Everyone knows that some of the best potatoes in the world come from Prince Edward Island—right? (OK, now you do!)
 
Maybe it’s a combination of the island’s rich, red soil, clean water and cold winters. Whatever the explanation, Prince Edward Island’s terroir makes for great mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes—and vodka.
 
Vodka? That’s right.
 
Two inventive women have discovered that Prince Edward Island spuds make a smooth vodka (hello, Prince Edward Distillery) with a silky taste and none of the harshness you sometimes find in vodka made from grain. But working with ‘taters is a lot harder.
 
“Potatoes are not just finicky, they’re monsters to distill,” co-owner Julie Shore tells me. “However, the quality is worth the hard work…. the results are amazing.”
 
I ask Shore if vodka is one of her preferred drinks, or if this is simply a case of using the raw ingredients she has on hand.
 
“Ohhhh, there’s nothing like a good martini,” she replies. “Or a Sunday afternoon Bloody Caesar.”
 
And given that one-sixth of Prince Edward Island—approximately 40,500 hectares or 100,000 acres—is devoted to growing potatoes, “it had to be potato vodka.” There also happens to be about 4,000 ha (10,000 ac) of PEI in blueberry production, so guess what? That’s right, Shore also makes Wild Blueberry Vodka.
 
 “I am a distiller of many loves,” she chuckles. 
Shore and partner Arla Johnson started distilling potatoes last May and had their first batch of vodka ready by June, just in time for the tourist season. I’ll drink to that.