 80 proof). Add water slowly, mixing and measuring ABV periodically until desired proof is reached. Once proofed, let the vodka rest in a sealed, sanitized container for 48–72 hours to allow harmonization of flavors and mouthfeel.
Bottling
Bottle the vodka in sanitized bottles, seal tightly, and label. Store upright in a cool, dark place. Serve chilled or at room temperature according to preference.
